Záviš Kalandra was a Czechoslovak

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 historian and theorist of literature executed by Communists on charges of conspiracy and treason.

He was born in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm

Frenštát pod Radhoštem

Frenštát pod Radhoštěm is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic.It lies under the Moravian-Silesian Beskids Range, in a region rich in history and therefore the town is an important holiday resort in both summer and winter....

. He studied philosophy at the Charles University in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 and then in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

. In 1923 he entered the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia

The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....

, but he was excommunicated due to his criticism of Stalin's policy. He was arrested by the Gestapo

Gestapo

The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...

 in 1939 and he was imprisoned until 1945 in various concentration camps. After the war he was branded as trotskyist

Trotskyism

Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...

 and accused of being the member of a supposed plot to overthrow the Communist regime. He was sentenced to death along with his co-defendants Milada Horáková

Milada Horáková

Dr. Milada Horáková was a Czech politician executed by Communists on charges of conspiracy and treason.- Biography :...

, Jan Buchal and Oldřich Pecl on 8 June 1950, and executed.