Milán Václavík
Slovak-origin Czechoslovak military officer and politician (1928–2007)
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Milán Václavík (28 March 1928 – 2 January 2007) was a Slovak-origin Czechoslovak military officer with the rank of colonel general. He served as defence minister from 1985 to 1989, being the last communist-era defence minister of Czechoslovakia.
Ladislav Adamec
Milán Václavík | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 11 January 1985 – 3 December 1989 | |
| President | Gustáv Husák |
| Prime Minister | Lubomír Štrougal Ladislav Adamec |
| Preceded by | Martin Dzúr |
| Succeeded by | Miroslav Vacek |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 March 1928 |
| Died | 2 January 2007 (aged 78) |
| Party | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia |
| Alma mater | |
Awards |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Czechoslovakia |
| Rank | Colonel General |
Early life
Václavík was born in Predmier, Zilina district in Slovakia, on 28 March 1928.[1][2] He held an engineering degree.[1] In the 1950s he was sent to the Soviet Union for military training and attended the Frunze Military Academy and the General Staff Academy.[1]
Career
Václavík worked as an engineer until 1949 when he joined the Czechoslovak People's Army.[1] In the 1970s he served as deputy commander of the western military district.[1] He was later promoted to the rank of colonel general.[3] He served as first deputy chief of the army General Staff from 1983 to 11 January 1985.[1][4]
He was appointed defence minister on 11 January 1985, replacing Martin Dzúr in the post.[4][5] Václavík served in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Lubomír Štrougal under the President Gustáv Husák.[6] Václavík became a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia soon after his appointment.[7] He retained his post in the cabinet formed by Prime Minister Ladislav Adamec in October 1988.[8]
On 29 November 1989 Václavík was asked by the Federal Assembly to answer the question to whom the Czechoslovak People's Army was subordinated.[3] In response Václavík stated that it was subordinated to those who supported socialism, leading to concerns among the Czechoslovak parliamentarians.[3] Upon this incident and due to the pressures on the Prime Minister Adamec to relieve him from the post he was removed from office.[3] Then Miroslav Vacek became the new defense minister on 3 December 1989.[9]
Later years and death
Following his removal from office Václavík lost all his credibility due to his support for the continuation of the communist regime in the country.[10] He was prosecuted in January 1996 together with other former major Communist Party figures. All of them were charged with the illegal arming of the militia.[11][12] In September 1996 Václavík was pardoned by the president Václav Havel because of poor health.[11][12] Václavík died in 2007.
