Vaclav Benda
Encyclopedia
Václav Benda was a Czech
political activist and mathematician. Along with other dissidents in the 1960s and 70s, Benda led the movement for greater political freedom and expression in the communist-dominated nation. His efforts were largely unsuccessful and led to constant harassment from authorities and social exclusion.
In 1977, the same year he became a signatory to Charter 77
, the Czech dissident
movement group, he wrote in "samizdat
" (underground publishing) fashion, a short seminal tract called "Parallel Polis
" (translated into English in 1978). The purpose of the essay was to inject new life into the country's moribund political life. In brief form, Parallel Polis was a philosophical call for his fellow dissidents to abandon hope that the repressed social, economic and political institutions in Czechoslovakia
could be changed by protest.
Instead, Benda urged that new "parallel institutions" be created that are more responsive to human needs and that may someday even supplant the existing corrupt ones. The entrenched communist state would simply drain any efforts at reform; better to start new ones that waste energy fighting old ones. At its core, Parallel Polis is an inherently communal concept that shares profound philosophical ties to the early Christian
movement that developed shortly after the death of Jesus
. Much of this religious influence might have been the result of his deep and intense devotion to his Catholic
faith.
The idea was a lightning rod in the dissident community and landed Benda in jail for years as a result. Any notions of parallel institutions being created in Czechoslovakia were thus crushed. By the end of the 1980s and the coming of the Velvet Revolution
that threw off communism, Parallel Polis as an idea vanished from the political scene. Only in recent years has it been revived, by a group of scholars at the University of Washington
.
In 1989, Benda joined a Christian right-wing political party, Christian Democratic Party, which later merged with the Civic Democratic Party. He increasingly became a controversial figure within Czech society, and his politics roiled his former dissident comrades and may have isolated him politically.
From June 25 to December 31, 1992 Benda was Chairman of the Chamber of the Nations.
The mid 1990s found him in charge of the Bureau for Investigating the Crimes of Communist Party
officials. He took the role seriously and worked tirelessly, although judicial resistance and lack of governmental cooperation forced Benda to try criminals in the court of public opinion using the media.
He sided with former Chile
an dictator Augusto Pinochet
. In 1996, he was elected as senator to the Czech Parliament in district Prague 1, a seat he held until his sudden death in 1999.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
political activist and mathematician. Along with other dissidents in the 1960s and 70s, Benda led the movement for greater political freedom and expression in the communist-dominated nation. His efforts were largely unsuccessful and led to constant harassment from authorities and social exclusion.
In 1977, the same year he became a signatory to Charter 77
Charter 77
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...
, the Czech dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
movement group, he wrote in "samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
" (underground publishing) fashion, a short seminal tract called "Parallel Polis
Parallel Polis
Parallel Polis is a theoretical concept developed by Czech dissident Vaclav Benda during the height of communist domination in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s. It was translated into English in 1978....
" (translated into English in 1978). The purpose of the essay was to inject new life into the country's moribund political life. In brief form, Parallel Polis was a philosophical call for his fellow dissidents to abandon hope that the repressed social, economic and political institutions in Czechoslovakia
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...
could be changed by protest.
Instead, Benda urged that new "parallel institutions" be created that are more responsive to human needs and that may someday even supplant the existing corrupt ones. The entrenched communist state would simply drain any efforts at reform; better to start new ones that waste energy fighting old ones. At its core, Parallel Polis is an inherently communal concept that shares profound philosophical ties to the early Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
movement that developed shortly after the death of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Much of this religious influence might have been the result of his deep and intense devotion to his Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith.
The idea was a lightning rod in the dissident community and landed Benda in jail for years as a result. Any notions of parallel institutions being created in Czechoslovakia were thus crushed. By the end of the 1980s and the coming of the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
that threw off communism, Parallel Polis as an idea vanished from the political scene. Only in recent years has it been revived, by a group of scholars at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
.
In 1989, Benda joined a Christian right-wing political party, Christian Democratic Party, which later merged with the Civic Democratic Party. He increasingly became a controversial figure within Czech society, and his politics roiled his former dissident comrades and may have isolated him politically.
From June 25 to December 31, 1992 Benda was Chairman of the Chamber of the Nations.
The mid 1990s found him in charge of the Bureau for Investigating the Crimes of Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
officials. He took the role seriously and worked tirelessly, although judicial resistance and lack of governmental cooperation forced Benda to try criminals in the court of public opinion using the media.
He sided with former Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an dictator Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
. In 1996, he was elected as senator to the Czech Parliament in district Prague 1, a seat he held until his sudden death in 1999.