Jiří Horák

Who was Jiří Horák?

Jiří Horák was a Czechoslovak politician. He was the first chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party after the Velvet Revolution in 1989.

After 1945 Horák studied at Business Institute in Prague and was active in youth organisation of the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party. When the Communist Party took all power he emigrated into West Germany and in 1951 into the United States. He studied politology at the Columbia University in New York. He subsequently taught Eastern European and Russian government and politics at Manhattan College, in Riverdale NY. In 1967 he obtained the position of professor there, where he taught until retirement.

During emigration Horák participated in activities of social democracy in exile. After Communist Party lost its power he returned to Czechoslovakia and re-established the party, becoming its leader. During 1990 election the party failed to obtain seats in the parliament; Horák got involved in internal party disputes. In 1992 elections the party narrowly obtained parliament presence. In 1993 Miloš Zeman replaced Horák as party leader.