Karel Šviha, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Karel Šviha

Czech politician

Date of Birth: 11-Jun-1877

Place of Birth: Nový Bydžov, Hradec Králové Region, Czech Republic

Date of Death: 29-Jun-1937

Profession: judge, lawyer, politician

Nationality: Czech Republic

Zodiac Sign: Gemini


Show Famous Birthdays Today, Czech Republic

👉 Worldwide Celebrity Birthdays Today

About Karel Šviha

  • Karel Šviha (June 11, 1877 in Nový Bydžov - June 29, 1937 in Prague) was a Czech politician in Austria-Hungary. Šviha worked as a judge in Žamberk and was a member of the Czech National Social Party.
  • In 1907 he was elected to the provincial parliament of Bohemia, and in 1907 to the Reichsrat (Imperial Council of Austria-Hungary) where he stayed until 1914.
  • In 1911 he became the leader of the party's group in the parliament.
  • In this role he supported pro-Austrian politics.
  • Šviha was author of several political and economical brochures. On April 8, 1911 a lawyer named Paštika informed Josef Anýž, the editor-in-chief of the Prague newspaper Národní listy, that Šviha was a secret collaborator with the police in Prague, had been assigned the cover name "Wiener", and was being paid 800 krones per month.
  • The newspaper was closely associated with the Young Czech Party; since the party at the time negotiated an election coalition with the National Socialists this information was not published.
  • In 1914 the political situation had changed and on March 4, 1914 the newspaper published the accusation; this started a fierce political outcry against the "traitor of the nation", similar to the earlier campaign against Karel Sabina.
  • Šviha admitted contacts with police officer Klíma but denied that he was a police informer.
  • He gave up his parliamentary seat and sued the newspaper.
  • During the court case, in May 1914, Šviha was not able to prove his innocence and, thoroughly disgraced, left politics.
  • Among the few supporters of Šviha was Tomáš Masaryk who later he admitted he was mistaken.The affair left a lasting trace in the Czech language: the words prušvih (to be in a pickle) and prošvihnout (to miss an opportunity) derive from Šviha's surname. Later, Šviha worked in a patent office in Prague and, after the war, as a lawyer for Jindrich Waldes' button factory.
  • He died, forgotten, in 1937. After the creation of Czechoslovakia (1918) the Prague police archive was opened and investigated.
  • It was discovered that Šviha used police officers to keep contact with Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (then successor of the ruling monarch), for whom he elaborated reports and political analysis.
  • This work had been paid from police funds.

Read more at Wikipedia

See Also