Poslední kovák - První ministr – Šlouf Jakub (2021)

An interview with Jakub Šlouf and Petr Miller, the November leader of industrial workers. The fate of Petr Miller is in many ways symbolic of the entire Velvet Revolution. For more than thirty years, Miller worked in labor positions, and apart from a brief period in 1968, he was not interested in political events. The normalization allowed him, as a worker at ČKD, to achieve significant social and material advancement. Nevertheless, in November 1989, he literally decided overnight to lead the strike movement, which largely determined the outcome of the revolution. He came directly from the forge, yet he became a key collaborator of Václav Havel in negotiations with the leading representatives of the Communist Party about the transfer of power. By early December 1989, without any preparation, he took on the role of federal minister of labor and social affairs. His story vividly illustrates how the most significant positions in the state during the revolution were taken by individuals who were not (and logically could not be) prepared to ensure the ongoing fundamental economic and social reforms. The new ministers were fundamentally dependent on the existing professional staff of the offices inherited from the previous regime. Miller's ministry introduced the basic pillars...