Albín
Bráf was one of the members of the legendary Palacký and
Rieger group, not only by his family bonds but also his scientific work
which benefited of the economic revival of the Czech lands. He was
the first professor of economics at the Czech Prague University
after its re-founding in 1882, and he was a co-author of the Czech
terminology of economics. With Bráf there begins a systematic research
of economics in Czech on a scientific level.
He was born on 27 February
1851in Třebíč. After finishing secondary school like most Czech economists
of that time, he studied at the Law Faculty of Charles-Ferdinand
University in Prague. After some short judicial experience he became a
professor of economics and business statistics at the Czechoslovak
Commercial College in Prague (1874 – 1882). In 1877 he started to
work as a docent at the Czech Polytechnics and Law Faculty of the
Prague University. He was the first to teach economics in Czech
before the University split into Czech and German part. In
1882, after the split he went to work at the Czech University, where
he continued to work until the end of his life. In 1888 he
married Libuše, a daughter of F. L. Rieger, the leader of the
so-called Old Czechs and a granddaughter of Palacký. Bráf was a
staunch supporter of the Old Czechs and he was a member of the parliament of the Czech assembly and of the Czech
National Committee (1887 – 1891). In 1905 he was called fup as a life member of the upper
house of parliament. Two times he was the minister of tillage in the
Vienna government. In 1911 he became a member of a commission for
reform of administration. He died in Roztoky on 1 July 1912. He is
buried in Vyšehrad cemetery.
Bráf was one of the first
pioneers of modern Czech society, and played a very important
role in the development of Czech industry, agriculture, trade,
commerce, banking, insurance industry and specialized education,
either by defining the programme of Czech economics and solving
expert issues, or by his active participation in bodies of various
economic institutions. During more than a quarter of a century of
his pedagogical work he educated a whole generation of economists,
many of which became ministers in the First (Czechoslovak) Republic,
managers of banks, economic institutions, etc. As a land MP, member
of the upper house and the minister of tillage he inspired and put
through many important regulations for the development of the economy in
Bohemia (e.g. foundation of the National Bank, statistical offices
and workhouses). According to Karel Engliš, "Bráf was one of the
most powerful officials who co-determined the development of
the Czech
economic and social conditions." The life, work and opinions of
professor A. Bráf are not only a component part of Czech history
and Czech economic thought. His personality remains an
example of a citizen, scientist, economist, politician and a
teacher. His thoughts, way of working and attitudes stimulate
thought about current economic issues and tasks.
Bráf did not write
integrated scientific work. He left only litho-printed lectures and
many partial studies. In his will he authorised his two
students, Josef Gruber and Cyril Horáček, to order classify and
publish his works. Between 1919 and 1915 three
volumes of his university lectures were published (economic theory, economic
politics and financial science). The First World War interrupted
publishing of other Bráf works. After the formation of the
Czechoslovak Republic (CSR), between 1922 and 1924 another five volumes under the title Albín Bráf. His life
and Works were published. In the history of Czech economic thought Bráf's works
are the only collected works of one author. Nevertheless, these
do not include all the author's works.
Mgr. Vladimír Seidl
On this page there can
be found the following from the works of A. Bráf:
Financial Science. Prague, 1900
Spisy Dra. Albína Bráfa. Díl prvý, svazek I. Vydali Gruber, J. a Horáček C., Praha, 1913
Spisy Dra. Albína Bráfa. Díl prvý, svazek II. Vydali Gruber, J. a Horáček C., Praha, 1914
Spisy Dra. Albína Bráfa. Díl prvý, svazek III. Vydali Gruber, J. a Horáček C., Praha, 1915
Albín Bráf - Život a dílo. Díl první: Paměti. Vydal Gruber, J., Praha, 1922
Albín Bráf - Život a dílo. Díl druhý: Výbor statí z nauky národohospodářské. Vydal Gruber, J., Praha, 1923
Albín Bráf - Život a dílo. Díl třetí: Výbor statí z hosp. a soc. politiky. Vydal Gruber, J., Praha, 1923
Albín Bráf - Život a dílo. Díl čtvrtý: Rozličné stati. Vydal Gruber, J., Praha, 1923
Albín Bráf - Život a dílo. Díl pátý: Výbor statí z politiky a samosprávy. Vydal Gruber, J., Praha, 1924
Břímě, které se dá zmenšit, Praha, 1893
O dělnické otázce..., Praha, 1893
O nápravě měny, Praha, 1892
Samospráva (Česká politika, hlavy 2. část 4.), Praha, 1907
Studien über Nordböhmische Arbeiterverhältnisse, Praha, 1881
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