List of presidents of Czechoslovakia
President of Czechoslovakia | |
---|---|
Czech: Prezident Československa Slovak: Prezident Česko-Slovenska | |
Style | His Excellency |
Residence | Prague Castle Bratislava Castle (1969–92) |
Appointer | Federal Assembly |
Formation | 14 November 1918 |
First holder | Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk |
Final holder | Václav Havel |
Abolished | 20 July 1992 |
Succession | Václav Havel Michal Kováč |
The President of Czechoslovakia (Czech: Prezident Československa, Slovak: Prezident Česko-Slovenska) was the head of state of Czechoslovakia, from the creation of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 until the dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic in 1992.
In periods when the presidency was vacant, most presidential duties were assumed by the Prime Minister. However, the Czechoslovak Constitutions never defined anything like a post of acting president.
The second section lists the General Secretaries of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) in 1945–1989. After the 1948 coup d'état, the General Secretary was the country's de facto chief executive. However, three general secretaries (Klement Gottwald, Antonín Novotný and Gustáv Husák) also served as president at some point in their tenures.
The last living former President of Czechoslovakia, Václav Havel, died in 2011.
As of 2020[update], there is one living former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia: Karel Urbánek.
Presidents of Czechoslovakia (1918–1992)
- Czechoslovak National Social Party (ČSNS)
- Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ)
- Civic Forum (OF)
- Independent
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Ethnicity | Elected | Term of office | Political party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
(1918–1938) | ||||||||
style="background-color:Template:Independent politician/meta/color; color:black"| 1 | Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937) |
Czech | 1918 1920 1927 1934 |
14 November 1918 | 14 December 1935 | 17 years, 30 days | Independent | |
style="background-color:Template:Czech National Social Party/meta/color; color:black"| 2 | Edvard Beneš (1884–1948) |
Czech | 1935 | 18 December 1935 | 5 October 1938 | 2 years, 291 days | ČSNS | |
(1938–1939) | ||||||||
style="background-color:Template:Independent politician/meta/color; color:black"| 3 | Emil Hácha (1872–1945) |
Czech | 1938 | 30 November 1938 | 15 March 1939 | 105 days | Independent | |
(1939–1945) Emil Hácha became State President of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, a de jure autonomous region incorporated into Nazi Germany.[1][2] Edvard Beneš proclaimed himself President within the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, recognized as the only legitimate Czechoslovak Government during World War II. Jozef Tiso became President of the quasi-independent, pro-Nazi and clero-fascist Slovak Republic. Avgustyn Voloshyn became President of the Carpatho-Ukraine few days before occupation by the Kingdom of Hungary. | ||||||||
(1945–1948) | ||||||||
style="background-color:Template:Czech National Social Party/meta/color; color:black"| 4 | Edvard Beneš (1884–1948) |
Czech | 1946 | 4 April 1945 | 7 June 1948 | 3 years, 64 days | ČSNS | |
(1948–1989) Official names: Czechoslovak Republic (1948–1960), Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1960–1989) | ||||||||
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 5 | Klement Gottwald (1896–1953) |
Czech | 1948 | 14 June 1948 | 14 March 1953 | 4 years, 273 days | KSČ | |
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 6 | Antonín Zápotocký (1884–1957) |
Czech | 1953 | 21 March 1953 | 13 November 1957 | 4 years, 237 days | KSČ | |
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 7 | Antonín Novotný (1904–1975) |
Czech | 1957 1964 |
19 November 1957 | 22 March 1968 | 10 years, 124 days | KSČ | |
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 8 | Ludvík Svoboda (1895–1979) |
Czech | 1968 1973 |
30 March 1968 | 28 October 1975 | 7 years, 212 days | KSČ | |
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 9 | Gustáv Husák (1913–1991) |
Slovak | 1975 1980 1985 |
29 October 1975 | 10 December 1989 | 14 years, 42 days | KSČ | |
(1989–1992) Official names: Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1989–1990), Czech and Slovak Federative Republic (1990–1992) | ||||||||
10 | Václav Havel (1936–2011) |
Czech | 1989 1990 1992 (failed) |
29 December 1989 | 20 July 1992 | 2 years, 204 days | OF |
General Secretaries of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (1948–1989)
Except for the final office-holder, they each held a strong executive power in the country de facto.
Title: Chairman (1948–1953) and First Secretary (1953–1971).
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Ethnicity | Term of office | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 1 | Klement Gottwald (1896–1953) |
Czech | February 1948 | 14 March 1953 | 5 years, 41 days | |
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 2 | Antonín Novotný (1904–1975) |
Czech | 14 March 1953 | 5 January 1968 | 14 years, 297 days | |
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 3 | Alexander Dubček (1921–1992) |
Slovak | 5 January 1968 | 17 April 1969 | 1 year, 102 days | |
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 4 | Gustáv Husák (1913–1991) |
Slovak | 17 April 1969 | 17 December 1987 | 18 years, 244 days | |
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 5 | Miloš Jakeš (1922–2020) |
Czech | 17 December 1987 | 24 November 1989 | 1 year, 342 days | |
style="background-color:Template:Communist Party of Czechoslovakia/meta/color; color:white"| 6 | Karel Urbánek (born 1941) |
Czech | 24 November 1989 | 20 December 1989 | 26 days |
Timeline
Presidential Standards
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1918–1939, 1945–1960
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1960–1990
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1990–1992
References
See also
Administrative divisions |
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