President of Czechoslovakia | |
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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 | ![]() ![]() |
The President of Czechoslovakia 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 2017[update], there are two living former General Secretaries of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia: Miloš Jakeš and Karel Urbánek.
No. | Portrait | Name | Lifespan | Ethnicity | Elected | Took office | Left office | Political affiliation(s) |
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(1918–1938) | ||||||||
1 | Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk | 1850–1937 | Czech | 1918 1920 1927 1934 |
14 November 1918 | 14 December 1935 | Independent | |
2 | ![]() |
Edvard Beneš | 1884–1948 | Czech | 1935 | 18 December 1935 | 5 October 1938 | ČSNS |
(1938–1939) | ||||||||
3 | ![]() |
Emil Hácha | 1872–1945 | Czech | 1938 | 30 November 1938 | 15 March 1939 | Independent |
(1939–1945)![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||||
(1945–1948) | ||||||||
4 | ![]() |
Edvard Beneš | 1884–1948 | Czech | 1946 | 4 April 1945 | 7 June 1948 | ČSNS |
(1948–1989) Official names: Czechoslovak Republic (1948–1960), Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1960–1989) | ||||||||
5 | ![]() |
Klement Gottwald | 1896–1953 | Czech | 1948 | 14 June 1948 | 14 March 1953 | KSČ |
6 | Antonín Zápotocký | 1884–1957 | Czech | 1953 | 21 March 1953 | 13 November 1957 | KSČ | |
7 | ![]() |
Antonín Novotný | 1904–1975 | Czech | 1957 1964 |
19 November 1957 | 22 March 1968 | KSČ |
8 | Ludvík Svoboda | 1895–1979 | Czech | 1968 1973 |
30 March 1968 | 28 May 1975 | KSČ | |
9 | Gustáv Husák | 1913–1991 | Slovak | 1975 1980 1985 |
29 May 1975 | 10 December 1989 | 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 | OF |
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 | Lifespan | Ethnicity | Took office | Left office |
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1 | ![]() |
Klement Gottwald | 1896–1953 | Czech | February 1948 | 14 March 1953 |
2 | ![]() |
Antonín Novotný | 1904–1975 | Czech | 14 March 1953 | 5 January 1968 |
3 | ![]() |
Alexander Dubček | 1921–1992 | Slovak | 5 January 1968 | 17 April 1969 |
4 | Gustáv Husák | 1913–1991 | Slovak | 17 April 1969 | 17 December 1987 | |
5 | Miloš Jakeš | born 1922 | Czech | 17 December 1987 | 24 November 1989 | |
6 | ![]() |
Karel Urbánek | born 1941 | Czech | 24 November 1989 | 20 December 1989 |
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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Czechoslovakia |
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Administrative divisions |