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 on 1 January 1993.
| President of Czechoslovakia | |
|---|---|
| Czech: Prezident Československa Slovak: Prezident Česko-Slovenska | |
.svg) | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Residence | Prague Castle Bratislava Castle (1969–92) |
| Appointer | Federal Assembly |
| Formation | 14 November 1918 |
| First holder | Tomáš Masaryk |
| Final holder | Václav Havel |
| Abolished | 20 July 1992 |
| Superseded by |  President of the Czech Republic President of Slovakia |
| Deputy | Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (1948–1992) |
In periods when the presidency was vacant, most presidential duties were assumed by the prime minister.
The second section lists the leaders of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) from 1948 to 1989. The post was titled as chairman from 1948 to 1953, first secretary from 1953 to 1971, and general secretary from 1971 to 1989. After the 1948 coup d'état, the KSČ's leader was the country's de facto chief executive. However, three party leaders (Klement Gottwald, Antonín Novotný and Gustáv Husák) also served as president at some point in their tenures.
Presidents of Czechoslovakia (1918–1992)
- Political parties
- Other factions
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Ethnicity | Elected | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| (1918–1938) | ||||||||
| 1 |  | Tomáš Masaryk (1850–1937) | Czech | 1918 1920 1927 1934 | 14 November 1918 | 14 December 1935 | 17 years, 30 days | Independent |
| 2 |  | Edvard Beneš (1884–1948) | Czech | 1935 | 18 December 1935 | 5 October 1938 | 2 years, 291 days | ČSNS |
| (1938–1939) | ||||||||
| 3 |  | Emil Hácha (1872–1945) | Czech | 1938 | 30 November 1938 | 15 March 1939 | 105 days | Independent |
(1939–1945).svg){kind=small} 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, which was the government of Czechoslovakia recognized by the Allies 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 invasion and occupation by the Kingdom of Hungary. | ||||||||
| (1945–1948) | ||||||||
| 2 | | 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) | ||||||||
| 4 | .jpg) | Klement Gottwald (1896–1953) | Czech | 1948 | 14 June 1948 | 14 March 1953 | 4 years, 273 days | KSČ |
| 5 |  | Antonín Zápotocký (1884–1957) | Czech | 1953 | 21 March 1953 | 13 November 1957 | 4 years, 237 days | KSČ |
| 6 |  | Antonín Novotný (1904–1975) | Czech | 1957 1964 | 19 November 1957 | 22 March 1968 | 10 years, 124 days | KSČ |
| 7 | .JPG) | Ludvík Svoboda (1895–1979) | Czech | 1968 1973 | 30 March 1968 | 29 May 1975 | 7 years, 60 days | KSČ |
| 8 |  | Gustáv Husák (1913–1991) | Slovak | 1975 1980 1985 | 29 May 1975 | 10 December 1989 | 14 years, 195 days | KSČ |
| (1989–1992) Official names: Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1989–1990), Czech and Slovak Federative Republic (1990–1992) | ||||||||
| 9 |  | 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, the leader of the KSČ was de facto the most powerful person in the country during this period.
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 | ||||
| 1 | | Klement Gottwald (1896–1953) | Czech | February 1948 | 14 March 1953 | 5 years, 41 days |
| 2 | | Antonín Novotný (1904–1975) | Czech | 14 March 1953 | 5 January 1968 | 14 years, 297 days |
| 3 | .jpg) | Alexander Dubček (1921–1992) | Slovak | 5 January 1968 | 17 April 1969 | 1 year, 102 days |
| 4 | | Gustáv Husák (1913–1991) | Slovak | 17 April 1969 | 17 December 1987 | 18 years, 244 days |
| 5 |  | Miloš Jakeš (1922–2020) | Czech | 17 December 1987 | 24 November 1989 | 1 year, 342 days |
| 6 |  | Karel Urbánek (born 1941) | Czech | 24 November 1989 | 20 December 1989 | 26 days |
Timeline
Presidential standards
1918–1939, 1945–1960
1960–1990
1990–1992
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