List of presidents of Czechoslovakia

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.

President of Czechoslovakia
Czech: Prezident Československa
Slovak: Prezident Česko-Slovenska
Longest serving
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
14 November 1918 – 14 December 1935
StyleHis Excellency
ResidencePrague Castle
Bratislava Castle
(1969–92)
AppointerFederal Assembly
Formation14 November 1918
First holderTomáš Garrigue Masaryk
Final holderVáclav Havel
Abolished20 July 1992
Succession Václav Havel
Michal Kováč

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, there is one living former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia: Karel Urbánek.

Presidents of Czechoslovakia (1918–1992)
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Ethnicity Elected Term of office Political party
Took office Left office Time in office
(1918–1938)
1 Tomáš Garrigue 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)
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.
Third Czechoslovak Republic
(1945–1948)
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)
5 Klement Gottwald
(1896–1953)		 Czech 1948 14 June 1948 14 March 1953 4 years, 273 days KSČ
6 Antonín Zápotocký
(1884–1957)		 Czech 1953 21 March 1953 13 November 1957 4 years, 237 days KSČ
7 Antonín Novotný
(1904–1975)		 Czech 1957
1964		 19 November 1957 22 March 1968 10 years, 124 days KSČ
8 Ludvík Svoboda
(1895–1979)		 Czech 1968
1973		 30 March 1968 28 October 1975 7 years, 212 days KSČ
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
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 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
Václav HavelGustáv HusákLudvík SvobodaAntonín NovotnýAntonín ZápotockýKlement GottwaldEdvard BenešEmil HáchaEdvard BenešTomáš Garrigue Masaryk

Presidential Standards
  • 1918–1939, 1945–1960
  • 1960–1990
  • 1990–1992

References
  1. Rare 1943 Third Reich facts booklet
  2. Heavily illustrated rare big original 1943 Nazi book on Eastern Europe and Asia Archived 2009-04-10 at the Wayback Machine

See also
Czechoslovakia
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Czechoslovakia
Administrative divisions
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