| President of Czechoslovakia | |
|---|---|
| Prezident Československa (Czech) Prezident Česko-Slovenska (Slovak) | |
.svg) | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Residence | Prague Castle Bratislava Castle (1969–92) |
| Appointer | Federal Assembly |
| Formation | 14 November 1918; 107 years ago (1918-11-14) |
| First holder | Tomáš Masaryk |
| Final holder | Václav Havel |
| Abolished | 20 July 1992; 33 years ago (1992-07-20) |
| Superseded by | |
| Deputy | Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia(1948–1992) |
Thepresident of Czechoslovakia (Czech:prezident Československa,Slovak:prezident Česko-Slovenska) was thehead of state ofCzechoslovakia, from thecreation of theFirst Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 until thedissolution of theCzech and Slovak Federative Republic on 1 January 1993.
In periods when the presidency was vacant, most presidential duties were assumed by theprime minister.
The second section lists the leaders of theCommunist 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 the1948 coup d'état, the KSČ's leader held the realexecutive power in the country. However, three party leaders (Klement Gottwald,Antonín Novotný, andGustáv Husák) also served as president at some point in their tenures.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Ethnicity | Election | Term of office | Political party | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
| First Czechoslovak Republic (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 | Czechoslovak National Social Party | ||
| Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–1939) | ||||||||||
| 3 |  | Emil Hácha (1872–1945) | Czech | 1938 | 30 November 1938 | 15 March 1939 | 105 days | Independent | ||
Occupation (1939–1945).svg) Emil Hácha became State President of theProtectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, ade iureautonomous region incorporated intoNazi Germany. Edvard Beneš proclaimed himself President of theCzechoslovak government-in-exile, which was the government of Czechoslovakia recognized by theAllies duringWorld War II..svg) Jozef Tiso became President of the quasi-independent, pro-Nazi andclero-fascistSlovak Republic. Avgustyn Voloshyn became President ofCarpatho-Ukraine few days beforeinvasion andoccupation by theKingdom of Hungary. | ||||||||||
| Third Czechoslovak Republic (1945–1948) | ||||||||||
| (2) | | Edvard Beneš (1884–1948) | Czech | 1946 | 4 April 1945 | 7 June 1948 | 3 years, 64 days | Czechoslovak National Social Party | ||
| Communist Era (1948–1989) 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 | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia | ||
| 5 |  | Antonín Zápotocký (1884–1957) | Czech | 1953 | 21 March 1953 | 13 November 1957 | 4 years, 237 days | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia | ||
| 6 |  | Antonín Novotný (1904–1975) | Czech | 1957 1964 | 19 November 1957 | 22 March 1968 | 10 years, 124 days | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia | ||
| 7 |  | Ludvík Svoboda (1895–1979) | Czech | 1968 1973 | 30 March 1968 | 29 May 1975 | 7 years, 60 days | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia | ||
| 8 |  | Gustáv Husák (1913–1991) | Slovak | 1975 1980 1985 | 29 May 1975 | 10 December 1989 | 14 years, 195 days | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia | ||
| Post–Communist Era (1989–1992) Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1989–1990),Czech and Slovak Federative Republic (1990–1992) | ||||||||||
| 9 |  | Václav Havel (1936–2011) | Czech | 1989 1990 | 29 December 1989 | 20 July 1992 | 2 years, 204 days | Civic Forum | ||
Except for the final office-holder, the leader of the KSČ wasde 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 | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
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| Administrative divisions |
Foreign relations |
