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Gustav GusakHead of Czechoslovakia from 1969 to 1989
Date of Birth: 10.01.1913
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Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Political Activism
- Post-War Career
- Stalinist Repressions
- Rise to Power
- Post-Invasion Regime
- President of Czechoslovakia
- Later Years
Early Life and Education
Gustáv Husák was born on January 10, 1913, near Bratislava, Slovakia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He studied law at the University of Bratislava and later practiced law in the city.
Political Activism
In 1929, Husák joined the underground Communist Youth of Czechoslovakia and became a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (CPC) in 1933. During World War II, he led the illegal Communist Party in German-occupied Slovakia and was imprisoned from 1940 to 1943. In 1944, he participated in the Slovak National Uprising against fascism.
Post-War Career
After the war, Husák served as a member of the local government in Slovakia and then as a member of the Central Committee of the CPC (1945-1950) and Deputy Chairman of the Communist Party of Slovakia.
Stalinist Repressions
In 1951, Husák became a victim of Stalinist repression and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1954 for alleged support of "Slovak bourgeois nationalism." He was released in May 1960 and worked as a researcher at the Institute of State and Law of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
Rise to Power
When Alexander Dubček became First Secretary of the CPC in April 1968, Husák was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia. In April 1969, he became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
Post-Invasion Regime
After the August 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops, Husák was used by the Soviet Union to implement a process of "normalization." He reversed most of his predecessor's reforms and reimposed a centralized system of political control. Husák's regime was marked by arrests of "dissidents" and purges within the CPC and trade unions.
President of Czechoslovakia
In 1975, Husák was elected President of Czechoslovakia. He resigned as General Secretary of the CPC in 1987 but continued to serve as president until December 1989.
