Antonín Zápotocký
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Antonín Zápotocký
(b. Zakolany, 19 Dec. 1884; d. Prague, 13 Nov. 1957) Czech; Czechoslovak premier 1948 – 53, President of Czechoslovakia 1953 – 7 Zápotocký was born in the mining region of Kladno to the west of Prague. He was the son of a founder of the Czech socialist movement, left school at 14, and started work as a stonemason. He joined the socialist youth movement in 1900 and from 1907 to 1911 was Social Democratic Party secretary in Kladno. He played a prominent role in the Czech trade union movement, organizing the unsuccessful general strike of 1920. In 1921 he was one of the founders of the Czechoslovak Communist Party (CPCz) and from 1922 to 1925 was secretary-general of the party. From 1929 to 1938 he was head of the Communist trade unions. Following imprisonment in a concentration camp during the Second World War he entered the CPCz's Presidium and became leader of the Revolutionary Trade Union Movement (ROH). Zápotocký and ROH played a major role in the Communist seizure of power in February 1948. From 1948 to 1953 he was Czechoslovak premier. He bore less responsibility for the purges in Czechoslovakia than Slánský and Gottwald and in March 1953 became President of Czechoslovakia after Gottwald's death. He did nothing to encourage reform in the post-*Stalin era.
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Antonín Zápotocký
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| Antonín Zápotocký | |
|---|---|
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| President of Czechoslovakia | |
| In office 21 March 1953 – 13 November 1957 |
|
| Preceded by | Klement Gottwald |
| Succeeded by | Antonín Novotný |
| Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia | |
| In office 15 June 1948 – 14 March 1953 |
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| Preceded by | Klement Gottwald |
| Succeeded by | Viliam Široký |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 December 1884 Zákolany, Kladno District, Bohemia |
| Died | 13 November 1957 (aged 72) Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Political party | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia |
| Spouse(s) | Marie Zápotocká |
Antonín Zápotocký (19 December 1884 – 13 November 1957) was communist Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1948 to 1953 and President of Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1957.
He was born in Zákolany, Kladno District, Bohemia (then in Austria-Hungary, now in the Czech Republic). His father was Ladislav Zápotocký, one of the founders of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), together with Josef Boleslav Pecka-Strahovský and Josef Hybeš.
He was a delegate of the Left Wing of the ČSSD to the Second Comintern Congress, held in Petrograd, 19 July – 7 August 1920. Together with Bohumír Šmeral, he co-founded the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) when it broke away from the ČSSD in 1921. He was General Secretary of the KSČ from 1922 to 1925. In 1940, he was sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, in which he became a Kapo. He was released in 1945, but the Netherlands demanded his extradition on the suspicions of his participation in executions of Dutch citizens.[1]
From June 18, to July 18, 1946 he was Chairman of the Constituent National Assembly.
Zápotocký became Prime Minister on 15 June 1948, replacing Klement Gottwald, who became President. On 14 March 1953, shortly after his return from Joseph Stalin's funeral, Gottwald died, and was succeeded as President by his Prime Minister. Zápotocký personally favoured a more humane way of governing, but was outflanked by the Stalinist first secretary, Antonín Novotný. At a meeting in Moscow, Zápotocký was told to adhere to "collective leadership"--in effect, give up power to Novotný.
Zápotocký stayed in office till his death in Prague in 1957.
External links
- Biography
- H. Gordon Skilling, "The Formation of a Communist Party in Czechoslovakia", American Slavic and East European Review, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Oct., 1955), p. 346-358 doi:10.2307/3000944
- H. Gordon Skilling, "The Comintern and Czechoslovak Communism: 1921-1929", American Slavic and East European Review, Vol. 19, No. 2 (Apr., 1960), p. 234-247 doi:10.2307/3004193
References
- ^ Drda, Adam (4 May 2005). "Počet čs. obětí nacistického teroru nelze přesně určit" (in Czech). BBC Czech. http://www.bbc.co.uk/czech/domesticnews/story/2005/05/050504_cz_war_prisoners_pckg.shtml.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Klement Gottwald |
Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia 1948–1953 |
Succeeded by Viliam Široký |
| Preceded by Klement Gottwald |
President of Czechoslovakia 1953–1957 |
Succeeded by Antonín Novotný |
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