Czechoslovakia President, Communist Party Leader. He help found the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in 1921. Novotny was arrested in 1941 because of his involvement in the underground struggle against the Nazis and spent the rest of World War II at Mauthausen concentration camp, where he was freed by American troops in 1945. He took part in the 1948 Communist takeover of his homeland. In 1953, Novotny became General Secretary of the Communist Party after Klement Gottwald passed away. He added the title of President after the death of Antonin Zapotocky in 1957. Although Novotny had the strong backing of the Soviet Union, his regime was seen by many Czechs as repressive and too centralized to deal with the problems that the country faced. A liberal majority, led by Alexander Dubcek, ousted Novotny from power in early 1968. This brought about a short-lived period of openness for the Czech population, which was crushed in the Summer of 1968 when the Soviet Union invaded Czechosolvakia and installed a more Soviet-friendly government.
Czechoslovakia President, Communist Party Leader. He help found the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in 1921. Novotny was arrested in 1941 because of his involvement in the underground struggle against the Nazis and spent the rest of World War II at Mauthausen concentration camp, where he was freed by American troops in 1945. He took part in the 1948 Communist takeover of his homeland. In 1953, Novotny became General Secretary of the Communist Party after Klement Gottwald passed away. He added the title of President after the death of Antonin Zapotocky in 1957. Although Novotny had the strong backing of the Soviet Union, his regime was seen by many Czechs as repressive and too centralized to deal with the problems that the country faced. A liberal majority, led by Alexander Dubcek, ousted Novotny from power in early 1968. This brought about a short-lived period of openness for the Czech population, which was crushed in the Summer of 1968 when the Soviet Union invaded Czechosolvakia and installed a more Soviet-friendly government.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
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