Gustáv Husák (10 January 1913 - 18 November 1991) was a
SlovakThe Slovaks are a western Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language....
politician, president of
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and a long-term Communist leader of Czechoslovakia and of the
Communist Party of CzechoslovakiaThe Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
(1969-1987). His rule is known as the period of
NormalizationIn the history of Czechoslovakia, normalization is a name commonly given to the period 1969 to about 1987. It was characterized by initial restoration of the conditions prevailing before the reform period led by Alexander Dubček and subsequent preservation of this new status quo...
after the
Prague SpringThe Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
.
Life
Gustáv Husák was born as a son of an unemployed worker in
DúbravkaDúbravka is a borough of Bratislava, Slovakia. It lies in the western part of the city on the eastern slope of Devínska Kobyla hill, covers 862 ha and is home to some 35,000 inhabitants.- History :...
(now part of
BratislavaBratislava is the capital of the Slovak Republic and, with a population of about 429,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River...
),
Kingdom of HungaryThe Kingdom of Hungary , emerged in 1000, when the Principality of Hungary, founded in 896, was recognized as a Kingdom. The form of government was changed from Monarchy to Republic briefly in 1918 and again in 1946, ending the Kingdom and creating the Republic of Hungary...
,
Austria-HungaryAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
(now
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
). He joined the Communist Youth Union at the age of sixteen while studying at the grammar school in Bratislava. In 1933, when he started his studies at the Law Faculty of the Comenius University in Bratislava, he joined the
Communist Party of CzechoslovakiaThe Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
(KSČ) which was banned from 1938 to 1945. During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was periodically jailed by the
Jozef TisoJozef Tiso was a Slovak politician of the SPP, who became the fascist leader of the WWII Slovak Republic, a satellite state of Nazi Germany existing between 1939 and 1945...
government for illegal Communist activities, and he was one of the leaders of the 1944
Slovak National UprisingThe Slovak National Uprising or 1944 Uprising was an armed insurrection organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. It was launched on August 29, 1944 from Banská Bystrica in an attempt to oust the collaborationist government of Jozef Tiso...
against
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
and Tiso. Husak was a member of the Presidium of the
Slovak National CouncilThe Slovak National Council is the name of different types of supreme bodies in the history of Slovakia. They existed within the Kingdom of Hungary, Czechoslovakia or the Slovak Republic or were bodies of Slovak exiles:...
from 1 September to 5 September 1944.
After the war he began a career as a government official in
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
and party functionary in Czechoslovakia. From 1946–1950 he acted as a quasi-Prime Minister of Slovakia, and as such he strongly contributed to the liquidation of the Democratic Party of Slovakia, which had won 62% in the 1946 elections in Slovakia, thus preventing the Communists from seizing power in Czechoslovakia.
In 1950 he fell victim to a Stalinist purge of the party leadership, and was sentenced for life, spending the years from 1954 to 1960 in the
Leopoldov PrisonLeopoldov Prison , originally a fortress, is a high-security prison in the town of Leopoldov, Slovakia.-History:Construction of a fortress against Ottoman Turks started in 1665 and was finished in 1669, on the initiative of Leopold I, after the Nové Zámky fortress fell to the Turks. The fortress...
. A convinced Communist, he did not cease to view his imprisonment a gross misunderstanding which he periodically stressed in several appealing letters addressed to the party leadership. It is well known that
Antonín NovotnýAntonín Novotný was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1953 to 1968, and also held the post of President of Czechoslovakia from 1957 to 1968. He was born in Letňany, now part of Prague....
, the Czechoslovak president and first party secretary of that time, repeatedly declined to grant Husák pardon by assuring his comrades that "you do not know what he is capable of when coming to power". The true reason for Novotný's stance, however, may be ascribed to his personal politically motivated Slovakophobia as well. Finally, as a result of the De-Stalinization period in
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Husák's conviction was overturned and his party membership restored in 1963. By 1967 he attacked the KSČ's
neo-StalinistNeo-Stalinism is a political term referring to attempts at rehabilitating the role of Joseph Stalin in history and re-establishing the political course of Stalin, at least partially. The term is also used to designate the modern political regimes in some states, political and social life of which...
leadership, and he became a deputy premier of
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in April 1968, during the period of liberalization under party leader
Alexander DubčekAlexander Dubček was a Slovak politician and briefly leader of Czechoslovakia , famous for his attempt to reform the Communist regime...
.
As the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
grew increasingly alarmed by Dubček's liberal reforms in 1968 (
Prague SpringThe Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
), Husák began calling for caution. After the Soviets invaded
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in August and he participated in the Czechoslovak-Soviet negotiations between the kidnapped Alexander Dubček and
Leonid BrezhnevLeonid Ilyich Brezhnev was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982, serving in that position longer than anyone except Joseph Stalin...
in Moscow, he suddenly became a leader of those party members calling for the reversal of Dubček's reforms. An account for his
pragmatismPragmatism is a philosophical movement that includes those who claim that an ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactorily, that the meaning of a proposition is to be found in the practical consequences of accepting it, and that unpractical ideas are to be rejected. Pragmatism began in...
was given in one of his official speeches in
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
after the 1968 events, during which he ventured the rhetorical question, where his opponents (i. e. supporters of opposition against the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
) want to find those "friends" of
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(i. e. countries in Europe) that would come to support the country (i. e. against Soviet troops).
Supported by Moscow, he was appointed leader of the
Communist Party of SlovakiaThe Communist Party of Slovakia was a communist party in Slovakia. It was formed in March 1939, when the Slovak Republic was created, as the Slovakian branches of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia were separated from the mother party...
in as early as August 1968, and he succeeded Dubček as first secretary (title changed to general secretary in 1971) of the
Communist Party of CzechoslovakiaThe Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
in April 1969. He reversed Dubček's reforms and purged the party of its liberal members in 1969–1971. In 1975, Husák was elected
PresidentPresident is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a "president" is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Czechoslovakia. During the two decades of Husák's leadership,
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
became one of Moscow's most loyal allies.
In the first years following the invasion, Husák managed to appease the outraged civil population by providing a relatively satisfactory living standard and avoiding any overt reprisals like was the case in the 1950s. While his regime was somewhat less harsh than those of other Communist regimes--and certainly less harsh than the first 20 years of Communist rule in the country--it wasn't a liberal one either. Under the cover of everyday stability, there was a permanent campaign of repression by the
secret policeSecret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy to maintain national security against internal threats to the state....
(
StBSTB is an acronym that can mean:* Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus – Bachelor of Sacred Theology* Set-top box – a television device that converts signals to viewable images* Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP -- a law firm* Singapore Tourism Board...
) targeted at the outspoken dissidents represented later by
Charter 77Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in Czechoslovakia from 1977 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. After the 1989 Velvet Revolution, many of its members...
as well as hundreds of unknown individuals who happened to be objects of
StBSTB is an acronym that can mean:* Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus – Bachelor of Sacred Theology* Set-top box – a television device that converts signals to viewable images* Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP -- a law firm* Singapore Tourism Board...
's preventive strikes. Husák yielded his post as general secretary in 1987, when younger members of the Communist party wanted to participate in power (
Milouš JakešMilouš Jakeš was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1987 until 1989...
,
Ladislav AdamecLadislav Adamec was a Czechoslovak communist political figure. In October 1988, Lubomír Štrougal retired from being the Prime Minister and was replaced by Ladislav Adamec. He was the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from October 12, 1988 to December 7, 1989...
). Communist rule collapsed in Czechoslovakia in late 1989, and that December Husák resigned as president. In February 1990 he was expelled from the Communist Party. He died almost forgotten on 18 November 1991.
There is still some question about Husák's moral responsibility for the last two decades of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. After its collapse Husák kept saying that he was just trying to diminish the aftermath of the Soviet invasion and had to constantly resist pressure from hard line Party Stalinists such as
Vasil BilakRSDr. Vasil Biľak is a former Slovak Communist leader of Rusyn origin.Vasil Biľak was originally a tailor...
, Alois Indra and the like. It is true that in the early 1970s he personally pushed for an early withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Czechoslovak territory, which did not happen until 1991; this may be ascribed to his pragmatic attempts to ease the situation and to give an impression that things were leaning toward "normality".
However, there are many irrefutable facts, convicting him of a great deal of personal contribution to the regime's nature. As the General Secretary of the Party he was well able and willing to control the repressive state apparatus. There are many documented cases of appeals from politically persecuted persons, however almost none of them was given Husák's attention. As the overall decay of Czechoslovak society was becoming more and more obvious in the 1980s, Husák became a politically impotent puppet of events. Evidence shows him emotionally sticking to his Party positions until the bitter end of
CommunismCommunism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general. Karl Marx posited that communism would be the final stage in human...
in
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
Gustáv Husák was awarded the title
Hero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
on 9 January 1983
Functions
Communist Party of CzechoslovakiaThe Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
/KSČ (prohibited 1938, dissolved 1939-1945)
- 1933-1938/1939 and 1989(December)-(February)1990: common member
- spring 1945: member of its Provisional Central Committee (established in the parts of Czechoslovakia liberated by the Red Army
The Red Army The Red Army The Red Army was the Soviet government’s revolutionary militia beginning in the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the USSR. Since 1946, after the Second World War, it was called the Soviet Army.The 'Red...
)
- 1949-1951 and 1968 (31 August)-1989: member of its Central Committee and (except for 1949-1951) a member of its Presidium
- 1969 (April) -?1987: one of its secretaries
- 1969 (April)-1987: party leader (first secretary, since 1971 general secretary)
- 1987 (17 December): resigned as party leader (replaced by Miloš Jakeš)
Communist Party of SlovakiaThe Communist Party of Slovakia was a communist party in Slovakia. It was formed in March 1939, when the Slovak Republic was created, as the Slovakian branches of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia were separated from the mother party...
/KSS (illegal 1939-1944/1945)
- 1939-1945: one of its leaders
- 1943-1944: member of its 5th illegal Central Committee
- 1944-1950 and 1968 -1971: member of its Central Committee and (except for 1970-1971) member of its Presidium and (except for 1944-1948) one of its secretaries
- 1944-1945: vice-chairman
- 1968 (28 August)-1969: party leader („first secretary“)
Slovak National CouncilThe Slovak National Council is the name of different types of supreme bodies in the history of Slovakia. They existed within the Kingdom of Hungary, Czechoslovakia or the Slovak Republic or were bodies of Slovak exiles:...
(during WWII a resistance parliament-government, since 1968 the Slovak parliament)
- 1943-1944: one of its main organizers
- 1944-1950 and 1968 (December)-1971: its deputy
- 1944-1950: member of its Presidium
- 1944-1945:vice-chairman
Council of Commissioners (
Zbor povereníkov) (a quasi government responsible for Slovakia)
- 1944-1945: Commissioner of the Interior
- 1945-1946: Commissioner of Transport and Technology in Slovakia
- 1946-1950: President of the Council of Commissioners, in which he contributed to the suppression of the influential Democratic Party of Slovakia by the Communists (1947–1948)
- 1948-1950: Commissioner of Agriculture and Land Reform in Slovakia
- 1949-1950: Commissioner of Alimentation in Slovakia
Czechoslovak Parliament (called National Assembly and since 1968 Federal Assembly)
- 1945-1951 and 1968-1975: deputy
- 1969-1975: member of its Presidium
Czechoslovak government
- 1968 (April-December): a vice-premier of the Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
Czechoslovak government
President of Czechoslovakia
- 1975-1989: President of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
- 1989 (10 December): resigned as the President of Czechoslovakia within the Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the Communist government. It is seen as one of the most important of the Revolutions of 1989.On November 17, 1989, a Friday, riot police suppressed a peaceful student demonstration...
Other important data
- 1929-1932: member of the Communist Youth Union (prohibited in 1932)
- 1933-? : studies at the Law Faculty of the Comenius University in Bratislava, then a lawyer in Bratislava
- 1936-1938: member of the Slovak Youth Union (1936 founder and secretary)
- 1937-1938 vice-president of the Slovak Students Union and secretary of the Association for the Economic and Cultural Cooperation with the Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
- 1940-1944: four times jailed by the government of Jozef Tiso
Jozef Tiso was a Slovak politician of the SPP, who became the fascist leader of the WWII Slovak Republic, a satellite state of Nazi Germany existing between 1939 and 1945...
for illegal Communist activities
- 1943-1944: member of the 5th illegal KSS Central Committee, one of the main organizers of the anti-Nazi Slovak National Uprising
The Slovak National Uprising or 1944 Uprising was an armed insurrection organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. It was launched on August 29, 1944 from Banská Bystrica in an attempt to oust the collaborationist government of Jozef Tiso...
(1944) and of its leading body, the Slovak National Council
- late 1944- February 1945: he fled to Moscow after the defeat of the Slovak National Uprising
- 1950: charged with "bourgeois nationalism" with respect to Slovakia (see History of Czechoslovakia
With the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy at the end of World War I, the independent country of Czechoslovakia was formed, encouraged by, among others, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson...
)
- 1951: arrested
- 1954: sentenced to life imprisonment
- 1954-1960: imprisoned
- 1960: conditionally released through an amnesty
- 1963: his conviction was overturned and his party membership restored and he was rehabilitated
- 1963-1968: scientific employee of the State and Law Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
The Slovak Academy of Sciences SAV is the main scientific and research institution in Slovakia fostering basic and strategic basic research...
- 1969 (April)-?1989: chief commander of the Popular Militia
- 1971 (January)-?1989: president and member of the Presidium of the National Front
The National Front was the coalition of parties which headed the re-established Czechoslovakian government from 1945 to 1948...
Central Committee