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Novotny, Antonín
Novotny, Antonín (b. 10 Dec. 1904, d. 28 Jan. 1975). First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia 1953–68 Born in Letnany (near Prague), he was trained as a locksmith and worked in an arms factory near Prague. In 1921 he joined the Communist Party and worked for it throughout the interwar years. As a result of his political activities, he was incarcerated in the Mauthausen concentration camp, 1941–5. After the war, he rose quickly within the ranks of the Communist Party owing to his friendship with Gottwald, whom he succeeded as First Secretary, and de facto leader of the country. He also became State President in 1957. A hardline Stalinist throughout his life, he was completely out of sympathy with Khrushchev's reversals of Stalinist repression. Instead, he refused to condemn the repressive Communist policies during the late 1940s and early 1950s, which culminated in the Slánski trial, and for which he was partly responsible. His adherence to Comecon policies of concentrating on heavy industry led to a severe economic recession 1961–3 and to student unrest, while his complete ignorance of Slovakian concerns and distinctiveness cost him the support of the Slovakian Communist Party, which conspired to replace him with its leader, Dubček, in early 1968.
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Novotny, Antonín." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Novotny, Antonín." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-NovotnyAntonn.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Novotny, Antonín." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-NovotnyAntonn.html |
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Antonín Novotný
Antonín Novotný , 1904–75, Czechoslovakian Communist leader. A founding member (1921) of the Communist party, he participated (1948) in the Communist seizure of power and became first secretary of the party in 1953. In 1957 he became president of Czechoslovakia, thus uniting the two top national posts. Novotný's regime was characterized by repression, bureaucracy, and economic stagnation. A liberal majority, led by Alexander Dubček , coalesced against him and in Jan., 1968, Novotný was replaced as first secretary by Dubček. Later that year he was forced to resign from the presidency. |
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Cite this article
"Antonín Novotný." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Antonín Novotný." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Novotny.html "Antonín Novotný." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Novotny.html |
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