Editing Klement Gottwald

{{short description|5th President of Czechoslovakia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Klement Gottwald
| image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R90009, Budapest, II. Weltfestspiele, Festumzug, tschechische Delegation (cropped KG).jpg
| caption = Klement Gottwald in June 1948
| office = [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia#Leaders|Chairman of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]]
| term_start = 23 February 1929
| term_end = 14 March 1953<br />General Secretary 1929–1945
| predecessor = [[Bohumil Jílek]]<br />(General Secretary)
| successor = [[Antonín Novotný]]<br />(First Secretary)
| office2 = [[President of Czechoslovakia]]
| term_start2 = 14 June 1948
| term_end2 = 14 March 1953
| primeminister2 = Antonín Zápotocký
| predecessor2 = [[Edvard Beneš]]
| successor2 = [[Antonín Zápotocký]]
| office3 = [[Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia]]
| term_start3 = 2 July 1946
| term_end3 = 15 June 1948
| president3 = Edvard Beneš
| predecessor3 = [[Zdenek Fierlinger]]
| successor3 = Antonín Zápotocký
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1896|11|23}}
| birth_place = [[Vyškov District]], [[Margraviate of Moravia|Moravia]], [[Austria-Hungary]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1953|3|14|1896|11|23}}
| death_place = [[Prague]], [[Fourth Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]]
| party = [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia|KSČ]] 
| spouse = {{marriage|Marta Holubová|21 March 1928}}
| children = Marta (1920–1998)
| profession = [[Cabinetmaker]]<br />[[Newspaper editor]]
| signature = Klement Gottwald signature.svg
}}

'''Klement Gottwald''' ({{IPA|cs|ˈklɛmɛnt ˈɡotvalt}}; 23 November 1896 – 14 March 1953) was a Czech [[Communism|communist]] politician, who was the leader of the [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]] from 1929 until his death in 1953 – titled as general secretary until 1945 and as chairman from 1945 to 1953. He was the first leader of [[Communist Czechoslovakia]] from 1948 to 1953.<ref>Skilling, H. Gordon. "Gottwald and the Bolshevization of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (1929-1939)." ''American Slavic and East European Review'' 20.4 (1961): 641-655.</ref>

Following the collapse of democratic Czechoslovakia after the Munich Agreement, the right-wing leadership of the Czechoslovak Second Republic banned the Communist Party, forcing Gottwald to emigrate to the Soviet Union in November 1938. In 1943, Gottwald agreed with representatives of the Czechoslovak-government-in-exile located in London, along with President [[Edvard Beneš]], to unify domestic and foreign [[Anti-fascism|anti-fascist]] resistance and form the [[National Front (Czechoslovakia)|National Front]]. He was the 14th [[List of Prime Ministers of Czechoslovakia|prime minister of Czechoslovakia]] from July 1946 until June 1948, the first Communist to hold the post. In June 1948, he was elected as Czechoslovakia's first Communist [[List of Presidents of Czechoslovakia|president]], four months after the [[1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état|1948 coup d'état]] in which his party seized power with the backing of the [[Soviet Union]]. He held the post until his death.

==Early life==

=== Childhood and youth ===
Klement Gottwald was born on 23 November 1896, but it is unclear if in [[Dědice (Vyškov)|Dědice]] (today part of [[Vyškov]]) or in [[Hoštice-Heroltice]]. His mother was an unmarried maidservant.<ref>{{cite web |last=Prokopová|first=Milada|title=Gottwald se narodil před 120 lety svobodné děvečce, místo nejasné|url=https://www.idnes.cz/brno/zpravy/vyroci-narozeni-klementa-gottwalda.A161123_2287857_brno-zpravy_krut|publisher=iDNES.cz|language=cs|date=23 November 2016|access-date=7 June 2024}}</ref> Before [[World War I]] he was trained in [[Vienna]] as a [[carpentry|carpenter]] but also actively participated in the activities of the [[Czech Social Democratic Party|Social Democratic youth]] movement.

=== Personal life ===
Klement Gottwald was married to [[:cs:Marta Gottwaldová|Marta Gottwaldová]] who came from a poor family and was an illegitimate child. Although his wife stood by him through his endeavours, and was his faithful companion, she never joined the [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia|Communist Party]]. They had one daughter, Marta (1920–1998),  who married Alexey Čepička.<ref>Eleanor Wheeler, Doubravka Olšáková, ''Letters from Prague: 1947–1957'' (Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 2022), p. 373</ref>

=== First World War ===
From 1915 to 1918 Gottwald was a soldier in the [[Austro-Hungarian Army]]. It is believed that he fought in the [[Battle of Zborov (1917)|Battle of Zborov]], which would mean that he fought there against future General and President [[Ludvík Svoboda]], who fought on the side of the [[Czechoslovak Legion]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://zpravy.idnes.cz/pamatnik-bitvy-u-zborova-vondra-dag-/zahranicni.aspx?c=A120702_143840_zahranicni_mku |title=Ministr obrany odhalil na Ukrajině památník padlým u Zborova|date=2 July 2012|website=iDNES.cz|access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> Thomas Jakl of the Military History Institute called Gottwald's participation in the Battle of Zborov a legend: Gottwald was in a hospital in [[Vienna]] during the time of the battle.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://echo24.cz/a/idtgJ/lzi-o-ceskych-legionarich-gottwald-bojoval-u-zborova|title=Lži o českých legionářích: Gottwald bojoval u Zborova |trans-title=Lies about Czech Legionnaires: Gottwald fought at Zborov| publisher=Echo24.cz |last=Baroch |first=Pavel |date=9 August 2014|access-date=10 March 2017|language=cs-CZ}}</ref> In the summer of 1918, Gottwald deserted from the army. After the establishment of the [[first Czechoslovak Republic]], he served for two years in the [[Czechoslovak Army]]. From 1920 to 1921 he worked in [[Rousínov|Rousinov]] as a cabinetmaker.

==Career==

=== Sports instructor and journalist ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2024}}
After the collapse of the {{ill|Workers' Gymnastic Union|cs|Dělnická tělovýchovná jednota}}, the Communist-oriented party of the organization split off in 1921 and created the {{ill|Federation of Workers' Gymnastic Unions|cs|Federace dělnických tělocvičných jednot}} (FDTJ). Gottwald was able to unify the organization to gain considerable power in the local districts, and became the {{lang|cs|[[starosta]]}} of the 20th district of the FDTJ. In June 1921, he participated in the first [[Spartakiad]]a in [[Prague]]. In September 1921 he moved from [[Rousínov|Rousinov]] to [[Banská Bystrica]], where he became the editor of the communist magazine {{lang|sk|Hlas Ľudu}} ("Voice of the people" in Slovak). At the same time, he was planning FDTJ events at the [[Banská Bystrica]] district. He became the local {{lang|cs|starosta}} of the district, and was the managing director of the 47th district of the FDTJ. Later, he moved to [[Žilina]] and became editor in chief of {{lang|cs|Spartakus}} magazine. In 1922 he moved to [[Vrútky]], where by decision of the [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia|Communist Party]] [[Central Committee]], they merged a number of communist magazines and consolidated editors. In 1924, the editorial staff, along with Gottwald, moved to [[Ostrava]].

=== Beginning of political activity ===
[[File:Gottwald (EKI).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Gottwald's identification card during his time in the Comintern, 1935]]
In 1926, Gottwald became a [[functionary]] of the [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]] (KSČ), and editor of the Communist Press. From 1926 to 1929 he worked in Prague, where he aided the Secretariat of the KSČ to form a pro-Moscow opposition against the  anti-Moscow leadership then in power. From 1928 he was a member of the [[Communist International|Comintern]].  Following a Comintern policy initiated by Stalin, he carried out the [[Bolshevization]] of the Party.<ref>{{cite journal |first=H. Gordon |last=Skilling |title=Gottwald and the Bolshevization of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (1929-1939) |journal=American Slavic and East European Review |volume=20 |issue=4 |year=1961 |pages=641–655|doi=10.2307/3004097 |jstor=3004097 }}</ref>

In February 1929, at the {{ill|Fifth Congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia|cs|V. sjezd KSČ|lt=Fifth Congress}} of the KSČ, Gottwald was elected party general secretary, alongside {{ill|Josef Guttmann|cs|de}}, [[Jan Šverma]], [[Rudolf Slánský]], [[Václav Kopecký]] and {{ill|Pavel Reiman|cs|de}}, together known as the {{ill|Karlín Boys|cs|Karlínští kluci}}.

In the second half of 1930, the Communist Party carried out a number of reforms in accordance and response with the changes in those of the foreign policy of the [[Soviet Union]], namely the introduction of the policy on the formation of a [[popular front]] against fascism. In September and October 1938, Gottwald was one of the main leaders of the opposition against the adoption of the [[Munich Agreement]].

=== Exile to the USSR ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2024}}
After the banning of the Communist Party, Gottwald emigrated to [[Soviet Union|the Soviet Union]] in November 1938. While there, he opposed the party policy of backing the [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact|Molotov–Ribbentrop pact of 1939]]. After the [[Operation Barbarossa|attack on the Soviet Union]] in June 1941, Soviet leadership saw the front against fascism as a great opportunity to assert themselves in [[Czechoslovakia]], promoting interest in supporting Gottwald after the liberation of [[Czechoslovakia]]. In 1943, Gottwald agreed with representatives of the [[Czechoslovak government-in-exile|Czechoslovak-government-in-exile]] located in London, along with President [[Edvard Beneš]], to unify domestic and foreign anti-fascist resistance and form the [[National Front (Czechoslovakia)|National Front]]. This proved helpful for Gottwald as it helped secure Communist influence in post-war Czechoslovakia.

=== Return to Czechoslovakia and events leading up to the coup ===
In 1945, Gottwald gave up the general secretary's post to [[Rudolf Slánský]] and was elected to the new position of party chairman. On 10 May 1945, Gottwald returned to Prague as the deputy premier under [[Zdeněk Fierlinger]] and as the chairman of the [[National Front (Czechoslovakia)|National Front]]. In March 1946, he became prime minister after leading the KSČ to a 38% share of the vote.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jean-Baptiste |last=Duroselle |title=Histoire Diplomatique de 1919 à nos jours |at=pt. 3, ch. 2, par. 5, p. 256 |publisher=Dalloz |year=1993 |location=Paris}}</ref> This was easily the best showing for a Czechoslovak party in a free election at the time; previously, no party had ever won more than 25 percent.

Gottwald was a firm supporter of the [[expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia|expulsion of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia]], gaining mainstream credibility with many Czechs through the use of nationalist rhetoric, exhorting the population to "prepare for the final retribution for [[Battle of White Mountain|White Mountain]], for the return of the Czech lands to the Czech people. We will expel for good all descendants of the alien German nobility."<ref>{{cite book |last=Applebaum |first=Anne |title=Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944–56 |location=London |publisher=Penguin |year=2013}}</ref>

== Сoup d'état ==
{{see also|Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948}}
By the summer of 1947, however, the KSČ's popularity had significantly dwindled, particularly after the Soviets pressured Czechoslovakia to turn down [[Marshall Plan]] aid after initially accepting it. Most observers believed Gottwald would be turned out of office at the elections due in May 1948. The Communists' dwindling popularity, combined with France and Italy dropping the Communists from their coalition governments, prompted [[Joseph Stalin]] to order Gottwald to begin efforts to eliminate parliamentary opposition to  Communism in Czechoslovakia.

Outwardly, though, Gottwald kept up the appearance of working within the system, announcing that he intended to lead the Communists to an absolute majority in the upcoming election—something no Czechoslovak party had ever done. The endgame began in February 1948, when a majority of the Cabinet directed the Communist interior minister, [[Václav Nosek]], to stop packing the police force with Communists. Nosek ignored this directive, with Gottwald's support. In response, 12 non-Communist ministers resigned. They believed that without their support, Gottwald would be unable to govern and be forced to either give way or resign. Beneš initially supported their position, and refused to accept their resignations. At that point, Gottwald dropped all pretense of liberal democracy. He not only refused to resign, but demanded the appointment of a Communist-dominated government under threat of a general strike. His Communist colleagues occupied the offices of the non-Communist ministers.<ref name=EB>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/149152/Czechoslovak-history/42114/Communist-Czechoslovakia|title=Czechoslovak history|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |date=11 April 2023 }}</ref>

On 25 February, Beneš, fearing Soviet intervention, gave in. He accepted the resignations of the non-Communist ministers and appointed a new government in accordance with Gottwald's specifications. Although ostensibly still a coalition, it was dominated by Communists and pro-Moscow Social Democrats. The other parties were still nominally represented, but with the exception of Foreign Minister [[Jan Masaryk]] they were [[fellow traveller]]s handpicked by the Communists. From this date forward, Gottwald was effectively the most powerful man in Czechoslovakia.

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R90009, Budapest, II. Weltfestspiele, Festumzug, tschechische Delegation (cropped).jpg|thumb|Celebration of the [[2nd World Festival of Youth and Students]] in August 1949, Budapest, Hungary. The photograph shows the Czechoslovak delegation; left is a portrait of Gottwald, on the right, [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]].]]
On 9 May, the National Assembly, now a docile tool of the Communists, approved the so-called [[Ninth-of-May Constitution]].  While it was not a completely Communist document, its Communist imprint was strong enough that Beneš refused to sign it. Later that month, [[1948 Czechoslovak parliamentary election|elections]] were held in which voters were presented with a single list from the National Front, now a Communist-controlled patriotic organization. Beneš resigned on 2 June. In accordance with the 1920 Constitution, Gottwald took over most presidential functions until 14 June, when he was formally elected as President.

==Leadership of Czechoslovakia==
Gottwald initially tried to take a semi-independent line. However, that changed shortly after a meeting with Stalin. Under Stalin's direction, Gottwald imposed the [[Stalinism|Stalinist]] Soviet model of government on the country.<ref name=EB/> He [[Nationalization|nationalized]] the country's industry and initiated the [[Collective farming|collectivization]] of Czechoslovak farms. There was considerable resistance within the government to Soviet influence on Czechoslovak politics. In response, Gottwald instigated a series of [[purge]]s. Perceived opponents were often jailed or condemned to forced labor. His regime conducted a number of [[Prague Trials|show trials]], including the trial of the non-Communist politician [[Milada Horáková|Milada Horakova]] as well as fellow comrades and Communist party leaders [[Rudolf Slánský]] and [[Vladimir Clementis|Vlado Clementis]], both of whom were executed in December 1952. Many Communist leaders subjected to show trials had been part of a tight-knit group of Communists around Gottwald in the interwar period. In a famous photograph from 21 February 1948, described also in ''[[The Book of Laughter and Forgetting]]'' by [[Milan Kundera]], Clementis stands next to Gottwald. When Clementis was charged in 1950, he was [[Damnatio memoriae|erased]] from the photograph (along with the photographer Karel Hájek) by the state propaganda department.<ref>[http://multimedia.ctk.cz/cs/foto/document/1019167/unor-1948-klement-gottwald-politik-projev-proslov-rec-staromestske-namesti-vlado-clementis-fotograf-karel-hajek-lide-manipulace-retus-retusovani Photograph] of Gottwald and Clementis from 21 February 1948, Prague, Czechoslovakia, Czech News Agency, ctk.cz.</ref><ref>[http://multimedia.ctk.cz/cs/foto/document/1019166/unor-1948-klement-gottwald-projev-staromestske-namesti-retus-manipulace Retouched photograph] of Gottwald and Clementis from 21 February 1948, Prague, Czechoslovakia, Czech News Agency, ctk.cz.</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Hrob_K.Gottwalda.jpg|thumb|Gottwald's grave in Prague's [[Olšany Cemetery]]]]
Gottwald was a long-time [[alcoholism|alcoholic]]<ref>[https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/za-lahev-vodky-podepsal-prezident-gottwald-cokoliv-zjistil-historik.A090225_091241_domaci_bar iDNES: Za lahev vodky podepsal prezident Gottwald cokoliv, zjistil historik, 25-02-2009], Retrieved 12 October 2019</ref> and suffered from heart disease caused by
[[syphilis]] that had gone untreated for several years.<ref>[https://www.radio.cz/cz/rubrika/historie/nemoc-a-smrt-klementa-gottwalda Radio Prague: Nemoc a smrt Klementa Gottwalda, 30-03-2003], Retrieved 12 October 2019</ref> Shortly after attending [[Stalin's funeral]] on 9 March 1953, one of his arteries burst. He died five days later on 14 March 1953, aged 56. He was the first Czechoslovak president to die in office.

Gottwald's embalmed body was initially displayed in a [[mausoleum]] at the site of the [[Jan Žižka]] [[National Monument in Vitkov|national monument]] in the district of Žižkov, Prague. In 1962, the [[personality cult]] ended and it was no longer deemed appropriate to show Gottwald's body. There are accounts that in 1962 Gottwald's body had blackened and was [[decomposition|decomposing]] due to a botched [[embalming]], although other witnesses have disputed this.<ref>[http://m.radio.cz/en/section/panorama/exhibition-at-vitkov-memorial-highlights-the-klement-gottwald-personality-cult Radio Prague: Exhibition at Vitkov Memorial highlights the Klement Gottwald personality cult, 08-03-2012], Retrieved 19 September 2012</ref> His body was cremated, the ashes returned to the Žižka Monument and placed in a sarcophagus.

After the end of the communist period, Gottwald's ashes were removed from the Žižka Monument (in 1990) and placed in a common grave at Prague's [[Olšany Cemetery]],<ref>{{cite news |first1=Jason |last1=Hovet |first2=Robert |last2=Muller |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-czech-communists/facing-tough-times-more-czechs-long-for-communist-return-idUSBRE9200F220130301|title=Facing tough times, more Czechs long for Communist return|date=1 March 2013 |work=[[Reuters]] }}</ref> together with the ashes of about 20 other communist leaders which had also originally been placed in the Žižka Monument. The [[Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia]] now maintains that common grave.

==Legacy==
{{See also|List of places named after Klement Gottwald}}
He was succeeded as ''de facto'' leader of Czechoslovakia by [[Antonín Novotný]], who became First Secretary of the KSČ.  [[Antonín Zápotocký]], who had been prime minister since 1948, succeeded Gottwald as president.

In tribute, [[Zlín]], a city in Moravia, now the [[Czech Republic]], was renamed ''Gottwaldov'' after him from 1949 to 1989. [[Zmiiv]], a city in [[Kharkiv Oblast]], [[Ukrainian SSR]], was named ''Gotvald'' after him from 1976 to 1990.

A major square and park in [[Bratislava]] was named ''Gottwaldovo námestie'' after him, later becoming [[Námestie Slobody]] ''(Freedom square)'' immediately following the [[Velvet Revolution]]. The original eponym persists today, the square being referred to by locals as ''Gottko''. A bridge in Prague that is now called [[Nuselský Most]] was once called Gottwaldův Most, and the abutting metro station now called Vyšehrad was called Gottwaldova.

[[File:100 Kčs 1989 obverse.jpg|thumb|A 1989 100 [[Czechoslovak koruna|Koruna]] depicting Gottwald]]
A Czechoslovak 100 [[Czechoslovak koruna|Koruna]] banknote issued on 1 October 1989 as part of the 1985–89 banknote series included a portrait of Gottwald. This note was [[Velvet Revolution|so poorly received by Czechoslovaks]] that it was removed from official circulation on 31 December 1990 and was promptly replaced with the previous banknote issue of the same denomination.<ref>{{Cite web |title=100 Czechoslovak Korun note 1989 (Klement Gottwald) - Exchange yours |url=http://www.leftovercurrency.com/exchange/czech-koruna/obsolete-czechoslovak-korun-banknotes/100-czechoslovak-korun-banknote-1989-klement-gottwald/ |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=Leftover Currency |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2005 he was voted "The Greatest Villain" in the ''[[Největší Čech]]'' poll of the [[Czech Television]] (a program under the [[BBC]] licence [[100 Greatest Britons]]). He received 26% of the votes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/specialy/nejvetsicech/padouch|title=Největší Čech|trans-title=Greatest Czechs |website=ceskatelevize.cz}}</ref>

[[Wiesenau]] in Brandenburg, ([[East Germany|former East]]) Germany keeps a street named after Gottwald.<ref name="Zeit">{{cite news |title=Streetscapes Mozart, Marx and a Dictator |url=https://www.zeit.de/feature/streetdirectory-streetnames-origin-germany-infographic-english|work=Zeit Onlline |date=13 February 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[History of Czechoslovakia]]
* [[Order of Klement Gottwald]]
* [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovak Communist party]]
* [[Photo manipulation]]
* [[Capture_of_the_Tuapse#Background|Prezydent Gottwald (ship)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* August, František, and David Rees. ''Red star over Prague'' (1984).
* Pons, Silvio and Robert Service, eds. ''A Dictionary of 20th-Century Communism'' (2010) pp 345–348.
* {{cite journal |first=H. Gordon |last=Skilling |author-link=H. Gordon Skilling |title=Gottwald and the Bolshevization of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (1929–1939) |journal=[[Slavic Review]] |volume=20 |issue=4 |year=1961 |pages=641–655 |doi=10.2307/3004097 |jstor=3004097 }}
* Skilling, H. Gordon, ed. ''Czechoslovakia 1918–88: Seventy Years from Independence'' (Springer, 1991).
* Taborsky, Edward. ''Communism in Czechoslovakia, 1948-1960'' (Princeton University Press, 2015).

==External links==
* {{PM20|FID=pe/006386}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[Zdeněk Fierlinger]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia]]|years=2 July 1946 – 15 June 1948}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Antonín Zápotocký]]}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Edvard Beneš]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Czechoslovakia]]|years=14 June 1948 – 14 March 1953}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Bohumil Jílek]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia|Chairman of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]]|years=1929–1953}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Antonín Novotný]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Klement Gottwald}}
{{First Secretaries of the KSČ}}
{{CzechoslovakPresidents}}
{{CzechoslovakPMs}}
{{Leaders of the Ruling Parties of the Eastern Bloc}}
{{Government of Czechoslovakia (1946–1948)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gottwald, Klement}}
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