December 10, 1997

Not a very long time there, even by common human standards. And yet, the new state in Central Europe managed to have seven prime ministers in the era that was marked at first by monumental economic growth and later by the depression. At the end of 1932, the country faced its worst unemployment rate ever. The poor and homeless were filling the streets of Prague, begging for jobs or at least for alms. The good news was that Czechoslovakia's international position remained stable and the country was a well-respected member of the community of democratic states. And also the only truly democratic state in all Central Europe, together with Germany where, however, the system was just about to collapse and Hitler's totalitarian rule would begin a new dark age in just three months time.

Jan Malypetr, who was appointed premier in October 1932, was forced to use maximum political skill to lead the young republic out of its greatest crisis. Malypetr had to cope with the devaluation of the Czech crown as well as with the often senseless quarrels between coalition partners. In many ways, his position was similar to that of the recent Czech cabinet. But Jan Malypetr survived, and more than that, he restored faith in the cabinet even if he had to reshuffle it three times. He was asked to form a government for the last time in May 1935, following the parliamentary election. The same election that was a great success for the ethnic German Sudetendeutsche Partai of Konrad Henlein, who received orders from Hitler himself. This was even worse a situation than the dreaded depression and Malypetr resigned in November 1935 to make way for a new cabinet headed by Milan Hodza. Hodza was in fact the first Slovak to be appointed premier.

He was in office for just a few weeks when President Masaryk announced his resignation and Edvard Benes was elected the second president of Czechoslovakia. As the pro-Nazi separatist movement grew in power in the border regions, Hodza was forced to seek help from abroad as he tried to oppose the growing Nazi wave through a close alliance with France and Great Britain. But the German pressure was too strong and Hodza resigned in the critical days of 1938 when he made way for the cabinet of General Jan Syrovy.

A soldier by profession, Syrovy lost one eye while fighting Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war. The legendary 15th-century Hussite leader Jan Zizka also had just one eye and that's why Syrovy was often called "the modern Zizka", the man to stop Hitler's invasion. Sadly enough, the nation suffered a political defeat and Syrovy lost his post as well as the aura of a national hero. He was even forced to stand trial after the end of World War II. As for his predecessors, Jan Malypetr was the speaker of the parliament, and Milan Hodza went into exile after the German occupation of Bohemia and Moravia and he died abroad in 1944.

Back in Prague, the pro-German agrarian leader Rudolf Beran became premier and it was his task to welcome the German Protector von Neurath at Prague Castle in March 1939. Czechoslovakia was no more but there was still need for a collaborating Czech cabinet in the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. At first, Rudolf Beran carried on with his work, but he was soon replaced by General Alois Elias. The former soldier had to cooperate with the Germans, but he also maintained illegal relations with the exile government in London. The double game lasted for two years, but then Elias was arrested and executed. His unpopular job went to Jaroslav Krejci who was a bit more successful in keeping his head on his shoulders and it was only in 1945, after nearly four years, that he was ordered to hand over his post to veteran politician Richard Bienert. Both Krejci and Bienert were later tried for collaboration.

It was also during the war that another Czechoslovak premier was hard at work in London. Jan Sramek of the People's Party was not only a Catholic priest but also the oldest and most experienced of all Czech politicians. Plus the premier of the exile government of President Edvard Benes that was set up in London in 1940. Sramek was a true survivor who entered politics long before World War I and he remained premier until April 1945, when a new cabinet was formed in the East Slovak city of Kosice, which had already been liberated by the Soviet army. Sramek was deputy premier for another three years and his career ended with the Communist coup in 1948.

After that he was forced to spend the final years of his life in forced exile in the countryside, far away from Prague, guarded by secret police agents. The end of the war meant the beginning of a brand new career for Social Democrat Zdenek Fierlinger, who became premier in April 1945 and headed the first post-war cabinet until the parliamentary election in May 1946. Fierlinger was a former Czech legionnaire who fought the Bolshevik armies in Russia in 1918 and 1919, but he was a completely different man in 1945. Very close to the Communist Party and even closer to his personal career and ambition. This was confirmed as sad reality in February 1948, when Fierlinger supported the Communist coup and--not long after--he was one of the gravediggers of his own party when it was made a part of the Communist Party.

It took four decades before the Social Democratic Party was restored, immediately after the downfall of Communism in November 1989. Following the election of 1946, cabinet leadership was taken over by future Presidents Klement Gottwald and Antonin Zapotocky. But while Gottwald was also the official leader of the Communist Party, Zapotocky had to make do with the less prominent post of the leader of Communist trade unions.

In 1953, President Gottwald suddenly died after returning from Stalin's funeral in Moscow and the presidency was passed over to Zapotocky. It was for the second time that cabinet leadership was offered to a Slovak, Viliam Siroky, who was a close ally of party chief Novotny. Novotny later became president and Siroky was able to stay in power for ten long years. The 1960s offered some relief and the Communist regime backed down from its previous hard-core Stalinist doctrine.

In 1963, Siroky was replaced by another Slovak, Jozef Lenart, who stayed in power for five years and is today the oldest surviving premier of our country. And although Lenart was forced to make way for the more pro-reform cabinet of Oldrich Cernik in 1968, he managed to prevail and remained active in political life for another 20 years, until the very end of the Communist regime.

As for Oldrich Cernik, he had a hard time in office thanks to the Soviet-led invasion in August 1968 and was forced out of politics in 1970. Often the favourite subject of secret police agents, Cernik lived long enough to witness the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and he died a few years ago without returning to active politics. In 1970 the premier's seat was given to Lubomir Strougal, the man who broke all records by staying in office for an unbelievable 18 years. Strougal was a bit more popular maybe than some other politburo members as he did not take active part in inviting the Soviet armies in 1968 and he was also a well-known sports fan. It was only in 1988 that he handed over his cabinet chair to Ladislav Adamec, who tried to represent the more liberal wing inside the Communist Party. It was Adamec who held talks with Vaclav Havel and other former dissidents in November 1989 when the Communists lost power. Strougal left the political arena immediately after the revolution and retired, while Adamec remained active for a brief period and then followed his predecessor into retirement.

The first post-communist cabinet was formed by Slovak Marian Calfa who had been a member of the Adamec administration. A certain Vaclav Klaus was appointed finance minister of the government that was not able to stop the avalanche of nationality disputes between the West and the East. The Slovak calls for independence grew louder and louder and the state that had to overcome forty years of communism lacked the energy to fight on two fronts. The election in 1992 came out as an omen of the end of Czechoslovakia's existence. Marian Calfa resigned and a provisional cabinet was formed by Jan Strasky who was also sitting in for the head of state after Vaclav Havel stepped down from office. In six months, Strasky helped to conduct the Velvet Divorce, but it was the new Czech premier, Vaclav Klaus, who became the chief conductor. The Federal premier was more of a requirement demanded by the constitution.

That requirement was cancelled along with Czechoslovakia on December 31, 1992, and all governing powers were transferred to the hands of the cabinet of Vaclav Klaus, whose monumental supply of self-confidence became--for some--a source of faith in capitalism, while for others it was the finest subject for political cartoons. The Czech Republic's capitalist reform was announced as a smashing success and even the most developed states were called on to learn from us. But as reality proved more grim, the throne of Vaclav Klaus began to shake and voices of doubt were being heard more and more often. Until recently, when an internal party coup toppled the Czech premiership and the Czech nation is now awaiting its 25th premier. Whose name will mark the Silver Jubilee is yet to be discovered, but even foreign media pointed out that cabinet leader number 24, Vaclav Klaus, is not used to giving up without a fight...

by Peter Casper