    antonÃ­n novotnÃ½ (10 december 1904 â 28 january 1975) 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. a hardline supporter of stalinism before and after the death of the soviet leader, novotnÃ½ was forced to yield the reins of power to alexander dubÄek during the short-lived reform movement of 1968. ==biography== ===early years=== antonÃ­n novotnÃ½ was born in letÅany, austria hungary, now part of prague, czech republic. the novotnÃ½ family was working class in social origin and he worked from an early age as a blacksmith.branko lazitch with milorad m. drachkovitch, biographical dictionary of the comintern: new, revised, and expanded edition. stanford, ca: hoover institution press, 1986; pp. 344â345. novotnÃ½ was a charter member of the communist party of czechoslovakia (cpc) at its founding in 1921. he became a professional communist party functionary in 1929. in 1935, novotnÃ½ was selected as a delegate to the 7th world congress of comintern. he was made a regional party secretary in prague in 1937 and made secretary and editor of the cpc's newspaper in the south moravian region in 1938. ===world war ii years=== with the coming of world war ii and occupation of czechoslovakia by nazi germany in 1939, the ccp was outlawed and forced into an underground existence. novotnÃ½ served as one of the leaders of the ccp in the underground movement in prague. novotnÃ½ was finally arrested by the german secret police, the gestapo, in september 1941 and was immediately deported to the mauthausen concentration camp. novotnÃ½ managed to survive his concentration camp experience and was liberated by american troops on 5 may 1945. ===post-war political rise=== after the war, novotnÃ½ returned to czechoslovakia and resumed his activity in the czech communist party. he was elected a member of the governing central committee of the cpc in 1946. he was 
1904_births 1975_deaths Cold_War_leaders Leaders_of_the_Communist_Party_of_Czechoslovakia Mauthausen-Gusen_concentration_camp_survivors Members_of_the_National_Assembly_of_Czechoslovakia People_from_Prague People_from_the_Kingdom_of_Bohemia Presidents_of_Czechoslovakia