Antonin Novotny

After the death of Stalin and Czechoslovak President Klement Gottwald, Novotny became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. He consolidated power by purging rivals and enforcing Stalinist policies, including show trials and suppression of dissent.

Novotny oversaw the adoption of a new constitution that renamed the country the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The constitution formalized the leading role of the Communist Party and centralized state control over the economy and society.

The Third Five-Year Plan (1961-1965) failed to meet targets, leading to economic stagnation. Industrial output declined, consumer goods shortages worsened, and the planned economy showed structural weaknesses, contributing to growing dissatisfaction with Novotny's leadership.

In January 1968, Novotny was replaced as First Secretary by Alexander Dubcek amid growing reformist pressures. He was later expelled from the Communist Party in May 1968, marking the end of his political career and the beginning of the Prague Spring liberalization.