National Front (Czechoslovakia)
Encyclopedia
The National Front was the coalition of parties which headed the re-established Czechoslovakia
n government from 1945 to 1948. During the Communist era in Czechoslovakia (1948 – 1989) it was the vehicle for control of all political and social activity by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
(KSČ). It was also known in English as the National Front of Czechs and Slovaks.
began, Czechoslovakia disappeared from the map of Europe. The Czech lands became the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
under direct Nazi
rule, and Slovak lands formed an ostensibly-independent Slovakia
. At the end of World War II, Czechoslovakia was included in the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union
. Postwar Czechoslovakia was organized according to a program worked out by the KSČ (whose leaders were in exile in Moscow
), and Edvard Beneš
, representing the government-in-exile - these being the two most important groups seeking the reconstitution of the country. Part of the program was the formation of a popular anti-Nazi coalition of parties. Negotiations began in December 1943 in Moscow. The KSČ and the non-Communist parties had very different ideas about this.
This coalition was finally established as the "National Front" in April 1945, when a Czechoslovak government came into being in the city of Košice
, recently liberated by Soviet troops.
The National Front government was a coalition of six parties:
Later two more parties were added:
The Slovak People's Party
was banned due to its collaboration with the Nazis. The government decided not to allow the re-creation of other pre-war democratic parties, such as the Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants.
The National Front was dominated by the "socialist" parties: KSČ, KSS, CSDP, CSNP. Communists held the key ministries.
The Communists viewed the National Front as a permanent entity, while the remaining parties considered it a temporary coalition until normal conditions would arise in Czechoslovakia. Many quarrels arose between the KSČ and the remaining parties of the National Front in the transitory period 1945–1948.
in Czechoslovakia on 25 February 1948. The other parties were quickly purged of their more courageous elements, and also dropped their original ideologies.
After the 1948 coup, the member parties were:
The KSČ held all real power. The other parties were structured just like the Communists, with a secretariat, central committee, and Presidium. Despite their actual impotence they retained a significant membership through the entire Communist era. In 1984, the CPP had about 66,000 members, and the CSNP had about 17,000 members. The National Front nominated all candidates for public offices, who were then elected without opposition. The Front always nominated a few non-KSČ candidates to the Federal Assembly.
In 1969, the country was re-organized as a federation of the Czech Socialist Republic and Slovak Socialist Republic. Separate National
Front organizations for each federal component were set up, which nominated candidates for the Czech National Council
and Slovak National Council
.
The National Front enabled the KSČ to maintain the fiction of political pluralism and at the same time control all political activity. In other Communist states, there were similar "coalitions" with identical names (in the German Democratic Republic
) or similar names (in Poland
, Bulgaria
, and Vietnam
).
Thus the Front was extended to include mass organizations that were not political parties. All large organizations of any kind were included, except churches. Among the organizations brought into the Front were:
All these groups were given the standard Communist organization, and Party members held all controlling posts. These groups permeated workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods. As with the Front, many of these organizations added Czech and Slovak regional components in 1969 and after.
of 1990 ended Communist rule, the National Front was dissolved.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n government from 1945 to 1948. During the Communist era in Czechoslovakia (1948 – 1989) it was the vehicle for control of all political and social activity by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
(KSČ). It was also known in English as the National Front of Czechs and Slovaks.
1943 – 1948
As World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
began, Czechoslovakia disappeared from the map of Europe. The Czech lands became the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
under direct Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
rule, and Slovak lands formed an ostensibly-independent Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. At the end of World War II, Czechoslovakia was included in the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Postwar Czechoslovakia was organized according to a program worked out by the KSČ (whose leaders were in exile in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
), and Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš was a leader of the Czechoslovak independence movement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the second President of Czechoslovakia. He was known to be a skilled diplomat.- Youth :...
, representing the government-in-exile - these being the two most important groups seeking the reconstitution of the country. Part of the program was the formation of a popular anti-Nazi coalition of parties. Negotiations began in December 1943 in Moscow. The KSČ and the non-Communist parties had very different ideas about this.
This coalition was finally established as the "National Front" in April 1945, when a Czechoslovak government came into being in the city of Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
, recently liberated by Soviet troops.
The National Front government was a coalition of six parties:
- Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ)
- Communist Party of SlovakiaCommunist Party of Slovakia (1939)The Communist Party of Slovakia was a communist party in Slovakia. It was formed in March 1939, when the Slovak Republic was created, as the Slovak branches of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia were separated from the mother party...
(KSS; formed in 1939) - Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (CSDP)
- Czechoslovak National Socialist Party (CNSP; national-liberal, petty bourgeois, no connection to the German Nazis)
- Czechoslovak People's PartyChristian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's PartyThe Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party is a political party in the Czech Republic expressing Christian democratic views...
(CPP; a Catholic group) - (Slovak) Democratic Party
Later two more parties were added:
- (Slovak) Labour PartyLabour Party (Slovakia)Labour Party was a political party in the First Slovak Republic. The party was formed by Social Democrats who opposed cooperation with the Communist Party....
- (Slovak) Freedom PartyFreedom Party (Slovakia)The Freedom Party was a political party in Slovakia.It was founded by some members of the Democratic Party in March 1946 as a party mainly for Catholics. Its aim was to present an alternative of “Christian, progressive and pro-Czechoslovak″ politics to the Democratic Party...
The Slovak People's Party
Slovak People's Party
The Slovak People's Party was a Slovak right-wing party and was described as a fascist and...
was banned due to its collaboration with the Nazis. The government decided not to allow the re-creation of other pre-war democratic parties, such as the Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants.
The National Front was dominated by the "socialist" parties: KSČ, KSS, CSDP, CSNP. Communists held the key ministries.
The Communists viewed the National Front as a permanent entity, while the remaining parties considered it a temporary coalition until normal conditions would arise in Czechoslovakia. Many quarrels arose between the KSČ and the remaining parties of the National Front in the transitory period 1945–1948.
1948–1990
The KSČ definitively seized powerCzechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
in Czechoslovakia on 25 February 1948. The other parties were quickly purged of their more courageous elements, and also dropped their original ideologies.
After the 1948 coup, the member parties were:
- Communist Party of CzechoslovakiaCommunist Party of CzechoslovakiaThe Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
(KSČ), incorporated also the CSDP in June 1948 - Communist Party of SlovakiaCommunist Party of Slovakia (1939)The Communist Party of Slovakia was a communist party in Slovakia. It was formed in March 1939, when the Slovak Republic was created, as the Slovak branches of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia were separated from the mother party...
(KSS), merged with the KSČ in September 1948 - Czechoslovak People's PartyChristian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's PartyThe Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party is a political party in the Czech Republic expressing Christian democratic views...
(CPP) - Czechoslovak Socialist Party (CSNP), which dropped "National" from its name
- (Slovak) Freedom PartyFreedom Party (Slovakia)The Freedom Party was a political party in Slovakia.It was founded by some members of the Democratic Party in March 1946 as a party mainly for Catholics. Its aim was to present an alternative of “Christian, progressive and pro-Czechoslovak″ politics to the Democratic Party...
- Party of Slovak RevivalParty of Slovak RevivalParty of Slovak Revival was a political party founded in 1948 by pro-Communist members of the Slovak Democratic Party. It was accepted into the Czechoslovak National Front and got 17 seats in the Slovak parliament...
(a pro-Communist reincarnation of the Slovak Democratic Party)
The KSČ held all real power. The other parties were structured just like the Communists, with a secretariat, central committee, and Presidium. Despite their actual impotence they retained a significant membership through the entire Communist era. In 1984, the CPP had about 66,000 members, and the CSNP had about 17,000 members. The National Front nominated all candidates for public offices, who were then elected without opposition. The Front always nominated a few non-KSČ candidates to the Federal Assembly.
In 1969, the country was re-organized as a federation of the Czech Socialist Republic and Slovak Socialist Republic. Separate National
Front organizations for each federal component were set up, which nominated candidates for the Czech National Council
Czech National Council
The Czech National Council was the legislative body of the Czech Republic from 1968 to 1992. It was created in 1968 to reflect the fact that Czechoslovakia became a federation. It was legally transformed into the Chamber of deputies according to the Constitution The Czech National Council was the...
and Slovak National Council
Slovak National Council
The Slovak National Council is the name of different types of supreme bodies in the history of Slovakia. They existed within the Kingdom of Hungary, Czechoslovakia or the Slovak Republic or were bodies of Slovak exiles:...
.
The National Front enabled the KSČ to maintain the fiction of political pluralism and at the same time control all political activity. In other Communist states, there were similar "coalitions" with identical names (in the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
) or similar names (in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
).
Other civil organizations
The Front controlled all political activity, and its role was expanded to control of all organized activity of any kind, excluding only religion.Thus the Front was extended to include mass organizations that were not political parties. All large organizations of any kind were included, except churches. Among the organizations brought into the Front were:
- Revolutionary Trade Union MovementRevolucní odborové hnutí-Foundation:ROH was founded in the Czech Lands in 1945, emerging out of the factory councils and workers militias that evolve out of the wake of the Second World War. Since the communists had played the leading role in anti-fascist resistance during the war, they became dominant in the trade union...
(to which all unions belonged) - Socialist Union of Youth (1.5 million members)
- Union for Czechoslovak-Soviet Friendship
- Czechoslovak Union of Women (1 million members)
- Czechoslovak Red Cross
- Union for Czechoslovak-Soviet Friendship
- Union of Agricultural Cooperatives
- Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters
- SvazarmSVAZARMSvazarm or Union for Cooperation with the Army , was, in Communist Czechoslovakia, the largest "paramilitary" organisation, though in fact many of the activities that Svazarm provided for its members were more reminiscent of a Boy Scout movement than of a...
(Union for Cooperation with the Army) - Peace Committee
- Physical Culture Association
- Union of PhilatelistsPhilatelyPhilately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...
All these groups were given the standard Communist organization, and Party members held all controlling posts. These groups permeated workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods. As with the Front, many of these organizations added Czech and Slovak regional components in 1969 and after.
End of the National Front
After the Velvet RevolutionVelvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
of 1990 ended Communist rule, the National Front was dissolved.
Further reading
- Kaplan, Karel. Pět kapitol o Únoru. Brno: Doplněk, 1997, ISBN 80-85765-73-X.