Ludvík Svoboda

Ludvík Svoboda
Ludvík Svoboda in 1968
President of Czechoslovakia
In office
30 March 1968  29 May 1975
Prime MinisterJozef Lenárt
Oldřich Černík
Lubomír Štrougal
Preceded byAntonín Novotný
Succeeded byGustáv Husák
Minister of National Defence of Czechoslovakia
In office
5 April 1945  25 April 1950
Preceded byJan Masaryk
Succeeded byAlexej Čepička
Personal details
Born(1895-11-25)25 November 1895
Hroznatín, Moravia, Austria-Hungary
Died20 September 1979(1979-09-20) (aged 83)
Prague, Czechoslovakia
Political partyCommunist Party of Czechoslovakia
SpouseIrena Svobodová (1901–1980)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
Branch/service
Years of service
  • 1915 (Austria-Hungary)
  • 19161950 (Czechoslovakia)
RankGeneral of the Army
Commands1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the USSR
Battles/wars
Awards

Ludvík Svoboda (Czech pronunciation: [ˈludviːk ˈsvoboda]; 25 November 1895 – 20 September 1979) was a Czech general and politician. He fought in both World Wars, for which he was regarded as a national hero, and he later served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1968 to 1975.