1921- . Czechoslovak politician, chair of the
federal assembly from 1989. As first
secretary of the Communist Party 1967-69, he
launched a liberalization campaign (the
Prague Spring). He was arrested by invading
Soviet troops, and expelled from the party
1970. In 1989 he gave speeches at
pro-democracy rallies, and in Dec, after the
overthrow of the hardline regime, he was
elected speaker of the Czechoslovak
parliament.