Ludvík Svoboda (25 November 1895 – 20 September 1981) was an Czechoslovak general and politician who served as the 6th President of Czechoslovakia from 1968 until 1975. Regarded as a national hero, he fought in World War I, served in the Czechoslovak Legion during the Russian Civil War and was a four-star general in the Czechoslovak Army during World War II. After the war he served as Minister of Defence and as Chief of the General Staff.