Gustav Husák shunned illegal activity until the beginning of 1943. As a result, he lacked the confidence of party colleagues, who considered him a "renegade" and "deserter" and even as devoid of party legitimacy.
The text focuses on how and under what circumstances Husák achieved reaching the leadership of the Communist Party of Slovakia and also analyzes Husák's activities in the new leadership, and in particular his role in negotiating with other resistance movements which finally led to the foundation of the Slovak National Council. With this background, the text maps social relations between Gustav Husák and other historical actors.