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with up to forty percent of the vote (the largest ever for a European Communist Party in a
multiparty election). In Slovakia, however, they achieved just thirty percent, thus failing to
push the Democrats into second place. President Beneš appointed the KSČ leader,
Klement
Gottwald
, prime minister of another Národní fronta coalition, with several strategically im-
portant cabinet portfolios going to Party members, including the ministries of the Interior,
Finance, Labour and Social Affairs, Agriculture and Information.
Gottwald assured everyone of the KSČ's commitment to parliamentary democracy, and ini-
tially at least even agreed to participate in the Americans'
Marshall Plan
(the only Eastern
Bloccountrytodoso).StalinimmediatelysummonedGottwaldtoMoscow,andonhisreturn
the KSČ denounced the Plan. By the end of 1947, the Communists were beginning to lose
support, as the harvest failed, the economy faltered and malpractices within the Communist-
controlled Ministry of the Interior were uncovered. In response, the KSČ began to up the
ante, constantly warning the nation of imminent “counter-revolutionary plots”, and arguing
for greater nationalization and land reform as a safeguard.
Then in February 1948 - officially known as “
VictoriousFebruary
” - the latest in a series
of scandals hit the Ministry of the Interior, prompting the twelve non-Communist cabinet
ministers to resign en masse in the hope of forcing Beneš to dismiss Gottwald. No attempt
was made, however, to rally popular support against the Communists. Beneš received more
thanfivethousandresolutionssupportingtheCommunistsandjust150opposingthem.Stalin
sent word to Gottwald to take advantage of the crisis and ask for military assistance - Soviet
troops began massing on the Hungarian border. It was the one time in his life when Gottwald
disobeyed Stalin; instead, by exploiting the divisions within the Social Democrats, he was
able to maintain his majority in parliament. The KSČ took to the streets (and the airwaves),
arming “workers' militia” units to defend the country against counter-revolution, calling a
general strike and finally, on February 25, organizing the country's biggest ever demonstra-
tion in Prague. The same day Gottwald went to an indecisive (and increasingly ill) Beneš
with his new cabinet, all Party members or “fellow travellers”. Beneš accepted Gottwald's
nominees and the most popular Communist coup in Eastern Europe was complete, without
bloodshed and without the direct intervention of the Soviets. In the aftermath of the coup,
thousands of Czechs and Slovaks fled abroad.
The People's Republic
Following Victorious February, the Party began to consolidate its position, a relatively easy
taskgivenitsimmensepopularsupportandcontrolofthearmy,policeforce,workers'militia
and trade unions. A
newconstitution
confirming the “leading role” of the Communist Party
and the “dictatorship of the proletariat” was passed by parliament on May 9, 1948. President
Beneš refused to sign it, resigned in favour of Gottwald, and died (of natural causes) shortly
afterwards. Those political parties that were not banned or forcibly merged with the KSČ
