Czech The History: Klement Gottwald

Lesson objectives

1. understand Gottwald's rise to power and its consequences
2. understand the long-term consequences of the February coup for the development of Czechoslovakia
3. learn what preceded the communist takeover

On January 22, 1947, Klement Gottwald addressed a meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), delivering a speech on the necessity of mass recruitment of new party members. Although the Communists had won the elections to the National Assembly a year earlier, their victory was not overwhelming. Gottwald wanted more. Parliamentary elections were scheduled for May 1948, and by then, he aimed to secure the support of the majority of the nation. When ministers from democratic parties resigned on February 20, 1948, Gottwald, backed by a massive party membership base, found it relatively easy to complete the coup in our country. The Communists would go on to rule Czechoslovakia for more than 40 years.

 This lesson is also available in Czech.