Third Czechoslovak Republic

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Czechoslovak Republic Československá republika
1945–1948
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Pravda vítězí / Pravda víťazí "Truth prevails"
Anthem:  Kde domov můj (Czech) Where my home is Nad Tatrou sa blýska (Slovak) Lightning Over the Tatras
Territory of the Third Czechoslovak Republic
Capital and largest city	Prague
Official languages	Czechoslovak (Czech and Slovak)
Government	Parliamentary republic
President
• 1945–1948	Edvard Beneš
Prime Minister
• 1945–1946	Zdeněk Fierlinger
• 1946–1948	Klement Gottwald
Historical era	Cold War
• Surrender of Nazi Germany	8 May 1945
• Communist seizure of power	25 February 1948
Currency	Czechoslovak koruna
Preceded by Succeeded by Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia Slovak Republic Nazi Germany Kingdom of Hungary Provisional Government of Czechoslovakia Fourth Czechoslovak Republic Zakarpattia Oblast
Today part of	Czech Republic Slovakia

Part of a series on the
History of Czechoslovakia
Origins of Czechoslovakia 1918 Washington Declaration 1918 Treaty of Saint Germain 1919 Treaty of Trianon 1920 First Czechoslovak Republic 1918–1938 Munich Agreement 1938 Second Czechoslovak Republic 1938–1939 German occupation 1938–1945      Bohemia and Moravia 1939–1945      Slovak Republic 1939–1945 Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939–1945 Third Czechoslovak Republic 1945–1948      Coup d'état 1948 Czechoslovak Socialist Republic 1948–1989      Prague Spring/Invasion 1968 Velvet Revolution 1989      Post-revolution 1989–1992 Federative Republic 1990–1992 Dissolution of Czechoslovakia 1992
v t e

The Third Czechoslovak Republic,^[a] officially the Czechoslovak Republic,^[b][1] was a sovereign state from April 1945 to February 1948 following the end of World War II.

After the fall of Nazi Germany, the country was reformed and reassigned coterminous borders as its pre-war predecessor state, First Czechoslovak Republic; it likewise restored the predecessor's international recognition. Due to the rise of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence, and this circumstance dominated any plans or strategies for post-war reconstruction. Consequently, the political and economic organisation of Czechoslovakia became largely a matter of negotiations between Edvard Beneš and the Communist Party members exiled in Moscow.

As early as July 1947, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin intervened against Czechoslovak participation in the Marshall Plan, and Beneš's concept of a so-called "bridge" between East and West was negated, which meant that the alliance treaty with France was not implemented. Moscow expressed doubts about the declared parliamentary path to socialism and subsequently called on the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia to take power quickly. In February 1948, the Communists finally managed to provoke non-Communist parties into attempting to change the previous coalition government of Klement Gottwald and used the situation for a political coup. Czechoslovakia thus became part of the Soviet sphere of interest and later also of Stalin's power bloc.

In February 1948, the Communist Party seized full power in a coup d'état.^[2] Despite the country's official name remaining the Czechoslovak Republic until 1960, when it was changed to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, events of February 1948 are considered the end of the Third Republic.

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