Third Czechoslovak Republic

The postwar Czechoslovak state that existed from 1945 until the Communist takeover in February 1948. It restored the republic after German occupation but operated under strong Soviet influence and a restricted multiparty system.

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Czechoslovak government-in-exile: The Czechoslovak political leadership that operated abroad during the German occupation. Its leaders returned to govern the state restored in 1945.
National Front (Czechoslovakia): A coalition of permitted Czechoslovak parties that governed the country after its liberation in 1945. It excluded political parties deemed unacceptable and limited ordinary competition.
Marshall Plan: A United States programme of economic aid for European recovery after the Second World War. Czechoslovakia accepted the invitation, then withdrew under Soviet pressure in 1947.
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic: The socialist state that existed in Czechoslovakia under Communist rule from 1960 to 1990. It represents the later constitutional form of the Communist order established after 1948.
Munich Agreement: The 1938 agreement that compelled Czechoslovakia to cede the Sudetenland to Germany. Its repudiation shaped the postwar republic's claims about prewar continuity.
Czechoslovak parliamentary election, 1946: The May 1946 election in which the Communist Party became the largest party in Czechoslovakia. It gave the Communists electoral legitimacy and a leading role in government.
Prague coup of 1948: The Communist seizure of power in Czechoslovakia during February 1948. It ended the republic and replaced coalition government with Communist rule.
Czechoslovak coup of 1948: The Communist seizure of power in Czechoslovakia in February 1948. The coup closed the republic's multiparty phase and consolidated one-party rule.
Košice Government Programme: The April 1945 political programme that established the priorities and structure of Czechoslovakia's postwar government. It set the republic's initial political framework and alliance with the Soviet Union.
Czechoslovak Communist Party: The political party that led the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in February 1948. Its control of key ministries and security bodies enabled the takeover.