This article is about the historical communist dictator of Czechoslovakia. For the minor fictional character in The Hot War: Bombs Away, see Klement Gottwald (Fictional Character)
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Klement Gottwald (23 November 1896 – 14 March 1953) was a Czechoslovak communist politician and longtime leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ). He was Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1946 to 1948 and President from 1948 to 1953. A willing puppet of Joseph Stalin, Gottwald came to power through a political coup in 1948, using the implicit threat of Soviet military intervention to force incumbent President Edvard Beneš to cede power to the communists and ultimately resign. At Stalin's direction, Gottwald introduced purges and tightened his grip on the country.
Gottwald remained devoted to Stalin until the end. On 9 March 1953, after attending Stalin's funeral, one of Gottwald's arteries burst, and he died on 14 March.
Klement Gottwald in The Hot War
Klement Gottwald was the Soviet-backed leader of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic during World War III. It was understood, however, that Gottwald was beholden to Joseph Stalin, as Czechoslovakia still hadn't gotten used to communist rule.[1]
References
| Political offices (OTL) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Zdeněk Fierlinger |
Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia 2 July 1946 – 15 June 1948 |
Succeeded by Antonín Zápotocký |
| Preceded by Edvard Beneš |
President of Czechoslovakia 14 June 1948 – 14 March 1953 | |
| Party political offices (OTL) | ||
| Preceded by Bohumil Jílek |
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia 1927 – 1945 |
Succeeded by Rudolf Slánský |
| Preceded by None |
Chairman of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia April 1945 – 14 March 1953 |
Succeeded by Antonín Novotný as First Secretary |
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