A Failed Murder
I will write this timeline with the format JSilvy wrote Sand and Steel: The Story of the Modern Middle East (TL) as I got inspired by the way he wrote his TL.

15 February 1948, 08:00 AM -Czernin Palace, Prague

Jan Masaryk awoke from his bed from what couldn't be called sleep. Weeks of political tension had caused him insomnia, the communists just couldn't stop causing problems threatening to dissolve the government.

- How the hell can Beneš handle all this?

Dragging his feet to the bathroom he opened the faucet to wash his face. Suddenly the door of the bathroom opened with a strong whip. With the heart beating fast, Jan saw a man of about 40 years old dressed in military uniform and an ice look.

-Who the hell are you? Get out of my home!

Without saying a word, the man jumped on Jan, pushing and pushing him towards the window, struggling with his strength against that man, lying on the edge of the window, Jan felt his end.
Suddenly the assailant slipped a little lightening the grip, with his last forces Jan managed to turn and change position to the assailant who slid back again, swinging backwards and finally falling towards the void. Jan lay on the bathroom floor, exhausted from the fight that he did not even hear the blow. When he recovered his breath he looked out the window, the man was dead.

But as the following weeks would show, their problems would be far from dying.

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So you moved attempt on Masaryk's life almost a month. Before February "Revolution".
I guess attempt may have strong influence on non communist Minister and maybe also on Benes.
I am watching this. Curious how it will develop.
 
So hopefully the non-communist parties will not resign from office in protest against communists domination of the police force as in otl, and not give communists an excuse for a takeover, but then there is still a danger of the communists provoking something in order to avoid having truly free multi party elections. If we can somehow get to truly free elections in the spring, all kinds of butterflies are emerging. Lets not forget there is no Soviet army in occupation unlike in Hungary, and there is President Benes who with a little finesse and backbone might be able to make a good effort at the ultimate prize, Finlandization.
 
So hopefully the non-communist parties will not resign from office in protest against communists domination of the police force as in otl, and not give communists an excuse for a takeover, but then there is still a danger of the communists provoking something in order to avoid having truly free multi party elections. If we can somehow get to truly free elections in the spring, all kinds of butterflies are emerging. Lets not forget there is no Soviet army in occupation unlike in Hungary, and there is President Benes who with a little finesse and backbone might be able to make a good effort at the ultimate prize, Finlandization.
Benes didn’t had backbone though. :D
 
So hopefully the non-communist parties will not resign from office in protest against communists domination of the police force as in otl, and not give communists an excuse for a takeover, but then there is still a danger of the communists provoking something in order to avoid having truly free multi party elections. If we can somehow get to truly free elections in the spring, all kinds of butterflies are emerging. Lets not forget there is no Soviet army in occupation unlike in Hungary, and there is President Benes who with a little finesse and backbone might be able to make a good effort at the ultimate prize, Finlandization.

Trouble is, the Communists have managed to get 40% of the votes and were single strongest political party. You would need a coalition of all other parties against them. And even then, it's not easy. Especially because they could win the future elections.
And Soviet forces aren't in Czechoslovakia, but are in E. Germany, Poland, Hungary...

Communists are also well organised, supplied, have control over military and police- and a single goal- take over the power. Other parties- not so much. They also have the support ( if needed military support ) of the Soviet Union. Other parties have no such support from the West.
 
The communists are clearly in the top position, but if a new round of free elections can be held, its quite likely that they don't do as well as in 1946, and possibly the emergence of a non-Socialist/Communist parliamentary majority. Would help if we can have Slovakia back as in OTL.
 
The communists are clearly in the top position, but if a new round of free elections can be held, its quite likely that they don't do as well as in 1946, and possibly the emergence of a non-Socialist/Communist parliamentary majority. Would help if we can have Slovakia back as in OTL.
I was fooling around. Slovakia is probably part of Czechoslovakia. However it is pretty common here for members to use just Czech when referring to Czechoslovakia.
In Slovakia victor of 1946 elections was Democratic party. But their position was weakened due to Czechs view of the party as separatist in 1947.
 
Communists are also well organised, supplied, have control over military and police- and a single goal- take over the power. Other parties- not so much. They also have the support ( if needed military support ) of the Soviet Union. Other parties have no such support from the West.

This. A free election in Czechoslovakia in 1948 might produce a result similar to Hungary in 1947, where the Communists only got 22 percent of the vote. But the Communists took over Hungary anyway - they considered elections beside the point, and with control of the security forces, their loss of the 1947 election hardly even slowed down their "salami" tactics. It will take a lot more than one election to preserve a free Czechoslovakia, though I'll watch with interest to see what more the author has in mind.
 
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