The Communist Era in Czechoslovakia truly began during World War II while President Benes made postwar plans including the nationalization of much of the economic system. In the Parliamentary elections in 1946, the Communists obtained one third of the vote in part due to the successful advertisement of the friendship between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. The Communist Party declined in popularity soon after this in 1947, but this only resulted in new policies and tactics implemented to secure the position of the Communists. In February, 1948, twelve non-Communist members of Parliament resigned in protest against Communist actions hoping to bring down the government. Instead, this caused a re-structuring of the cabinet to include almost solely Communists and their sympathizers. At the elections in 1948, only Communist-approved candidates could compete and Klement Gottwald, the Communist Party Leader, became the country's leader.

The Communist period in Prague would last until 1989. There were oppressive measures taken by the Communist government during this period including forced labor camps, falsified election results and a constant search for subversives to be thrown in jail. The Slansky trial is one of the most famous examples of unjustified persecution by the Communist Party. In this instance, the Jewish Secretary General of the Communist Party was arrested because of alleged treason and conspiration against the Communist Party but later evidence shows that he was likely arrested because of anti-Semitic Party officials instead.

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