Prague 1, Neruda Street

This street leads from the Charles Bridge to Prague Castle. Two processions of students, teachers and journalists passed through here in support of President Edvard Beneš in February 1948. The first was organized on 23 February and representatives of the students were accepted into Prague Castle. The second procession from 25 February was stopped by a fully-armed police division on Neruda Street. The students had decided to support the president following 20 February 1948, when government ministers from three parties – the National Socialists, the, (Christian), People’s Party and the Democrats – handed in their resignation to President Edvard Beneš. They disagreed with staff changes made by Minister of the Interior Nosek in the police force, and they protested that Nosek had not complied with the government decree from 13 February which had ordered him to stop such changes. The matter concerned eight non-communist police officers who were relegated to unimportant positions. The three parties wanted to use the resignations to force early elections or to change the status quo in Gottwald’s government and the National Front where the Communists were forced to be more cooperative. Instead of this, however, new bodies of power arose: the Action Committees of the National Front; by 25 February these had usurped command of the country. President Edvard Beneš resisted the increasing pressure until 25 February 1948. At that point he gave in to the Communists’ demands and accepted the new government set up by Klement Gottwald.