The Red Tide Rises in Prague

Here is a section of the crowd that gathered to listen to Czech communist Premier Klement Gottwald fire the opening gun of his campaign to lower the Iron Curtain on Czechoslovakia on Saturday morning, February 21. The anti-communist members of the government had just resigned. But their resignation was not accepted by President Eduard Benes. Gottwald, backed by trade unions, demanded a new government and asked for the people’s confidence. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)