In 1945, Czechoslovakia was liberated from Nazi occupation by the Soviet Army. Despite the hopes of many Czechs for a return to democracy, the Communists gradually took control of the government in 1948 and the country became a Soviet satellite. Could the fate of Czechoslovakia have been different if the US army had liberated Prague in 1945?
Czech-American historian Igor Lukeš addresses this question in his book “On the Edge of the Cold War: American Diplomats and Spies in Postwar Prague”. He interviewed the CIA station chief in Prague at the time, Spencer Taggart, who said that the US was willing to help the Czechoslovak political leaders, but they were resigned to the fact that the Russians had arrived first.
The Soviet Union used this to their advantage, giving the homegrown Communists political power which they used to its full potential. In the full audio interview, Igor Lukeš explains why Czechoslovakia was not able to follow the path of Austria or Finland, which were able to remain democratic and neutral.