The Allied victory in World War II pressured Moríñigo to liberalize his regime in 1946. Paraguay experienced a brief period of openness as he relaxed restrictions on free speech, allowed political exiles to return, and formed a coalition government with Liberals and "febreristas". Moríñigo's intentions about stepping down were unclear, however, and he maintained a "de facto" alliance with Colorado Party hardliners and their right-wing "Guión Rojo" (Red Banner) paramilitary group led by Juan Natalico Gonzalez, which antagonized and terrorized the opposition. The result was a failed coup d'état in December 1946 and full-scale civil war erupted in March 1947. Led by the exiled dictator Rafael Franco, the revolutionaries were an unlikely coalition of "febreristas", Liberals and Communists, united only in their desire to overthrow Moríñigo.