Turba , Richard , fl 1938 , author

Edvard Benes (1884-1948) became involved in politics after an academic career. He believed that the Czech and Slovak peoples should be free from rule by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the outbreak of World War One, Benes went into exile. In 1915 he became secretary-general of the Czecho-Slovak National Council and along with his mentor Tomas Masaryk and M Stefanik led the Czechoslovak independence movement. After independence was attained in 1918, Benes became foreign minister, a post he held until 1935. He also headed the Czechoslovak delegation to the peace conference of 1919-1920 and was prime minister 1921-1922. In 1935 Benes succeeded Masaryk as president but resigned in 1938 after the Munich agreement and went into exile once more. In London during the Second World War Benes was president in exile 1940-1945 and on his return to Czechoslovakia after the war was re-elected. He favoured Slavic co-operation and friendly relations with both the Soviet Union and the West but in June 1948, shortly after the Communists seized power he refused to give his assent to the new constitution and resigned. A few months later he died.