edvard benes

English - English

Definition of edvard benes in English English dictionary

born May 28, 1884, Kozlany, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary died Sept. 3, 1948, Sezimovo Ústí, Czech. Czechoslovakian statesman. A disciple of Tomá Masaryk, Bene was a founder of modern Czechoslovakia. He served as its first foreign minister (1918-35) and its president (1935-38). Forced to capitulate to Adolf Hitler's demands over the Sudetenland, he resigned. He headed the Czech government-in-exile in England (1940-45), then reestablished a government on his native soil in 1945. Recognizing the need to cooperate with the Soviet Union, he nevertheless refused to sign a new communist constitution and resigned in 1948 shortly before his death

Hyphenation

Ed·vard benes