Edvard Beneš (Fall Grün)
From Alternative History
| Edvard Beneš | |
| |
| 2nd President of Czechoslovakia | |
| Term of Office: | December 18, 1935 - March 15, 1939 |
| Predecessor: | Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk |
| Successor: | ČSR annexed by Nazi Germany and Hungary |
| 4th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia | |
| Term of Office: | September 21, 1921 - October 7, 1922 |
| Predecessor: | Jan Černý |
| Successor: | Antonín Švehla |
| Biography | |
| Date of birth: | May 28, 1884 |
| Place of birth: |  Kožlany, Austria-Hungary
|
| Political Party: | Czechoslovak National Socialist Party |
| Spouse: | Hana Benešová |
Edvard Beneš (born on May 28, 1884 Kožlany, Bohemia (then part of Austria-Hungary) was a leader of the Czechoslovak independence movement and the second President of Czechoslovakia.
He is famous for not abiding with the Munich Agreement, which forced Czechoslovakia to cede the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany, triggering the German invasion of Czechoslovakia on October 1. Supported by the Czechoslovak population and the army, he resisted the German invasion of Czechoslovakia and led the defence of his country efficiently, though futile, until he was forced to flee to Romania through Poland.
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[edit] Youth
He was born into a peasant family in a small village of Kožlany near Rakovník, ca. 60 km west of Prague. He spent much of his youth in Vinohrady district of Prague, where he attended a grammar school from 1896 to 1904. After studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Charles University in Prague, he left for Paris and continued his studies at the Sorbonne and at the Independent School of Political and Social Studies (École Libre des Sciences Politiques). He completed his first degree in Dijon, where he received his Doctorate of Laws in 1908. Then he taught for three years at the Prague Academy of Commerce, and after his habilitation in the field of philosophy in 1912, he became a lecturer in sociology at Charles University. He was involved in Scouting.
[edit] Exile
During World War I he was one of the leading organizers of an independent Czechoslovakia abroad. He organized a Czech pro-independence anti-Austrian secret resistance movement called "Maffia". In September, 1915, he went into exile where in Paris he made intricate diplomatic efforts to gain recognition from France and the United Kingdom for the Czechoslovak independence movement, as he was from 1916–1918 a Secretary of the Czechoslovak National Council in Paris and Minister of the Interior and of Foreign Affairs within the Provisional Czechoslovak government.
On October 28 1918, Czechoslovakia officially proclaimed their independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. On November 3, Austria-Hungary capitulated to the Entente, marking the end of the Habsburg monarchy.
[edit] Czechoslovakia
From 1918–1935, he was first and the longest serving Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia, and from 1920–1925 and 1929–1935 a member of the Parliament. He represented Czechoslovakia in talks of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1921 he was a professor and also from 1921–1922 Prime Minister. Between 1923–1927 he was a member of the League of Nations Council (serving as president of its committee from 1927–1928). He was a renowned and influential figure at international conferences, such as Genoa 1922, Locarno 1925, The Hague 1930, and Lausanne in 1932.
He was a member of the Czechoslovak National Socialist Party (until 1925 called Czechoslovak Socialist Party) and a strong Czechoslovakist, as he did not consider Slovaks and Czechs to be separate ethnicities.
In 1935 he succeeded Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk to become President. On December 14, 1935, he was elected as President, and he was sworn in to the office on December 18.
[edit] Sudeten Crisis
On March 12, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria with the Anschluss. It was widely expected that Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland, with its substantial German population led by the Nazi politician Konrad Henlein, would be Hitler's next demand. Indeed, as Hitler increasingly gave inflammatory speeches demanding for the German minority in Czechoslovakia to be reunited with their homeland, war seemed more and more likely. Many thought war was inevitable and that a peace agreement that would satisfy everyone would be impossible to attain.
On March 28, Sudeten German leader Konrad Henlein offered the Sudeten German Party (SdP) as the agent for Hitler's campaign. Henlein met with Hitler in Berlin, where he was instructed to raise demands unacceptable to the Czechoslovak government led by president Edvard Beneš. On April 24 The SdP issued the Carlsbad Decrees, demanding autonomy for the Sudentenland and the freedom to profess Nazi ideology. If Henlein's demands were granted, the Sudetenland would then be able to align itself with Nazi Germany.
As the previous appeasement of Hitler had shown, the governments of both France and the United Kingdom were set on avoiding war. The French government especially did not wish to face Germany alone, so took its lead from the British government and it’s Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain believed that Sudeten German grievances were just and that Hitler's intentions were limited. Both Britain and France, therefore, advised Czechoslovakia to concede to the SdP's demands. Beneš resisted, however, and on May 20 a partial mobilization was initiated in response to rumours of German troop movements. Ten days later, Hitler signed a secret directive for war against Czechoslovakia to begin no later than October 1.
On September 2, Beneš submitted the Fourth Plan, granting nearly all the demands of the Carlsbad Decrees. However, this wasn't enough for the Sudeten Germans, and with intent on obstructing conciliation, the SdP held demonstrations on September 7, that provoked police action in Ostrava. Five days later, Adolf Hitler says the Sudeten problem is an internal matter to the German minority in Bohemia and the Czechoslovak government. On September 13 the Sudeten Germans broke off negotiations, after which violence and disruption ensued. As Czechoslovak troops attempted to restore order, Henlein fled to Germany. Two days later, Heinlein issued a proclamation demanding the takeover of the Sudetenland by Germany.
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with Adolf Hitler in the Berghof in Germany. Hitler meet with Chamberlain at Berchtesgaden and demands the swift takeover of the Sudetenland by the Germany under threat of war. The Czechs, Hitler claims, is slaughtering the Sudeten Germans. Chamberlain agrees to Hitler's demand to annex the Sudetenland.
On the same day, Hitler met with Chamberlain at Berchtesgaden and demanded the swift takeover of the Sudetenland by the Third Reich under threat of war. The Czechs, Hitler claimed, were slaughtering the Sudeten Germans. Chamberlain referred the demand to the British and French governments; both accepted.
The Czech government refused to accept the proposal to give up the Sudetenland, arguing that Hitler's proposal would ruin the nation's economy and lead ultimately to German control of all of Czechoslovakia. The next day, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain replied to Beneš saying that the British-French proposal is the only way to avoid war, and that the Czech reply places full responsibility for war on the Czechs, and that Britain would not fight for Czechoslovakia. The Czech government decides to capitulate.
However, the Czechoslovak capitulation precipitates an outburst of national indignation. In demonstrations and rallies, Czechs and Slovaks calls for a strong military government to defend the integrity of the state. On September 23, Prime Minister Milan Hodža and his cabinet resigned. A new cabinet, under General Jan Syrový, is installed. A decree of general mobilization is issued
To achieve a solution, Italian prime minister Benito Mussolini suggested a conference of the major powers in Munich and on September 29, Hitler, Daladier and Chamberlain met and agreed to Mussolini's proposal (actually prepared by Hermann Göring) and signed the Munich Agreement accepting the immediate occupation of the Sudetenland. At about 1:30 AM on September 30, Adolf Hitler, Neville Chamberlain, Benito Mussolini and Édouard Daladier signed the Munich Agreement.
In further demonstrations and rallies, Czechs and Slovaks called for president Beneš not to abide by the agreement. After further pressure from both the cabinet under General Syrový and the Czechoslovak population, Beneš declared that they will not abide by the agreement.
[edit] Invasion of Czechoslovakia
On October 1, Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, and cities such as Prague and Brno were attacked by Luftwaffe bombers. In a radio speech, Beneš said: "We refused to abide by the dictate made in Munich, and because of this, German troops have crossed our frontiers. We are now at a state of war with Germany. Our ally, France, has betrayed us. We are alone. But we will not give up our motherland to the fascists without a fight! Your country needs you! Take up your arms and fight the German invaders! We will never surrender!"
His leadership during the conflict, together with that of Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, General Jan Syrový, was supported by the Czechoslovak population and the military leadership. Because of his refusal to give in to the German demands at Munich, he managed to assemble the Czechoslovak population of Ruthenes, Slovaks and Czechs, despite their differences, to fight the German and later the Hungarian invaders. However, the invaders were in supperiour numbers, and despite the effort of the Czechoslovak army, the Germans had reached the outskirts of Prague on March 12.
Despite urges from the government to evacuate as early as possible, Beneš refused to leave his people until he was in a danger of being taken captive or killed, and on March 13, he left for Romania via Poland on March 13.
In the early hours of March 15 the Czechoslovak troops defending Prague, wishing not letting their beautiful capitol get terror bombed by the Luftwaffe, capitulated. A few hours later German troops marched through the streets of Prague, celebrating their victory.
[edit] Later years
Following the annexation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany, he and his family lived first in exile in Romania, and then moved to London.
| Predecessor: | Edvard Beneš (Fall Grün) | Successor: |
|---|---|---|
| Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk | Edvard Beneš President of Czechoslovakia | - |
| Jan Černý |
Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia | Antonín Švehla |
