ID: 2552
Democracy. Today and Tomorrow
BENES, Eduard
Category: History
Place/Publisher/Date:
London, Macmillan & Co Ltd. 1939.
Description:
First edition; 8vo; original boards. Inscribed by the author on half title,"To my dear friend, H. E. Anthony Eden, with sincere thanks and best wishes, Eduard Benes, Nov. 1st 1939." With a number of annotations and highlightings in pencil by Eden.Eduard Benes (1884-1948) served as President of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938 and from 1945 to 1948. During World War II he led the Czech Government in exile from London. His first resignation in 1938 came as a result of the Munich Agreement and the resulting German occupation of Czechoslovakia; his second, in 1948, following the communist coup in Czechoslovakia in 1948. The book was inscribed to Anthony Eden less than a month after the outbreak of World War II. Eden became Foreign Secretary in 1935 and at first supported Chamberlain and his National Government in their efforts to preserve peace through reasonable concessions to Nazi Germany. Eden resigned in February 1938 as a public protest against Chamberlain's policy of coming to friendly terms with Fascist Italy. There was much speculation that Eden would become a rallying point for all the disparate opponents of Chamberlain, but Eden's position declined heavily among politicians since he maintained a low profile and avoided confrontation though he opposed the Munich Agreement and abstained in the vote on it in the House of Commons.
Price £2000.00
