Czechoslovak government-in-exile

The Czechoslovak government-in-exile was a group of leaders who stood for Czechoslovakia while their country was taken over by Nazi Germany during World War II. It began in October 1939 in Paris, France, when the former Czechoslovak President, Edvard Beneš, started a committee to keep the government going from outside the country. Because France was later taken over by Germany, the group moved to London in 1940, where they set up their offices.

This government was recognized by Allied governments during the Second World War like Britain. They worked to reverse the Munich Agreement and Germany’s control of Czechoslovakia. The group wanted to restore the Republic to its 1937 borders and was viewed by supporting countries as the real legal government of Czechoslovakia during the war. Their main office in London was in a building called Fursecroft in Marylebone.

From committee to government

After the end of the First Czechoslovak Republic, Edvard Beneš resigned as president and went to London. Later, he taught at the University of Chicago. There, people asked him to go back to Europe to start a government-in-exile. He went to Paris in July 1939 with some of his old team.

When World War II started, this group was called the Czech National Liberation Committee. They wanted to be recognized as the government of Czechoslovakia in exile. Beneš called himself president, and Jan Šrámek became prime minister. By late 1939, France and Britain let the committee sign international agreements, but they did not yet treat them as the official government of Czechoslovakia.

France was slow to fully recognize the committee. But France was the first to sign a treaty with them, letting the Czechoslovak army regroup in France. After France fell, Winston Churchill recognized Beneš as the president of a government-in-exile. The United States and the Soviet Union also recognized Beneš's government in 1941. By spring 1942, the success of efforts like Operation Anthropoid helped show that Beneš's government was legitimate. The government's hope for the future depended on the Allies winning the war.

Planning for the future

Beneš hoped to restore Czechoslovakia after the war. He wanted to build strong friendships with nearby countries like Poland and the Soviet Union to protect against future threats. In December 1943, Beneš’s government signed an agreement with the Soviets. Beneš also tried to work with Czechoslovak Communist exiles in the United Kingdom, making some promises to them.

During the war’s final years, Beneš focused on solving issues with the German minority living in Czechoslovakia. With support from the Allies, he planned to move the Sudeten German population after the war. In 1943, the Government-in-Exile began passing laws known as the “Beneš decrees”. The final agreement to move Germans was reached on 2 August 1945 at the Potsdam Conference.

List of presidents of Czechoslovakia

Edvard Beneš was the president of Czechoslovakia from October 1939 to April 2, 1945. He led the country during a hard time when Czechoslovakia could not have its normal government because of World War II.

List of prime ministers of Czechoslovakia

Jan Šrámek was the prime minister from July 21, 1940, to April 5, 1945. He helped lead the government during a hard time for Czechoslovakia.