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School of Slavonic and East European Studies

Benes Collection


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 0369 BEN

Held at: School of Slavonic and East European Studies

Title: Benes Collection

Date(s): c 1938

Level of description: Collection (Fonds)

Extent: 1 envelope

Name of creator(s): Turba | Richard | fl 1938 | author

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

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.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Anonymous typescript biography of Edvard Benes, President of Czechoslovakia entitled Ein Mann für Europa [A Man for Europe]. The text is accompanied by 2 sheets inscribed 'Fahrten und Abenteuer in Zwei Jahrzehnten meines Lebens. Selbstbekenntnisse von Richard Turba' [Journeys and Adventures in Two Decades of my Life. Self-confession of Richard Turba]. It is not clear whether Turba is the author of the biography.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: German

System of arrangement:

Single item

Conditions governing access:

Unrestricted access. Researchers wishing to consult the archives or seeking further information should contact UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies Library, 16 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Librarian.

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids:

Online catalogue available on the UCL Archives website.

Detailed catalogue

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Accruals:

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Not known

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of originals:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/libraries-and-study-spaces/ucl-school-slavonic-and-east-european-studies-library

Related material:

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Archivist's note: Revised by Alan Kucia as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project.

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description ISAD(G), 2nd edition 2000 and National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: Revised Feb 2002


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
Biographies | Prose | Literary forms and genres | Literature

Personal names
Benes | Edouard | 1884-1948 | Czechoslovak statesman
Turba | Richard | fl 1938 | author

Corporate names

Places
Czechoslovakia | Eastern Europe
Europe