Czechoslovak government-in-exile

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The Czechoslovak government-in-exile (sometimes called officially as: provisional government of Czechoslovakia) was an informal name given to the Czechoslovak National Liberation Committee, first by British diplomatic recognition. The name was used by other World War II Allies as they followed the British in recognizing it. The Committee was originally created by the former Czechoslovak President, Edvard Beneš in Paris, France in October 1939.[1] Unsuccessful negotiations with France for diplomatic status, as well as the impending Nazi occupation of France, forced the Committee to move to London in 1940. From there, it moved to Aston Abbots, Buckinghamshire in 1941, where it sought relative safety from the London Blitz.[2]

It was the true government for Czechoslovakia throughout the Second World War. A specifically anti-Fascist government, it sought to reverse the Munich Agreement and the following German occupation of Czechoslovakia, and to return the Republic to its 1937 boundaries. Due to this it was considered, by those countries that recognized it, the legal continuation of the First Republic of Czechoslovakia.

References[change | change source]

  1. Crampton, R. J. Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century — and after. Routledge. 1997.
  2. "Kenety, Brian. "Unearthing 'The Czech connection in WW II-era Buckinghamshire". Radio Praha. August 5, 2005". Archived from the original on 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2009-03-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)