Edvarda Benes, politician, scientist, diplomat, one of the founders of the Czechoslovak state (1918). For 30 years, he represented its interests, first as permanent Minister of Foreign Affairs (1918–1935), and then as President. Benes is a politician on a European scale. He actively participated in the activities of the League of Nations and was elected its chairman. Having emigrated to the West after Munich, Beneš led the fight to restore the republic within the borders of late 1937. In post-war Czechoslovakia, he helped establish a system he called “socialized democracy.” On Benes's political path there were not only brilliant victories, but also crushing defeats. Disputes about his identity continue to this day. There are no major works dedicated to Benes in Russia. This book is the view of a Russian Czechoslovak historian on a prominent European politician of the first half of the 20th century. Particular attention is paid to Benes' attitude towards Russia and the Soviet Union. The work is based on materials from Russian archives, documents published in Russia (USSR) and the Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia), as well as on Russian and Czech historical literature known to the author.