Eduard Beneš was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the President of Czechoslovakia twice, from 1935 to 1938 and from 1945 to 1948. He was a key figure in the establishment of Czechoslovakia as an independent state after World War I and played a significant role in its foreign policy during the interwar period. Beneš was known for his advocacy of democracy, human rights, and international cooperation. He also played a role in the negotiations leading to the Munich Agreement in 1938, which resulted in the cession of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland to Nazi Germany. After World War II, Beneš returned to power and worked to rebuild Czechoslovakia as a democratic and independent state.