Why czechoslovakia divided

However, to mark the centenary, the country instead decided to implement a one-off public holiday on October 30 this year. Pingback: Czech Republic vs. Czechia: A linguistic riddle — Kafkadesk. Pingback: Czech Republic to celebrate th anniversary of its flag — Kafkadesk.

Pingback: What is the history of ice hockey in the Czech Republic? My grandmother emigrated from Bohemia before it was part of Czechoslovakia. We always said we were Bohemian not Czech. In my neighborhood we were mostly descendants of various Eastern European countries, so this was a matter of pride.

Good background info. Czechoslovakia continued to exist until January 1, , when it split peacefully into two nations of Slovakia and the Czech Republic now Czechia. Over the years, the official name of the nation has changed.

These names have included the Republic of Czechoslovakia , Czechoslovak Republic — , and others. This first nation was inclusive of the current territories of Bohemia, Slovakia, Carpathian Ruthenia, and Moravia. The nation composed of several ethnicities with the dominant ones being Czechs, Slovaks, Germans, Hungarians, and Rusyns.

From the years to , Nazi Germany occupied Czechoslovakia. Hitler claimed that the invasion was necessary in order to protect the ethnic German populations that were living in Czechoslovakia. In what was widely considered an act of appeasement, the Munich Agreement was signed, which allowed Nazi Germany to annex parts of Czechoslovakia known as the Sudetenland.

There were economic challenges too, particularly in Slovakia, which have been highlighted by those who want Scotland to remain in the UK. As post-communist countries, both Slovakia and the Czech republic introduced painful market reforms to open up their economies. His authoritarian style also resulted in Slovakia's near isolation in Europe until he was replaced in the late s. In , both Slovakia and the Czech republic joined the European Union. By the time of the global financial crisis, Slovakia's economy was growing so fast it had become known as the 'central European tiger'.

It was tamed when the crash came and unemployment remains high but there was no double dip recession and Slovakia is recovering. The Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, agreed that improved relations with Slovakia had been one of the advantages of independence. One disadvantage he identified was a loss of influence in the world. In Slovakia, one former minister said it was better to have gained a voice of their own. In both countries there are those who wonder what might have been if they had found a way to stay together.

For better or for worse, the Velvet Divorce was irreversible and after twenty years of independence there's no clamour for Czechs and Slovaks to get back together. Czech Republic country profile. Timeline: Czechoslovakia. Glenn Campbell on the Velvet Divorce 20 years on.