Czechoslovakia's 'Velvet Divorce'
Two former Prime Ministers describe how they split Czechoslovakia in two in 1993
Witness History · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
30 years ago this month, Czechoslovakia split into the separate states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
It was a rare instance of a state separating without a single life being lost. Thanks to this it became known as the ‘Velvet Divorce’.
Rather than putting it to a vote, the country and its assets were divided behind closed doors by the Czech and Slovak leaders, Václav Klaus and Vladimír Mečiar, who became the Prime Ministers of their newly independent states. Ben Henderson speaks to both of them about their memories from the time.
(Photo: Václav Klaus and Vladimír Mečiar negotiate the split. Credit: Zehl Igor/ČTK)