The Velvet Revolution and Breakup of Czechoslovakia - History Matters (Short Animated Documentary)

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This episode covers the Velvet Revolution of 1989 within Czechoslovakia which saw the peaceful overthrow of the Communist Government there. Afterwards, things weren't all sunshine and roses though and latent Nationalist sentiment reared its head again. Both the Czech and Slovak halves of the nation did little to save the union and so divorce it was.
Recommended reading:
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt. This book is the be-all and end-all for the Cold War in Europe. I recommend it all the time because it deserves to be recommended all the time.

[@HistoryMatters]

Hope you enjoyed this episode. Next week's will be: Tuesday - The Sinking of the Bismarck Friday - The Ukrainian Famine

[@mecha7419]

Maybe do an episode on the Great Depression? “1929, and the global economy is dead”

[@Lolo50000]

Yay! Famine!

[@luket.9113]

The Friday one seems interesting.

[@franciscomm7675]

Do an episode about the second french republic

[@Wolfeson28]

@@mecha7419

[@biscoito1r]

The worst thing to come out of the split is that now everyone confuses Slovakia and Slovenia.

[@Sergiovision]

Not only the names are similar, the flags are similar as well.

[@danielblue4460]

Only non-Germanic, and non-Slavic are confused.

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

And most pepole still say Czechslovakia, instead of Czech Republic and Slovakia

[@arianas0714]

@@jesusramirezromo2037 That's mostly just the older people or people who played a lot of WW2 games, kek

[@vladutcornel]

Not everyone. If you know a little bit of geography and a little bit of history, you know that Slovakia is next to Czechia, and Slovenia is the other one.

[@MrHusker1996]

The dissolution of Czechoslovakia was an outside job, rest of the world was affraid we would dominate them in hockey, so they split our national team in two

[@jozefkucera8402]

MrHusker1996 yeah

[@kerriwilson7732]

We Canadians are tricky, eh? Haha

[@justsomeghostwithinterneta7296]

We aren't scared of you! Greetings from Finland

[@JohnSpike8888]

And instead of one strong opponent, they've got 2 :-D At least for a time. (silently cries for slovak hockey :-( )

[@redexbruh255]

Not gonna lie, czechoslovak team would destroy others.

[@killr1234567]

At least Czechoslovakia did it peacefully, *_YOU HEAR ME YUGOSLAVIA_* !

[@dominikrudolfettrich2556]

Oh boi. Shots (literally) fired.

[@Desmaad]

The ethnic tensions in Yugoslavia were irreconcilable, anyway.

[@killr1234567]

Desmaad it’s Titos fault, he died unexpectedly

[@Desmaad]

@@killr1234567 I think the tensions were there well before that. He was probably the lynchpin holding the whole thing together.

[@bcvetkov8534]

Fucking commie bastards

[@MisterSpinalzo]

Slovakia: We should start seeing other people Czechia: ...yeah

[@josephcro2138]

Civilized separation unlike us in balkans. We had to go cowabunga one last time

[@A_annoying_rodent]

@@josephcro2138 you sound comfident like nothing will ever happen gain *looking at you kosovo, albania and serbia.*

[@josephcro2138]

@@A_annoying_rodent good thing im not from any of those countries

[@festethephule7553]

@@josephcro2138 "Go cowabunga" I love the way you put that omg XD.

[@jakubsmelka3458]

@@josephcro2138 COWABUNGA IT IS!

[@erwin2577]

"Two new nations come to exist without any war" Wait that's illegal!

[@fralencemelograno]

How true!

[@festethephule7553]

Technically, doing via war is illegal, with this being the only legal way (assuming we're going by international law of course). It just so happens that it's not often done legally.

[@hydrus2076]

@@festethephule7553 Its a meme.

[@festethephule7553]

@@hydrus2076 A funny one too. What of it?

[@hydrus2076]

@@festethephule7553 you took it seriously.

[@2manyeggshells]

"oh did you hear our country split up in two?" "meh"

[@2manyeggshells]

@@aakal4508 i know right

[@2manyeggshells]

@@gwagwa8648 5 nanometer

[@hkchan1339]

Poland did that already

[@thatreddude8796]

Neato

[@czfilms2017]

If every country split in two ...

[@davidroman4780]

The Velvet Divorce was so weird. Nobody here actually cared about it, only people who really discussed it were the politicians who decided for the people. So in theory , people didnt vote for the split so it wasnt really legitimate. Today nobody cares as well. Slovaks see Czechs as brothers and Czechs see Slovaks as brothers (except for hockey world championship when we play against each other) . Many people would like to see Czechoslovakia, many people like it the way it is today, but one way or another we care too little to actually formally try to discuss it. Everyone just sort of went along with it. Anyway , still better than Yugoslavia.

[@alanpennie8013]

Has the Czech half come up with a name for itself yet?

[@Toonrick12]

Czechia

[@alanpennie8013]

@@Toonrick12 Thanks. I'd have preferred Czechlands.

[@awildfilingcabinet6239]

Dávid Roman anything is better then Yugoslavia. Anything

[@dimb9]

"only people who really discussed it were the politicians who decided for the people. So in theory , people didnt vote for the split so it wasnt really legitimate" Western democracies: "Ahh so young and idealistic"

[@lancegideondiokno1774]

Breakup of Czechoslovakia in a nutshell Slovakia: I want independence Czechia: ok *splits * Czech Republic: soo we still friends? Slovakia: of course :)

[@suiblade.]

Czech Republic: Ok but we steal everything

[@kedarunzi9139]

@@suiblade. what have we stolen?

[@cozecoze1]

@@kedarunzi9139 everything including hockey :O

[@kedarunzi9139]

@@cozecoze1 oh no, not the hockey!

[@lukas54cz71]

Then Moravia: *ahem*

[@pointly]

American tourist: "Wow! Your country split in two? That must have been rough." Czech: "Meh." Slovak: "Meh."

[@jakubondrus6064]

Actually I (a Slovak) heard a story of another Slovak guy who moved to the US in the 2000's and was asked a few times whether our country was already recovering from the Czech-Slovak civil war

[@No-mn9do]

@@jakubondrus6064 never felt second-hand embarrassment as much as this before, jesus.

[@jakubondrus6064]

@@No-mn9do fair enough lol, I just find it funny

[@joshuahogan3475]

@@jakubondrus6064 Czeck-Slovak Civil War in a nutshell: The only two non-politicians in either nation who really care meet in a bar. One wants to keep the two nations separate. The other wants them united. They get drunk, have a really bad attempt at a fist fight, break a couple glasses, and are carted off by friends while they yell inebriated insults at one another. The end.

[@gamingchickenstudios]

@@jakubondrus6064 The only real "war" happens when Czech Republic a Slovakia go against each other in Hockey :D :D

[@ryanrigley]

A tide of apathy. I love it. That explains why so many were slow to realize that Czechoslovakia had split in two. At the time I didn't realize this split until nearly two years after the fact.

[@ondrejmikulic3698]

The only explanation for slow realisation of the split is that west know shit about east geography

[@beefyblom]

@@ondrejmikulic3698 To be fair it was far less.. dramatic.. a split than that of the USSR or Yugoslavia.

[@ondrejmikulic3698]

@@beefyblom I never said it was dramatic

[@drrtfm]

Canada's role model! Except we are so apathetic we can't even get around to breaking up even though it would be better for us ....

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

I mean, I only knew about it untill recently Hell, i'll at times accidentally forgget Slovakia exists

[@milankolesik7037]

As someone from Slovakia, I would also add some information about short, but incredibly stupid ,,Dash War" that went on shortly after the Velvet Revolution. Czechs and Slovaks, always struggling to find a middle ground, went on in a series of political debates whether they should call their country Czechoslovakia (as it is was under Commies) or Czecho-Slovakia. The dash in between was ,,incredibly important" and the whole thing became a public issue for some time (especially at Slovakia). In April 1990 the polititians finally reached a compromise: the official name for the country was ,,Czech and Slovak Federative Republic" with the adjectives of ,,czechoslovakian" (in Czech language) and ,,czecho-slovakian" (in Slovak language). As you can see, nineties were a pretty big mess here at Slovakia: struggling for the freedom (november 1989), struggling for the national identity and its representation (1990 - 1993) and finally struggling with economy (sudden rise, sudden fall) and political manipulation under Mečiar's time in the seat of Slovak prime minister (1993 - 1998). :) BTW A lot of Slovak people nowadays cannot stand Mečiar's name and they view him as an embodyment of narcisstic ambitions, political machinations and nepotism. It got so bad that media from the West once called Mečiar ,,Lukashenko on the Danube".

[@alanpennie8013]

Ouch! That must have upset Meciar.

[@milankolesik7037]

@@alanpennie8013 Not really, during his prime, he was well-known for his thick skin (in Slovak language, we call those type of men as ,,people with hippo skin"). BTW, last month, it was announced that Mečiar is planning to return to the Slovak politics with a brand new political party. This month, they are supposed to announce the name of his new party.

[@waszkreslem9306]

@@milankolesik7037 Meciar is like that cockroach. Cant kill him.

[@milankolesik7037]

@@waszkreslem9306 You're sooo right! I mean, Mečiar is already 77 years old, his old party HZDS ceased to exist in 2014 (while being irrelevant since 2010), nobody really wants him back in politics and still.... Everyone was kinda assuming that he will just stay retired, but for some reason, he wants to return...

[@waszkreslem9306]

@@milankolesik7037 That a winers menthality I guess.

[@DarkApostleNoek]

Should we stay together when asking the people this was the results: 1% said yes 2% said no and 97% said whatever.

[@mysak_cz5219]

But there was no referendum politicians who split CS were "ex-communist" politicians (at least Václav Klaus) and fun fact few days before the first free elections after more than 50 years, some home-made bomb exploded in Prague. To this day nobody knows who did it but in my opinion it's clear. Communists should been executed and Communist Party should been banned but they're still in politics oops

[@dehydrateddarkness3565]

@@mysak_cz5219 Nobody has taken care of communists after overthrowing them for some reason. Our (polish) Stalin equivalent was degraded years after his death, but lived peacfully till he died as a general. Maybe the communism never really fell?

[@mysak_cz5219]

@@dehydrateddarkness3565 Communism can't fall until somebody organize to kill them all and it will never happen because we're too tolerant and blind

[@xeanderman6688]

@@mysak_cz5219 you can't kill an idea. You can kill people, but ideas stay. Also, Czech Supreme Court specifically said they won't ban communist party, even after all they've done, people who would want to vote them would be discriminated against, in a democracy. If you want a democracy, you need to accept the fact some people will want radical portions in.

[@macsenplays]

"Do whatever you want, at least the (overt) Communists aren't in charge anymore."

[@zekk3686]

My father still remember the velvet revolution and he always says the first thing what we did was we are going vienna and HOLY SMOKES the supermarkets have glass roof?! XD

[@stevenjlovelace]

There's a famous incident of Boris Yeltsin, not yet the leader of Russia, going to a supermarket in Houston and being overwhelmed with the selection. He thought it was a fake Potemkin Village style setup, so they took him to another store down the street, and that's when he realized that Communism was doomed.

[@312squadron]

Yes this is what all we did. Visiting Vienna was like visit to shopping paradise you knew things they sold there only from Tuzex (which was a special Czech shopping chain that sold good from the west). Tuzex was officially sanctioned by Communist party few places in the country where you can buy western goods...it had own currency “Bony” you have to exchange it and only two ways to acquire it was get approval from Communist party or you can buy in black market from so called “Veklasks” that basically was mafia controlled markets exchanging Bony for Czech currency and getting very rich indeed ....and because they were connected to Communist party that they supplied with Western goods they became very influential because even Communists love Western cars, Coca Cola, Milka chocolates, Martini, Sony TV....etc :)

[@Jfk2Mr]

@@312squadron I think it would be common theme for many satellite states of USSR - this description would fit my country very well if I swap Tuzex with Pewex (there was also Baltona, although it was available only for sailors) and Veklasks with cinkciarz

[@szymongorczynski7621]

@@Jfk2Mr In Poland luxury goods were traded in Dollars.

[@Jfk2Mr]

@@szymongorczynski7621 yet there were sudo-dollars, in form of bons

[@korakys]

Be sure to read the Slovak constitution at 3:16, it is hilarious.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

ROFL! 🤣 😂 😅

[@lexus8018]

The third paragraph in the summary: *TRIGGERED*

[@TheCimbrianBull]

@@lexus8018 *paprika intensifies*

[@zetorrec]

lmao

[@MrRinoHunter]

"Hungarians living here should stop moaning" 😆😆😆😆😆😆

[@NerdX151]

Slovaks are some of the most "meh" people I have ever met. I had the pleasure of being in a student group with 3 slovaks. Upon asking them what they considered to be the most interesting thing about Bratislava, two of them replied "It is only 1 hour away from Vienna". God bless you wonderful Martiner-drinking people...

[@jancimegapower2528]

All three of them were so called "easterlings".

[@jancimegapower2528]

@King Victor Emanuele uneducated dumbass.

[@amf1435]

Well Vienna is fucking baller though. Prague resident here

[@low-key5512]

Whoa, that's literally the thing I say as well when someone asks me :O Seem's it's quite a popular opinion then lmao

[@adamkrajci7628]

Jakub Gajdoš Exactly!

[@isaac_aren]

Imagine the American civil war but both sides are just like "meh" and there's now 2 American nations

[@attiepollard7847]

Yeah right Abraham Lincoln was not going to let that go down no matter what.

[@RiftZM]

It's funny, because the Democratic southern states wanted slavery to continue and expand into new states. They refused to give up slavery and thought the black man didn't deserve rights or equality. Today, the Democrats want the government to pay reparations to ancestors of former slaves. The political party that started an entire war over slavery, tearing a nation in half in a war that literally had brother killing brother, wants the government to pay out money. Lol.

[@icecoldpolitics8890]

@@RiftZMYou're forgetting the fact that both Democrat and Republican fought the south and that Abraham Lincoln himself didn't actually wanna end slavery in the south until after the tried to leave.

[@RiftZM]

@@icecoldpolitics8890 No, I certainly didn't forget that. I also wouldn't really say both Democrat and Republican fought the south, since the majority of people who joined (or were pressed into service), it had nothing to do with slavery. The Republicans are the ones who wanted to abolish slavery, while the Democrats didn't want to. You can try and spin it however you want, bud... The Democrats started a civil war because they didn't want to end slavery. Now, that same party is trying to push through legislation to give reparations to ancestors of slaves. *Democrats, before Civil War:*_"They're sub-human and need to work my fields while I whip them and rape their women!"_ Almost 200 years later... *Democrats, today:* _"What happened to them was wrong, and we need to give them money!"_

[@mir4924]

@@RiftZM Yeah, the Confederacy seceded peacefully, it was Lincoln who ordered an illegal invasion of a sovereign nation. Also, it wasn't about slavery. Even Lincoln himself said that he didn't care about slavery. I hold disdain towards both Republicans and Democrats, but if Democrats want to give reparations to blacks then doesn't that mean that they show regret for what had happened?

[@arieees39]

As a Czech myself I must say this video is pretty well made (as other videos on the channel as well)

[@01mhtv]

Pretty much yeah Pepíku

[@itaybron]

you guys wanna stay? meh you guys wanna split? meh well i'm not going through the list again, split it is!

[@hfar_in_the_sky]

The great "Meh" that changed the course of a nation.

[@tomato_6681]

Meh

[@michalhruska3100]

Slovaks: We dissolved the federation, so we should now make new flags and symbols, right? Czechs: Yeah we'll have to opt out on that one

[@PhilWood82]

Czechoslovakia: We got rid of communism. Slovakia: I'm about to ruin this guy's career.

[@HydraulicMan1]

Czechoslovakia: We got rid of communism. Slovak nationalism:*insert the sneaky tom meme*

[@bewmotionsk627]

Czechoslovakia: we got rid of communism Fascist slovakia: I'm about to end this man's whole career!

[@Zestyclose-Big3127]

We're more interested in our new -colony in America- president. Same as the old one.

[@vlachy]

Well we didn't want to have a "Polish" flag and you were crafty enough to make a new one, so sorry for that :D

[@harleybuffington7493]

You should do the opposite of the Velvet Revolution. The Romanian Revolution

[@vexxcon8125]

I would love to see it

[@_o..o_1871]

Harley Buffington Yes!!

[@gabisuciu6785]

I just realised that the opposite of Velvet Revolution is Romanian Revolution

[@gabisuciu6785]

@Gaming User Everyone does Yugoslavia. Few do Romania which is the only bloody revolution during the 1989 Revolutions

[@Bayard1503]

@@gabisuciu6785 They could try but nobody really knows what happened here. Probably it was a coup d'etat staged by the Soviets disguised as huge protests. The thing is the protests got out of hand and it was turning into a real revolution which threatened to wipe out the entire communist elite. So their solution was to gun down thousands of people, simulate an "outside threat", to keep everyone at home. So not the old regime was doing the killing but the new guys.... Basically the coup d'etat defeated the revolution.

[@makeromaniagreatagain9697]

I think Czechoslovakia was the only country in Eastern Europe that had a surplus in food. My Czech friend told me that, during the communist rule in Eastern Europe, his father would take as much food as he could and travel from Czechoslovakia to Romania and trade the food for clocks and watches Edited for corrections of gramarr errors

[@MisoElEven]

Ehmm.. Do you know that Czechoslovakia was and are central Europe? :D

[@pavelkucera4283]

@@MisoElEven I think he meant Eastern block.

[@arawn1061]

@@todd7309 Kim Kardashianism

[@user-bz1od4yc5r]

@@arawn1061 now *that* is worse than communism

[@makeromaniagreatagain9697]

@@todd7309 communism is an ideology in which everybody is equal. The land isn't owned by anybody and there are no classes, only the workers class. The workers work.together for the good of the group and distribute everything equally. This is the main idea, but there are different forms of communism

[@Dagreatdudeman]

The most "meh" thing to happen in the 20th century.

[@kelseiilive6115]

Yugoslavia was a b r u h moment

[@bes5164]

well, since it is the only example when two countries got separated without any spill of blood, it is pretty interesting and not "meh" ;)

[@hoticeparty]

@@deleteduser4222 your country is a "meh" country sorry bud

[@Felix-dg9rt]

@@deleteduser4222 how could Yugoslavia be your country if it doesn't exist?

[@mayooo1516]

@@Felix-dg9rt Bruh he's either talking about Czech or Slovakia

[@crookedshades8194]

Speaking of peaceful dissolution of unions, the dissolution of the Swedish-Norwegian union in 1905 would be an interesting topic to cover.

[@alanpennie8013]

Nineteenth Century Norway. The history nobody knows

[@gufosufo337]

@@alanpennie8013 and good riddance. We just sat about for a century until the great powers told sweden to fuck off because they didnt want a war in the north

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I think in Sweden it is still forbidden to call Norway a country. It is allowed, however, to indicate "Norway" as a geographical name, like West-Sweden.

[@gufosufo337]

@@ronaldderooij1774 This is bordering on heresy good sir, you better watch your mouth

[@dylanroemmele906]

took like 2 years lol

[@gerdforster883]

If I remember correctly, my family's friends in Brno were very unapathetic about the split. They hated it with a passion. Over night, one half of their relatives lived in a different country. True, the split was very peaceful and the new border stayed open, so they could still visit easily, but they hated it none the less.

[@AdmiralBonetoPick]

Czechoslovakia used to include a third bit: Ruthenia (just east of the Slovakia section). It declared independence from Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939, only to be invaded by Hungary that same day and completely annexed by 18 March 1939. After Hungary was defeated in WW2, the USSR took Ruthenia for itself and it became part of the Ukraine.

[@solsunman383]

If I recall, it was a country of four parts: Bohemia and Moravia in the West, and Slovakia and Ruthenia in the East

[@theiaoftheheavens]

I always expect someone to die whenever the video starts 😂

[@stanislausklim7794]

1989 and Czechoslovakia...is dead

[@stanislausklim7794]

Same

[@Didntwanttomakeauser]

Thump

[@vojtechnitra9125]

yeah, "sorry" it was the VELVET revolution ...

[@hoodclassicsofcalifornia]

10 min history ;)

[@CSGhostAnimation]

Last sentence killed me.😂 Usual Separatists: We will fight for our independence. I am willing to die for it. Czech separatists: Meh

[@kadennelms8419]

Czech separatists: I’d be okay if you stayed or left Slovak separatists: okay, I don’t care either. Both: Let’s Negotiate Later Both: ya we’ll be back tomorrow for more negotiations. Tomorrow Neither shows up

[@thenicolascage4355]

CS Ghost Animation: The song „Buraky“ by the band Alkehol says it all. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@erikjs]

One interesting side note from the splitting up: one half had the printing presses for currency and the other half had the mint for making coins. So for awhile, one side made the other’s paper money, while the other side made the coins for both countries.

[@navilluscire2567]

That's got be one of the most awkward situations in history on a national level and it's hilarious to picture! XD

[@KaiserFrazer67]

​@@navilluscire2567 Or one of the most cooperative.

[@kinyodas]

"Your mother" - History even the juvenile in us can relate to.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

ROFL! 🤣 😂 😅

[@MichalBrat]

I believe our relations (Czechs and Slovaks) are the best they have ever been because we are unable to blame the other side for any shit happening and we just visit each other to appreciate the beer and the mountains :-)

[@tomvesely4008]

Yeah, I think things could have gone a bit bitter had we not split.

[@husker9263]

@@tomvesely4008 meh

[@KaiserFrazer67]

Well, I look at it this way: Instead of being married, they are "friends with benefits" 😁

[@iam.damian]

Exactly, nowadays it is Brussels to blame, not Prague 😂😂

[@Mikino1976]

I was an English teacher in Prague from 1992-93, and was in downtown Prague on New year's Eve when the country officially broke up. The video is correct. The only violence was a few champagne bottles smashed on the ground. The Czech attitude was that the breakup was just political nonsense. They often told me that they had relatives in Slovakia and had no animosity. However, they said that the Slovak side was in debt to the Czech side, and they still had to pay that off. It was a fascinating time. Wish I could go back and visit.

[@KristinaTurnerAquarius]

No. That is a world record cover up of what my family did to me.

[@docthorium1562]

0:22 So the Czechs and Slovaks mostly watched documentaries about the Opium Wars on their televisions?

[@MichalBrat]

Yes, what else was here to do?

[@jakubondrus6064]

@@MichalBrat play ice hockey and football, of course

[@degenerate3288]

Are you still gonna make 10 minute videos I thought they were pretty good

[@JonatasAdoM]

I'm starting to like this format. He's uploading more often, talking about different topics and the videos are just half as short now.

[@nice_toes_xx]

The only reason I don’t like the format is because he stopped doing the history of England series 😢

[@Ruminations09]

@@nice_toes_xx He stopped the History of England series LONG before he switched the format.

[@sokonek1]

I get a feeling he had a lot of these topics built up that couldn’t make a 10 min video that he gets to roll out know, maybe once he gets through these he will get back to longer videos

[@Imnotsmg4bob]

Czechoslovakia: **has a peaceful breakup** Meanwhile Yugoslavia: **SCREAMS IN ETHNIC TENSIONS**

[@OptimusWombat]

The irony of Mečiar's call for a separate currency is that the Slovaks now use the Euro, whereas the Czechs are still using the Koruna.

[@romangalo3395]

oh man, the dissolution of Czechoslovakia was a really unfortunate event. Majority of both Czechs and Slovaks were in favor of preserving the union, and we would be a stronger nation now if that was the case. Mečiar didnt call for the dissolution of Czechoslovakia becouse of some nationalistic ideology, he simply wanted to plunder Slovakia without anyone interfering. The privatisation of Slovak industries was done extremely shadily, and led to Mečiar and his friends to split the ownership of the state owned businesses among themselves, which they often sold out for a fraction of their real value. Tunneling schemes were also really common during this time. This led to many factories closing down, and as a result, massive un-employment and economic downturn, which can still be felt in Slovakia to this day.

[@Fjertil]

And not much better with Klaus on the Czech side, who simply couldn't stand out sharing the power with someone else due to his narcissism.

[@jakubondrus6064]

You're technically right but it's funny to hear all the Slovaks and Czechs complain about the dissolution, like y'all opposed the dissolution but kept voting for the parties that effectively pushed for the dissolution, how does it make sense for the voters

[@slouberiee]

I don't feel any regret. We Czechs are still really good friends with Slovaks, there's no need to trap someone in a relationship if they want out. The ones (older generation) who wish we still were one state are just nostalgic, that's all. I don't have any inferiour complex of living in "just" a 10 mil. country.

[@chanterelle483]

Klaus didn't do privatisation in Czechia very well, either. But at least he didn't personally profit from that mess? Frick Klaus anyway.

[@louisliu5638]

so basically these guys were way ahead of the "oligarchs" that plundered and continue to plunder Russia and build their 500 million dollar yachts with Brit laywers, Dutch and German buidlers, and New York banks...oh, oops. wait. that isn't ending well. Meclar still around?? got a boat??

[@shindari]

The Czech breakup is so consumed with apathy, one almost wishes all revolutions went this agreeably. This totally explains why, as a teenager, I woke up one morning, looked at a map, and said: "Wait a minute. The map guy made a mistake."

[@sarcasmal5744]

'I TRIED' I'm dying. Keep these up, they're hilarious.

[@DavidJGillCA]

I've wondered at the lack of national idealism of Czechs and the rather mild dismay or regret they express about the Velvet Divorce as a deal done by just two politicians who found it more convenient to separate their nations and thereby avoid the messy process of negotiation and compromise. This relative apathy stands in bold contrast to the fervent campaign Czechs and Slovaks waged to break free of Austria-Hungary and form a union. Today there is none of the vision, idealism or considerable success of the First Republic and Tomas Masaryk expressed. I can only imagine that the trauma of the Sudeten Crisis the Munich Agreement, the Protectorate, the Nazi puppet state of Slovakia, the 1948 coup, the shocking death of Jan Masaryk, Soviet domination and 1968 has got to wear a nation down. I don't think a person would have to live thru all those events to burdened by it all. And, as I understand it, during the Communist years the history of the First Republic and the person of Tomas Masaryk (an avowed opponent of Socialism) was largely suppressed. As this video suggests Vaclav Havel's opposition to the Velvet divorce was ignored. He, of course, was the inheritor of the idealism of the First Republic. His father was an enthusiastic admirer of President Masaryk it seems and he likely understood his country's identity very differently than most.

[@antonlencses8622]

One thing that I can add to this is that Czechoslovakia was in a lot of ways formed out of necessity. If you look at nationalism movements in second half of 19. century, union of czechs and slovaks was considered as a mostly a pragmatic necessity rather then some feeling of Czechoslovak nationalism. Also It was much easier to persuade US to back creation of one medium size nation then two small ones.

[@DavidJGillCA]

​@@antonlencses8622 True. But the partnership between Czech's and Slovaks seems to have been sincere and purposeful. We know that national self-determination as means of rebuilding Europe after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire was an impossible ideal. Every territory had a mixture of nationalities and overlapping claims of historical rights. The Czechs and Slovaks presented an admirable compromise solution. History of the First Republic suggests that the other national minorities within the nation (Germans, Hungarians, Poles) were also partners with full rights even if their status was reduced relative to their status under Austro-Hungarian rule. (In the USA Czech and Slovak expatriates came together to support the creation of the new nation as early as 1915 with the Cleveland Agreement followed by the Pittsburgh Agreement in 1918.)

[@declannewton2556]

Czechoslovakia was always a country headed towards dissolution from it's inception in 1918. The fervor to create Czechoslovakia was generally relegated to upper class intellectuals and Masaryk only rather than a broadly popular movement. Masaryk only succeeded on the insistence of Woodrow Wilson to create Czechoslovakia. While Czechs and Slovaks are very similar, they are fundamentally different nations; they were not as close as the South Slavs are in 1918 and they only diverged with time. If left to their own post-WW1, individual Czech and Slovak nations. It was telling by 1938 that Czechoslovakia was on the brink of collpase and the First Republic had fallen. Dissolution would have come later if the Velvet divorce hadn't occured.

[@slouberiee]

Or maybe, Czechs just acknowkedged Slovaks need of having their own state. I'm Czech and do not feel any regret of letting Slovakia go... We are still very good friends. There's no need to trap someone in a relationship against their own will.

[@Jackissimus]

@@DavidJGillCA I admire the amount of knowledge you have about our countries' history. Honestly it is true what Anton says, that the Czechoslovak country was formed mostly out of necessity. It was a necessary, but quite natural, decision to join efforts together to create a state independent from Austria-Hungary. The independence movement has been strong for hundreds of years, especially in Czechia, which had been formerly free Bohemia, after that living under Austrian/Habsburg rule for 400 years. It had to deal with military losses in the beginning, then forced recatholization and slow germanization. The Hussite movement was the first reformation movement in Europe BTW, and it was violently crushed. Then the Czech National Revival happened in the 19th century, and Czech intellectuals naturally joined with the Slovaks to push for freedom together. However, when Slovaks themselves showed a desire to be an independent nation, Czechs didn't want to hold them in the union by force, like they were made to stay in Austra-Hungary.

[@thomasturner6980]

As a result of this we now awkwardly call one part of it the "Czech Republic"

[@Knux173]

Thomas Turner They want to be called Czechia now afaik

[@dominikrudolfettrich2556]

It's Czechia, And/or beerland. Depending on the situation.

[@davidlegrice4207]

@@Knux173 but Czechia sounds even stupider.

[@frederickthegreat1352]

They should have returned to Bohemia for the english name tbh, sounds a lot better than Czechia.

[@michalhruska3100]

@@frederickthegreat1352 Nobody here would ever permit that, Moravians and Silesians would whine eternally. Bohemia is only the western constituent part, the whole was 'The States of Bohemian crown' in medieval times. Hence the english name for kingdom tier only.

[@Bagster321]

The most mutual breakup in history.

[@amauritaniannomad6533]

Were together as brother nations and separated as brother nations. No wars were needed, no killings, and no hard feelings. That's one unique break up and everyone needs to learn from it.

[@TheValkosuklaa]

Checkoslovakia: We belive its our common interest to seperate our ways without any commotion. Yugoslavia: GO CRAZY AAAAAA GO STUPID AAAAAA

[@nikolapetricevic2662]

I have to agree with you,unfortunatelly. I am from ex-Yugoslavia. Stupid people make wars,civilized people split peacefully. My ex-country was beautiful,that whole area still is,but people are another story. Clever minds run away from there even nowadays.

[@christian_aspen]

“Which came about on a tide of apathy” is such a great line

[@uroboroh]

Czechoslovakia had a nice ring to its name. It was so cool te be able to say "I am a Czechoslovak"... the new names are more forgettable and confusing for the people from outside Europe: Slovakia? You mean Slovenia? Czechia? You mean Chechnya?

[@SanjayFGeorge]

True that

[@rathersane]

Now Czechomoravia-That would’ve had a good ring to it!

[@jackward_daladier]

@@rathersane bohemoslovakia

[@Decosta42]

@@rathersane Nope. Just nope.

[@im_sorry_i_forgot_my_username]

Honestly, I think part of why this split went through so smoothly is that almost no citizen of Czechoslovakia would've identified themselves with the nationality of "Czechoslovak". It was not a nationality at all, really. Everyone was either Czech or Slovak. Czechoslovak wasn't an ethnicity, it was just a term used in reference to the country that you lived in. The nation that you identified with was always one of the two.

[@vojtechnitra9125]

I am Czech and I very actively studied history, including interviewing some actors of the time. Let me just say - Basically, you are not wrong and you did a fine job with the vid. You got some details interpreted in one specific way but for a short summary, it was within limits ...

[@jorinton]

Agreed.

[@kelseiilive6115]

What things were interpreted in one way?

[@babajaga2306]

Názor "odborníka" vždycky musí bejt, že? :D

[@GuyInBlackClothes]

My mother's side of the family was from Czechoslovakia and especially my Grandmother, are proud to be either Czech or Slovak. Being that other family members were spread out in Czechoslovakia before the split. Myself included, is proud to be Czech but when playing a game like War Thunder, I put the Czechoslovakian flag and the Italian flag on my vehicles. (My father's side was all from Italy). Despite what the Czechs and Slovaks went through, I support both because of the crap the country went through in WW2. Germany and Russia both controlled the country at one point.

[@stevenwills4660]

hey a new vid guess i'll have to czech it out!

[@TheCimbrianBull]

*ba dum tss!* 🥁 😂 🤣 😅

[@yeboxxxchannel2505]

Bad joke, but can do.

[@Domanator179]

I love your content, keep up the good work, my love for history keeps going thanks to channels like yours.

[@pauladambarral5039]

Czechslovakia: we should watch ten minute history Government: go on

[@GerardPerry]

"Hungarians living here should stop moaning." lol.

[@ryanbradley3293]

It always makes me sad when I remember that Czechoslovakia broke up because Czechoslovakia is, in my opinion, one of the most awesome names for a country in the world

[@shashu8205]

From the visual presentation of the maps/timeperiods/people to the simple fantastically conveyed history. Great work. Great channel. Keep it up for the betterment of the understanding of history. ❤

[@radspeed113]

Super glad you made this. Really underrated and overlooked in history

[@spartandud3]

Most country brake ups: Nation 1: We're sick of you oppressing us and we're out of here! Nation 2: OVER MY DEAD BODY! Nation 1: That's the idea! Czechoslovakia break up: Slovaks: Hey we're leaving this party. Czechs: Sure. Still on for lunch tomorrow? Slovaks: I'll see you then.

[@Skawagon]

Basically the reason we spit was beacuse Mečiar wanted to create his own Lukasenko style dictatorship (Before it was cool) and Klaus didnt want to deal with him that much anyway.

[@Death6man]

The "I tried" moment on the flower field was... Ah! Beautiful

[@MahsaKaerra]

"Tide of apathy" Very good.

[@Asidders]

The animation of "tide of apathy". Brilliant, I shall never forget it.

[@johnnyCahuenga]

"OH MY GOD YOU GUYS OUR COUNTRY IS SPLITTING APART AT THE SEAMS!!!!!" Czechoslovakians: meh

[@christophers_verified]

I was in Prague and Olomouc to study the Velvet Revolution, and I didn't hear about any of the pivotal figures that you mentioned in this video. Then I watched it again and saw that you were talking about Jakeš, Havel, Urbánek, Klaus, and Mečiar. 😂

[@masteryeet3600]

really liking your videos right now. keep it up😁

[@ThrashFrvr]

I think this describes both nations perfectly. We just don't give a damm.

[@solehsolehsoleh]

0:20 this map looks like the flag of Czech Republic

[@yeboxxxchannel2505]

Is this coincidence or something? Becouse it litteraly has red down, white up, and blue in the corner. This is not a coincidence.

[@thegeneralissimo470]

If any of you have the chance. Go visit the Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It's very good, and details the formation, interwar period, occupation, and regimes under both the Nazis and Communists.

[@sigisboc843]

Please do about Lithuania and how it seceded from the USSR

[@luket.9113]

Was Lithuania the first to leave the USSR?

[@varana]

@@Blade57331 Poland was not part of the USSR.

[@sigisboc843]

@@luket.9113 Yes

[@JM19649]

I laughed more than I should have at the "I tried meme" and you nailed the protesters clothing.. it screams early 90s eastern europe

[@veronicaprochazkova]

Just a "minor" detail - when the czech flag is hanged vertically, the white side is supposed to be on the left - according to the order of colours in the czech tricoulour.

[@dlaftx]

Love your videos. Please make a shirt with a character holding a “soon” sign. Too cool

[@indefatigable8193]

I want that tide of apathy screen shot as a large painting lol

[@luket.9113]

If there are any Czechs or Slovaks passing by then: 1. How do you feel about this split up? 2. Would you ever want to reunite?

[@Elador1000]

1. Apathetic 2. I don't feel like it's necessary. And I am saying it as someone whose mother is Slovak and father is Czech. Considering we are both in the EU, it doesn't really matter that much

[@ScreamCZEG]

Czech here 1, I was 5 year old when it happen so. I do not rally care. I am just happy that it did not lead to any war. 2, Depends... like uniting just Czechia and Slovakia... not really and i do not thing it would happen. But more states... maybe?

[@luket.9113]

Elador1000 Oh yeah. The Schengen Area.

[@angryduck7746]

I am Czech and honestly the whole split was kinda wierd mostly because nobody really cared about it, the only reason why it really happened was because the Slovaks felt underrepresented and also the relations between us were kinda bad mostly because of what happened in second world war. But anyways i would love to see a reunited Czechoslovakia. I do stand by the belief that we are essentially the same nation with a slightly different language and we can definitely make a system that would be an actual union

[@primkup]

Czech here. I can't say I care too much. Our ancestors, both Czechs and Slovaks, fought together for their freedom during the WW1, so they deserve their own state. Well, maybe it's little bit a shame, because it made us both little bit weaker, however, it's done. No hard feelings. I think we have pretty good relations between our two nations. Ever after the split, the "Czechoslovak mentality" remained. Both Czech and Slovak actors plays in the same movies, our armed forces train together, our foreign policies are usually the same and many of us have relatives and the loved ones on the other side of the border. About the reunion...no. I think we're both doing just fine. It was our long time goal to achieve our independence from Austria-Hungary, and in the end, Czechoslovakia, our common project, helped us to achieve this. Now, when we're both free, it's time to let Czechoslovakia go and honor its memory by growing stronger, side by side, maybe not as a one state, but as brothers and sisters for sure.

[@PhilWood82]

Me: (reads document at 3:17) Me: (dies laughing)

[@f.b.i9305]

That document is very corect Slovakia is better than Czech nerds

[@Pidalin]

@@f.b.i9305 kdo by taky chtěl vlastnit ten váš hrad v podobě obrácený stoličky :-D

[@f.b.i9305]

@@Pidalin je to stôl a bojnický hrad je najkrajší

[@pishtek]

@@Pidalin hej, aspoň ho je ľahko spoznať :D

[@Jaann1919]

@@f.b.i9305 Bojnický zámok Je najkraší

[@whatsreal7506]

OMG your sende of humor is awesome! Great content 👌 too!

[@nikolapetricevic2662]

I am from ex-Yugoslavia. Slavic brothers Czechs and Slovaks split country peacefully comparing to us. Our nations were too wild for that,damn Balkans! My view on Czechoslovakia (or now Czech Rep.and Slovakia) beside that "slavic bro's" is based on these things: good beer,beautiful girls/women,ice hockey (and football,tennis) but ice hockey is so specific for them and historical timeline so similar to Yugoslavia. 1918-1991(1993)! In that context,there was militar-economic union between two countries called Mala Antanta (Little Antanta)-Yugoslavia,Czechoslovakia and Romania which existed between two World wars. So many similars,but as I said-they broke up peacefuly,civilized and we didn't. Btw-I am from Montenegro,but I liked Yugoslavia,that was a real state.

[@davidknichal6629]

The main problem in Yugoslavia was the religion. In CZ and SVK was the (fast) only religion catholicism. in YU it was much much more difficult

[@wolvernight206x8]

“The Velvet Revolution” sounds like such a badass name for a Revolution tho.

[@SirThinksalot2023]

its like when two people stop loving eachother in a relationship, but don't want to break the lease agreement and move out

[@btetschner]

thank you for the video.

[@scipioprime69]

Thank God for this. I enjoy Czech street interviews. Typing Czechoslovakia is a little bit hassle.

[@Bioshock2131]

1:35 Why is Freddie Mercury mad at the broad regime?

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Bohemian Rhapsody

[@rankovasek1987]

@@TheCimbrianBull Nailed it

[@erasmusgustav4194]

He couldn't sing Bohemian Rhapsody in Bohemia.

[@luis_zuniga]

Great video! Could you do one on the 'Singing Revolution' of Estonia, another nation that got independence peacefully, for what I know.

[@frantiseknovotny2674]

Baltic nations are also very peacefull. They are just very careful because of their big slavic brother.

[@andromeda331]

That constituion was hilarious! I also love "I tried".

[@nikolaytsankov9066]

Also, gotta love that winter king in the background Man, wasn't Derfel like a great tutor (That's a double reference, props to you if you caught that)

[@attiepollard7847]

Nope. Explain.

[@nikolaytsankov9066]

@@attiepollard7847 Frederick 5 of the palatinate, the King of Bohrmia during the 30 years war and the guy on the portrait in the background is known as "The winter King", since he was only king of Bohrmia for a winter The winter King is also a novel by Bernard Cornwall about King Arthur, where one of the main characters is Derfel, he is the tutor of the titular "winter King" - mordred

[@vector7035]

Yugoslavia: You can't just breakup a union of countries peacefully Czechoslovakia: *Observe*

[@petartoshkov2076]

Czechoslovakia: Let's do it peaceful Yugoslavia: What is peace?

[@shayanthvimalenthiran5616]

Love the videos

[@dudo3000]

Excellent video as always, History Matters. You got all the pronunciation spot on except for Vladimír Mečiar. Č is pronounced as ch in Chilton.

[@EdgyNumber1]

3:36 I was laughing my head off at this...

[@taylorholmes9329]

That was the longest walk to a punchline but, man, it was worth it.

[@coldsnap5742]

One overlooked effect of this country's split? It forced "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" to change one line of its theme song. "To Czechoslovakia and back" became "to Czech AND Slovakia and back."

[@vojtechsulc5899]

Nicely done :)

[@TheOpalHammer]

The communists: "we represent the workers!" The workers: go on strike The communists: "wait that's illigal"

[@fulcrum2951]

We The Slovak People: in order to show those Czech nerds that we're so much better than them are gonna make our own, fantastic, wonderful, independent country. No Communism this time, either. Prague Castle isn't even that nice anyway. It's just Tredelnik stands and overpriced tourist stuff. Anyway, we, the Slovak Nation, bearing in mind the political and cultural heritage of our predecessors and the experience gained through centuries of struggle for our national existence and statehood. Are totally a country now. To summarise: -You can own stuff now -Bratislava is the capital. It's castle is better. -Hungarians living here should stop moaning. -Again, you can actually own things now

[@bigworm3886]

Love these post WWII History Matters - this period is very under represented in youtube history channels

[@DarthJabba504]

I was college student in LA rooming with a Czech and a Slovak when this happened and they were both quite sad about the split.

[@richdouglas2311]

Lovely. Interesting would have been the background on the formation of Czechoslovakia after the First World War.

[@refrigator]

1:07 I like how horrified taht guy looks

[@15moners66]

From the makers of SMLE, All new FRWN.

[@OneAngrehCat]

You could make an entire video of only that animation of the politicians in the water drifting. Add water sounds and it's perfect.

[@braziliodecarvalhotasso3230]

I loved how they war watching your episode on the second opium war in TV