OT: Q about the Czech Republic....

[Augusta Longbottom]

This might sound like a dumb question, but when I was a kid, it was called Czechoslovakia and now that it is called The Czech Republic, I am curious about the old name. I am a glass artist and the Czech Republic is a primary supplier of raw glass for many of my peers. (I use Italian glass for my work.) I see many of my peers stating that they are using glass made in Czechoslovakia. Shouldn't they be saying they use glass made in the Czech Republic or are the names interchangable?

Thanks so much!

[Gwared]

I believe that the country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. However, I could not be 100% sure of that.

[Augusta Longbottom]

Right Gwared, maybe my question was confusing. What I am wondering is it improper for people to refer to it as Czechoslovakia? Shouldn't they (my glass peers) be saying the Czech Republic since that is what it is now called....is is it perfectly acceptible for them to ignore the fact that the country has had a new name since 1990. I guess I find it irksome that I see so many of my peers doing this and I wonder if it is at all disrespectful for them to not bother to try to get it correct.

Thank you for trying to answer...sorry my original post was unclear

[b.scheller]

Well, to understand the Velvet Divorce as it was called. You must understand, that Czechoslovakia was a country, which was forced to be combined together. The Czech's and the Slovak's. Much like Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, was made up of two different language and ethnic groups. In 1993, the two countries split, after the Velvet Revolution (the fall of communism within Czechoslovakia).

The split was caused by many reasons, not only economic (as Czech Republic was the stronger, more industrial part) but also historically, the two countries had not been together, unless forced. Czechoslovakia became a nation, after the drawing up of borders in 1919 at Versailles.

Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States at the time, had promised to create nations out of the empires. These nations, had not existed for centuries, due to conquest and imperialism.

Out of the fallen Austro-Hungarian and German Empire, countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary and so on, and so forth sprang out. They had existed before imperialism had swept through Europe.

Unfortunetly, Czechoslovakia, was thrown into a single country of two nations.

[Augusta Longbottom]

Thank you B.Scheller! I wonder, do you know if it is politically incorrect to refer to the country in current terms as Czechoslovakia? Let me clarify...

In my field of work, the 2 largest suppliers of (modern made) raw glass are the Czech Republic and Italy. This is not glass that was made pre-1993, in which case it would clearly be refered to as Czechoslovakian made glass -- I'm talking about modern made/made this year. Shouldn't my peers state they are using glass made in the Czech Republic rather than they are using glass made in Czechoslovakia? I know this is petty, but it drives me nuts to see it written "glass made in Czechoslovakia" when the country is no longer called that. Wouldn't the proper way to say it be "glass made in the Czech Republic" ???

Thank you for your insight!

[Paul]

You're right to be driven nuts. Czechoslovakia no longer exists. What they're doing is like someone using modern new glass from England and putting "Made in the Roman Empire" on it (seeing as England was part of the Roman Empire a couple of thousand years ago). They're probably (or hopefully) not intentionally trying to mislead but they are giving totally incorrect information about their product. The glass was made in either the Czech Republic or Slovakia, but couldn't have been made in both or a no longer existing country. Give them a modern world map and tell them to point to where the glass was made if they have problems understanding this.

Back to the aftermath of the first world war...The Czechoslovak Republic (or Czecho-Slovak Republic) was declared as an independant nation on October 28th 1918, with its first Prewsideny Tomas Garrigue Masaryk being elected on November 14th 1918.

The name of the country was changed in 1960 to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. This particularly centralised the power of the state and severly limited the self-governing powers of the Slovak part of the country.

A Czecho-Slovak conflict of opinion occurred around 1989/1990 when the Federal Assembly discussed the proposal to drop the "social" part of the country's name. The country was renamed as the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic in April 1990.

The first free elections of the then-single country were held in June 1990, followed by a further election in June 1992. In July/August 1992 Slovakia declared itself a sovereign state, meaning that it intended its laws would take precedence over those of the federal government. The single country of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic was dissoved on 31 December 1992 and from this single nation, two separate nations were formed on 1st January 1993: Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Each have their own completely separate govermnent and capital (Prague being that of the Czech Republic and Bratislava being the capital of Slovakia).

[Augusta Longbottom]

Thanks so much Paul! I knew I wasn't just being anal retentive.

[Froggs]

Hey- around here some people still say USSR...of course, they also call the Northerners Yankees...

[Broccoli]

I am from Russia and don't like it when people refer to the whole USSR as Russia. Russia as a country didn't exist for the most part of the 20th century!

[Fweegal]

It'd be like people referring to the Republic of Ireland as being in the UK...
And would irritate just as much.

[thestral]

god, ireland and politics!!! to try and dicuss the history of ireland you'd need about 10 years and i don' think even that would be long enough to understand. also i think you just need to live there to understand properly.

[Fweegal]

No, I live there, and it's still complex!

[thestral]

i didn't say you'd ever fully understand it. too much history and politics for one brain to absorb i think! it's too complex to try and explain to people from outside the country. like my cousin from south america was visiting and asked me what the history of ireland was and why there was all the fighting and i was like "errrr...well.." i didn't know where to start, and even when i did explain, it's impossible to comprehend what it's like if you don't live with it.

[b.scheller]

Anyway, I recommend for you all, to go down and visit Czech Republic, especially its capital Prague.

The city is beautiful, the architecture and people are stunning. Fairly cheap and the entertainment scene is something worth checking out.

Here are my photos from that trip.

[thestral]

yeah, prague is on my 'to visit' list, but i want to go soon, before it becomes too westernised. i'd love to explore all the eastern european countries, there's so much i don't know about them and they haven't been ruined by the whole tourist hotspot thing yet.