Background:
In 1918 the Slovaks
? joined the closely related Czechs
? to form
Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of
World War II, Czechoslovakia became a
communist nation within
Soviet-ruled Eastern
Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on
January 1 1993. Slovakia has experienced more difficulty than the Czech Republic in developing a modern market economy.