November 17 is the day Czechs and Slovaks remember the Velvet Revolution.

The name refers to the non-violent revolution which took place in then-Communist Czechoslovakia in 1989.

On November 17, 1989, police broke up a peaceful student demonstration in Prague.

Two days later, the protestors returned to the streets in larger numbers. The protests continued for several weeks until the government finally collapsed.

Vaclav Havel was named president of Czechoslovakia on December 29, 1989. The country held democratic elections in June 1990.

John McCain, the American presidential candidate, referred to the country of “Czechoslovakia” twice last week.

Czechoslovakia, however, no longer exists. It split up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993.

Simple English News asked Czechs and Slovaks about their reaction to McCain’s historical gaffe.

“I am not upset. However, it does make me question his thinking. Especially if he wants to rule the world’s only superpower,” said Viktor Bukna, a retired television repairman from Slovakia.

Most of the Czechs we spoke with had the same opinion.

However, the Czech newspaper Lidovky did point out that Barack Obama also made a foreign policy mistake when he spoke about the president of Canada. Canada has a prime minister and not a president.

Words

gaffe: a mistake.
to rule: to lead, to be a leader, to govern.