NPR looks into whats happened before when currency unions fail and the consequences of leaving them. The best historical lesson comes from the dissolution at the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=142147427&m=142148170
On this show, NPR talks to Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise. He's a British CEO, and he's offering a $400,000 prize to the person who comes up with the best plan for countries to leave the euro.
Also: The story of another European currency union that fell apart a century ago, and the lessons it holds for the euro.
For More:
* See our post "Kill The Euro, Win A Prize"
* Read Michael Spencer's paper on the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
