Introduction

Since its emergence in the 1950s, rock and roll has been associated with rebellion. However, the stakes for rock bands were dramatically higher behind the Iron Curtain. For one band, The Plastic People of the Universe (PPU), music was a vehicle for political revolution.

Historical Context

On January 5th, 1968, Alexander Dubček became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and with his position, planted the seed for the revolution in decades to come. Dubček’s objective was to restore Czechoslovakia and create "socialism with a human face," a system blending the socialist framework with increased political, economic, and cultural freedoms. Under Dubček, citizens experienced increased freedom of speech and press, as well as economic and political reforms that encouraged individual autonomy. For a brief moment, cultural third spaces appeared where citizens gathered to openly discuss art, politics, and ideas. With this era of relaxed restrictions, known as Prague Spring, came a flourishing of the arts and an influx of Western influence- one of which being rock music.

Dubček’s new policies were designed to humanize the current political and economic framework of the Soviet Union- not oppose it. Despite this, the Soviet government was concerned that the loosening of their policies would result in rebellion and encourage other nations to follow suit. Prague Spring came to a striking end on August 20th 1968. On this day, the Soviet government sent Warsaw Pact troops to invade Czechoslovakia and return the state to a conservative pro-Soviet government. Dubček was immediately expelled and replaced by Gustáv Husák who immediately reversed all of Dubček’s reforms. Under Husák’s “normalization” policies, censorship tightened and previous freedoms were stripped away.

Just three weeks after the invasion, The Plastic People of the Universe was formed.

Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia. Source:

Rock-N-roll in the Period of Normalization

All aspects of Czechoslovakian life, including music and live performance, were impacted by Gustáv Husák’s “normalization” policies. In order to obtain a license to perform in Husák’s Czechoslovakia, bands were required to comply with the following regulations:

1. They were required to play soft pop music (not hard rock) and follow “gentle melodic lines” (Ramet, 2019).

2. Lyrics had to be submitted for approval

3. Performers were mandated to maintain a conservative appearance. (e.g., no long hair for men)

4. Bands were not allowed to sing in English.

5. Bands were not allowed to play music genres with “life destroying effects” and “unacceptable excessive levels of noise”(Ramet, 2019).

Bands that violated these rules and performed publicly without a license were charged with “illegal business activity” and “disturbing the peace” (Ramet, 2019).

Plastic People of the Universe (PPU)

PPU was formed by bassist Milan “Mejla” Hlavsa in 1968, just three weeks after the invasion of Czechoslovakia. The band was heavily inspired by Frank Zappa and the avant-garde band Velvet Underground.

Though their lyrics had no overtly hostile or anti-government sentiment, their refusal to comply with Husák’s “normalization” policies rendered them political. They sang in English, they continued to rock long hair, and they refused to change their English band name. By 1970, the government revoked their license to perform and confiscated their state-owned instruments. However, the band was not deterred. They continued to perform at illegal underground venues and private parties. Oftentimes, their shows were framed as “lectures” on The Velvet Underground to evade detection. Despite precautions to hide the locations of their performances, police frequently raided their events, sometimes subjecting attendees to beatings and interrogations.

Tension escalated at the 1976 Second Music Festival of the Second Culture, an alternative music festival hosted and promoted by PPU’s own manager, Ivan Jirous. What began as a celebration of independent alternative art set off a chain of events that ultimately contributed to the downfall of the Soviet regime.

The Final Straw

For their participation in the Second Music Festival, police arrested all members of PPU. One member, Paul Wilson, was expelled from the country. Four members faced trial and were sent to prison for singing “vulgar lyrics” and “organized disturbance of the peace” (Ramet, 2019). Their imprisonment sparked domestic and international outrage and drew attention to the oppressive nature of Husák’s policies.

Playwright Václav Havel emerged as one of PPU’s most prominent supporters. He recognized the broader implications of the band’s persecution, stating: “an attack on the Czech musical underground was an attack on the most elementary and important thing, something that bound everyone together... The freedom to play rock music was understood as a human freedom and thus as essentially the same as the freedom to engage in philosophical and political reflection, the freedom to write, to express and defend the social and political interests of society" (Sterling, 2016). Havel's support for PPU mobilized public dissent and unified citizens around the shared values of free speech and expression.

Václav Havel. Source:

From Charter 77 to the Velvet Revolution

Motivated in part by the imprisonment of PPU band members, scores of intellectuals united under Havel to compose Charter 77- a manifesto condemning the Czechoslovak government for violating the human rights provisions outlined in the constitution and the Helsinki Final Act. Though the signatories of Charter 77 explicitly stated that they were a humanitarian cause and not an organizational political opposition, the Czechoslovakian government reacted with intense repression. Signatories were subject to harassment and the leaders of Charter 77, including Václav Havel, were imprisoned.

Despite these challenges, Charter 77 laid the groundwork for broader resistance and unity. By the late 1980s, cracks in the communist regime began to show. Inspired by movements across the Eastern bloc, Czechoslovakia witnessed growing protests which ultimately culminated in the Velvet Revolution of 1989. During mass demonstrations, citizens demanded political reform, and the communist government finally collapsed.

Havel, once imprisoned for his activism, became the last president of Czechoslovakia and first president of the Czech Republic. By then, the members of the PPU were free and their role in inspiring resistance was cemented in history. Today, the PPU’s story is a testament that music, whether intentionally or not, can inspire change.

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References

Beaumont, Mark. “The Plastic People of the Universe: How the violent suppression of a rock band led to a revolution in Czechoslovakia.” The Independent. The Independent, 15 Mar. 2021. https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/features/plastic-people-of-the-universe-czechoslovakia-revolution-b1816340.html

Ramet, Sabrina P., and Vladimir Ðorđević. “The Three Phases of Rock Music in the Czech Lands.” Communist and Post-Communist Studies, vol. 52, no. 1, 2019, pp. 59–70. JSTOR, . Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

Severo, Richard. “Alexander Dubcek 70 dies in Prague.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Nov. 1992,

Sterling, Bruce. “‘The Power of the Powerless’ by Vaclav Havel.” Medium, Medium, 28 Sept 2017, https://bruces.medium.com/the-power-of-the-powerless-by-vaclav-havel-84b2b8d3a84a

“Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1968” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State,

“The Plastic People of the Universe” The Plastic People of the Universe, plasticpeople.cz.

Zita’s early childhood 

Zita of Bourbon-Parma, born a royal, was the last empress of the Austria-Hungary Empire. She was born on 9 May 1892 at the Villa Pianore in the Italian Province of Lucca. Her father, Robert I, Duke of Parma, lost his crown during the Italian Unification, becoming a duke in name only. Her mother, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal, was born in exile after her father, Infante Miguel, usurped the Portuguese throne, which caused his brother, Pedro I of Brazil, to banish him from Portugal for his treason against the crown.

While Zita didn’t grow up in a palace, she was still raised in a luxurious lifestyle. She was also raised Catholic, which shaped her life throughout. She attended boarding school in Germany and was able to speak multiple languages such as her native Italian, Spanish, French, English, German, and Portuguese.

While in boarding school, Zita received news that her father had suddenly passed. After this tragic news, her maternal grandmother Adelaide of Lowenstien-Wertheim-Rosenberg arranged for Zita to finish her schooling at a covenant on the Isle of Wight. 

Chance love encounter 

Upon completing her education, Zita visited her maternal aunt, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, where she became reacquainted with her distant cousin, Archduke Charles of  Austria-Este, the future emperor of Austria and her soon-to-be husband. They had met in their childhood but their schooling kept them apart. Charles was stationed with his dragoon and visited his aunt where he reencountered Zita. After nearly 10 years, the two fell back into their friendship as if no time had passed.

Charles quickly fell in love with Zita, considering her a noble, well-educated, and well-traveled. However, Zita took longer to reciprocate Charles’ feelings. Over the course of their two-year friendship, she felt romance towards him. Charles proposed to Zita, and on 21 October 1911, they were married at the Schwarzau Castle.

Empress during World War I 

Their blissful time would tragically cease on 28 June 1914 upon the assassination of heir Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, leaving a shocked Charles and Zita next in line to rule the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.

Soon after, World War I broke out. Difficulties grew for Zita as her home country of Italy joined the fight against Austria-Hungary, leaving her subjects distrustful and resentful, referring to her as “The Italian.” During the war, Zita’s weariness increased with her brother taking opposing sides in the war leaving Zita with a feeling of helplessness.

While the war raged on, Zita and Charles were crowned in Budapest on 30 December 1916 as the new rulers of the Empire. Both were mindful of the war and decided that the festivities would be kept short with only a banquet for the newly crowned rulers. Her husband Charles led a war-stricken nation while Zita dedicated her time to her subjects at charitable organizations and hospitals, visiting wounded soldiers.

The Fall of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire

The war ended in 1918 and life would begin to return to normal for millions, but not for Zita and Charles. The young royal couple were now faced with the dissolution of their nation. Both lost their thrones and titles, while their fate was further sealed when Charles signed a manifesto that ended the Austrian-Hungary Empire in place of the Republic of German-Austria. However, this new state would not last, as most of the land went to the newly formed Czechoslovakia.

Now no longer rulers, Zita and Charles, along with their children, departed for Austria. They lived in a shooting lodge while left to comprehend the massive loss of their titles, thrones, and Empire.

Help from unlikely places

Seeking to help her sister, Prince Sixtus connected with King George V, King of the United Kingdom, and appealed to him to help Zita’s family. King George V understood their mourning as he too experienced loss, via his Russian relatives, the Russian Imperial Romanov family, who met their untimely deaths in a gruesome manner.

King George V sent British Army officers to assist Zita’s and Charles’s family on their journey from Austria to Switzerland by train. They found their situation in Switzerland to be unstable, so they moved to the Portuguese island of Madeira, instead.

Although Madeira turned out to be a pleasant location, Charles caught bronchitis that progressed into pneumonia. Zita cared for him while he remained ill. At the age of 34 years, Charles died, leaving behind Zita and their 8 children. Zita never remarried and wore black throughout the remaining 67 years of her life. 

After the death of Charles, her relative Alfonso XIII of Spain made arrangements for Zita and her children to live at the Palacio Uribarren at Lekeito on the Bay of Biscay. Zita attended to her children’s well-being and education into their adulthood. By 1929, Zita moved her family to Brussels, where they lived in a castle while her children pursued higher education. 

Living through World War II 

The Nazis invaded Belgium on 10 May 1940. Seeking to protect her children, Zita and her family moved back to Portugal, staying until granted visas to the United States. They arrived in New York City on 27 July 1940 and lived there until they moved to Quebec for the remainder of the war. World War II ended on 9 May 1945, the same day Zita turned 53 years old. She toured the United States and Canada to raise funds for war-stricken Austria and Hungary. 

Zita’s later years

With her children now grown and with the decrease of political tensions, Zita moved back to Switzerland and lived in a massive castle fit for a family. In 1982, after six decades, Zita finally visited Austria, subsequently doing so frequently as she traveled throughout Europe. 

Zita’s health dwindled after the celebration of her 95th birthday party. She developed pneumonia while visiting her daughter in the summer of 1988, which left her weak and bedridden. She called her children to attend her deathbed. Her children took turns caring for their mother until she passed on 14 March 1989, living to the age of 96.

Zita’s funeral was held in Vienna on 1 April, the same day as Charles died. Her funeral had over 6,000 attendees, with 200 of them being members of the Habsburg and Bourbon-Parma families.

Written by Elizabeth Arebalo

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Sources: 

“First Czechsolvak Republic.” Wikipedia.

Da Costa, Brendan. “Tragic Facts About Zita of Bourbon-Parma, The Refugee Empress.” Facinate, 3 Aug. 2021.

Mutschlechner, Martin. “Zita, the last Empress.” The World of the Habsburgs.

“Zita of Bourbon-Pama.” Wikipedia.

“Is There A Czech Royal Family? Royal History.” Magazine of Travel. 16 June, 2022.