Mánička
Encyclopedia
Mánička is a Czech
term used for young people with long hair, usually males, in Czechoslovakia
through the 1960s and 1970s. Long hair for males during this time was considered an expression of political and social attitudes in communist Czechoslovakia.
during the mid-1960s, such as Hippies and rock music
. Following the February coup d'état of 1948
, Czechoslovakia ceased to be a part of the Western world and the new communist régime condemned some elements of the Western culture as an inherently decadent imperialist "import" into the socialist world. At first, communists persecuted sympathizers of rock 'n' roll and bebop
, and later they focused on supporters of rock music. Their methods were compared with the campaigns of Nazi régime
against the supporters of jazz
and swing during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
. The term máničky is also generally associated with the generation gap
that increased around the world during the 1960s.
Male long hair in the Czechoslovak society of the 1960s and 70s was partially regarded as a matter of image and style, but the main reason for having long hair was usually different. The young people attempted to express openly their political attitude, independence, freedom and protest. However, the revolt symbolized by extravagant appearance was not tolerated by communists and young rebels were often forced to cut their hair. From the mid-1960s, máničky became a target of continuous interest of the state security apparatus. The activities of the alternative youth culture were not only and primarily political; therefore it was difficult for communists to grasp their intentions. A large number of young people attempting to live outside of the influence and control of the state was disturbing for the regime, as these people represented a potential danger for the communist system. Through the coordinated pressure of various levels of the state administration, the totalitarian
power attempted to force young people to change their appearance, or to displace from the public sphere people who were not "socially acceptable".
and Litvínov
excluded long-haired máničky as displeasure-evoking persons. Two years later, the municipal council in Poděbrady
banned máničky from entering cultural institutions in the town. In August, 1966, Rudé právo
informed that máničky in Prague
were banned from visiting restaurants of the I. and II. price category.
In 1966, during a big campaign coordinated by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
, around 4,000 young males were forced to cut their hair, often in the cells with the assistance of the state police. On 19 August 1966, during a "safety intervention" organized by the state police, 140 long-haired people were arrested. As a response, the "community of long-haired" organized a protest in Prague
. More than 100 people cheered slogans such as "Give us back our hair!" or "Away with hairdressers!". The state police arrested the organizers and several participants of the meeting. Some of them were given prison sentences. According to the newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes
, the Czechoslovak Ministry of Interior in 1966 even compiled a detailed map of the frequency of occurrence of long-haired males in Czechoslovakia.
In August, 1969, during the first anniversary of the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia
, the long-haired youth were one of the most active voices in the state protesting against the occupation. Youth protesters have been labeled as "vagabonds" and "slackers" by the official normalized
press.
The discriminatory campaign against long-haired males called "Máš-li dlouhý vlas, nechoď mezi nás!" (If you have long hair, do not walk among us!) was supported by the state television, and major newspapers and magazines. The campaign consisted of a series of TV spots showing detection and conviction of a long-haired person in a public place. Each spot ended with the trademark slogan: "If you have long hair, do not walk among us!" Similarly, an episode of the popular propagandistic TV series Thirty Cases of Major Zeman
showed máničky as a harmful, criminal and drug-using social element. Long-haired and intoxicated individuals in the episode called Mimikry (Mimicry, 1972) smuggle drugs with suspicious dealers from the Western imperialist world, they cause the death of a girl, and finally they attempt to flee to the West with a hijacked plane.
The performances of the Czech undergroud bands The Plastic People of the Universe
and DG 307 were regularly visited by the long-haired máničky. In 1974, a concert of The Plastic People of the Universe in České Budějovice
was broken up by police. The participants were brought to hearings and trials and forced to cut their hair. Many of them were harassed and some of them were fired from their jobs. In 1976, during a politicized trial with the members of the Plastic People, máničky publicly supported the accused artists.
The repression against long-haired people by the socialist system continued up to 1989, though in a moderate form. The Velvet Revolution
and subsequent transformation of the Czechoslovak society into a democratic system caused significant changes, and long hair as a manifestation of defiance has gradually lost the previous meaning of a “protest” act.
Máničky have been supported by numerous personalities of the public life in Czechoslovakia: former Czech President Václav Havel
, poet Ivan Martin Jirous
, musician Milan Hlavsa
and politician Alexandr Vondra
among others.
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
term used for young people with long hair, usually males, in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
through the 1960s and 1970s. Long hair for males during this time was considered an expression of political and social attitudes in communist Czechoslovakia.
Background
Long hair was associated with the subcultures and youth movements that arose in the Western worldWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
during the mid-1960s, such as Hippies and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Following the February coup d'état of 1948
Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
, Czechoslovakia ceased to be a part of the Western world and the new communist régime condemned some elements of the Western culture as an inherently decadent imperialist "import" into the socialist world. At first, communists persecuted sympathizers of rock 'n' roll and bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
, and later they focused on supporters of rock music. Their methods were compared with the campaigns of Nazi régime
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
against the supporters of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and swing during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
. The term máničky is also generally associated with the generation gap
Generation gap
The generational gap is and was a term popularized in Western countries during the 1960s referring to differences between people of a younger generation and their elders, especially between children and parents....
that increased around the world during the 1960s.
Male long hair in the Czechoslovak society of the 1960s and 70s was partially regarded as a matter of image and style, but the main reason for having long hair was usually different. The young people attempted to express openly their political attitude, independence, freedom and protest. However, the revolt symbolized by extravagant appearance was not tolerated by communists and young rebels were often forced to cut their hair. From the mid-1960s, máničky became a target of continuous interest of the state security apparatus. The activities of the alternative youth culture were not only and primarily political; therefore it was difficult for communists to grasp their intentions. A large number of young people attempting to live outside of the influence and control of the state was disturbing for the regime, as these people represented a potential danger for the communist system. Through the coordinated pressure of various levels of the state administration, the totalitarian
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
power attempted to force young people to change their appearance, or to displace from the public sphere people who were not "socially acceptable".
Persecution
From the mid-1960s, the long-haired and "untidy" persons (so called máničky or vlasatci (in English: Mops) were banned from entering pubs, cinema halls, theatres and using public transportation in several Czech cities and towns. In 1964, the public transportation regulations in MostMost
Most is the capital city of the Most District, situated between the Czech Central Mountains and the Ore Mountains, approximately northwest of Prague along the Bílina River and southwest of Ústí nad Labem.-Etymology:...
and Litvínov
Litvínov
Litvínov is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. The largest oil refinery in the Czech Republic is located there. Models Eva Herzigová and Iva Frühlingová come from Litvínov. The HC Litvínov ice hockey club is based in the town....
excluded long-haired máničky as displeasure-evoking persons. Two years later, the municipal council in Poděbrady
Podebrady
Poděbrady is a historical spa town in the Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It lies on the river Labe 50 km east of Prague on the D11 highway. A historic milestone in the life of the town was the year 1905, when it was visited by the German estate owner Prince von Bülow...
banned máničky from entering cultural institutions in the town. In August, 1966, Rudé právo
Rudé právo
Rudé právo was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia....
informed that máničky in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
were banned from visiting restaurants of the I. and II. price category.
In 1966, during a big campaign coordinated by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
, around 4,000 young males were forced to cut their hair, often in the cells with the assistance of the state police. On 19 August 1966, during a "safety intervention" organized by the state police, 140 long-haired people were arrested. As a response, the "community of long-haired" organized a protest in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. More than 100 people cheered slogans such as "Give us back our hair!" or "Away with hairdressers!". The state police arrested the organizers and several participants of the meeting. Some of them were given prison sentences. According to the newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes
Mladá fronta DNES
Mladá fronta Dnes, also known as MF DNES or simply Dnes , is the second most sold daily newspaper in the Czech Republic. Its name could be translated into English as Youth Front Today...
, the Czechoslovak Ministry of Interior in 1966 even compiled a detailed map of the frequency of occurrence of long-haired males in Czechoslovakia.
In August, 1969, during the first anniversary of the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
, the long-haired youth were one of the most active voices in the state protesting against the occupation. Youth protesters have been labeled as "vagabonds" and "slackers" by the official normalized
Normalization (Czechoslovakia)
In the history of Czechoslovakia, normalization is a name commonly given to the period 1969 to about 1987. It was characterized by initial restoration of the conditions prevailing before the reform period led by Alexander Dubček , first of all, the firm rule of the Communist Party of...
press.
The discriminatory campaign against long-haired males called "Máš-li dlouhý vlas, nechoď mezi nás!" (If you have long hair, do not walk among us!) was supported by the state television, and major newspapers and magazines. The campaign consisted of a series of TV spots showing detection and conviction of a long-haired person in a public place. Each spot ended with the trademark slogan: "If you have long hair, do not walk among us!" Similarly, an episode of the popular propagandistic TV series Thirty Cases of Major Zeman
Thirty Cases of Major Zeman
Thirty Cases of Major Zeman is a Czechoslovakian action-drama television show intended as a political propaganda to support the official attitude of the communist party. The series were filmed in the 1970s....
showed máničky as a harmful, criminal and drug-using social element. Long-haired and intoxicated individuals in the episode called Mimikry (Mimicry, 1972) smuggle drugs with suspicious dealers from the Western imperialist world, they cause the death of a girl, and finally they attempt to flee to the West with a hijacked plane.
The performances of the Czech undergroud bands The Plastic People of the Universe
The Plastic People of the Universe
The Plastic People of the Universe is a rock band from Prague, Czech Republic. It was the foremost representative of Prague's underground culture . This avant-garde group went against the grain of the Communist regime and due to its non-conformism often suffered serious problems such as arrests...
and DG 307 were regularly visited by the long-haired máničky. In 1974, a concert of The Plastic People of the Universe in České Budějovice
Ceské Budejovice
České Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
was broken up by police. The participants were brought to hearings and trials and forced to cut their hair. Many of them were harassed and some of them were fired from their jobs. In 1976, during a politicized trial with the members of the Plastic People, máničky publicly supported the accused artists.
The repression against long-haired people by the socialist system continued up to 1989, though in a moderate form. The Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
and subsequent transformation of the Czechoslovak society into a democratic system caused significant changes, and long hair as a manifestation of defiance has gradually lost the previous meaning of a “protest” act.
Máničky have been supported by numerous personalities of the public life in Czechoslovakia: former Czech President Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
, poet Ivan Martin Jirous
Ivan Martin Jirous
Ivan Martin Jirous was a Czech poet, best known for being the artistic director of the Czech psychedelic rock group The Plastic People of the Universe and later one of the organizers of the Czech underground during the communist regime...
, musician Milan Hlavsa
Milan Hlavsa
Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa was the founder, chief songwriter, and original bassist of the Czech band Plastic People of the Universe, which was part of the inspiration for the anti-establishment movement Charter 77....
and politician Alexandr Vondra
Alexandr Vondra
Alexandr "Saša" Vondra is a Czech politician, who currently serves as the Senator from Litoměřice and the nation's Minister of Defence. He is also a Deputy Chairman of the Civic Democratic Party...
among others.