Letter to the Publisher: "Four Generations’ Journey and When We Were 15” or “Democracy, what an Idea”.

My dear friend and mentor once told me during a heated dinner table discussion, "Did you know there are not just six of us here talking, arguing, and debating? There are at least 24 people here at the table." At first, I didn’t understand what he meant. Still, he quickly explained: “Our opinions, experiences, and wisdom come partially from our parents, grandparents, and their parents. So, when the six of us are here talking, our ancestors are “standing” behind each of us and participating in the discussion.” Now, whenever I have a discussion, I can’t help but think about who else is in the room talking.

In the wake of recent world affairs and domestic politics, I think about those standing behind me and seek their wisdom and lifetime experiences to understand it all. As we evaluate democracy versus authoritarian dictatorship and the potential outcomes of the upcoming elections, I reflect on my ancestors' journey, and I want to share some of it with you.

I was born in Czechoslovakia in 1962, under Communist dictatorship, which ended in 1989 with the “Velvet Revolution.” By then, I had lived in exile in West Germany for eight years, where I escaped in 1981.
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At age 19, I arrived at a refugee camp, hoping to restart my life in a free, democratic country, away from persecution and hardship. Leaving everything behind, I was alone, away from my family and friends, most of whom I would never see again. I had much to learn about the world’s complexities in the context of history, social and economic circumstances, political ambitions, and international and domestic relationships.

My grandfather was born in 1903. By the age of 15, he had witnessed the fall of the Austrian Empire, Czechoslovakia's birth, and the end of World War I. Czechoslovakia was conceived as a representative democracy when it was formed in 1918 after the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy. The country's constitution established a pluralistic party system, a well-functioning economy, and the rule of law. Czechoslovakia was the only East European country to remain a parliamentary democracy from 1918 to 1938.

My father was born in 1933. Growing up, he witnessed the atrocities of World War II. My grandmother was born in Sudetenland, a border region where Germans and Czechs had lived peacefully together for centuries. Before Hitler invaded Poland, Konrad Henlein unleashed fierce political propaganda, forcing a wedge between the Czechs and Germans, resulting in four million people being forcefully moved out to Germany, and the Czech government confiscated all their land and possessions. They were only allowed to take what would fit in a backpack. These war crimes are still discussed and negotiated to the present time between the Czechs and the Germans. 

By the age of 15, my father witnessed the end of democracy. In late February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia through a coup d'état. My grandparents' farm of 200 hectares (about 500 acres), with all the equipment and animals, was confiscated and turned into a government-controlled agricultural co- operative. My grandfather died shortly after, and my grandmother was allowed to work as a cleaning lady at the Ministry of Agriculture. As a child of a farmer who protested the confiscation of his livelihood, my father was blacklisted and denied education in the Communist Party-controlled school system. Considering his background, options for finding a job were very limited. He apprenticed to become a gardener, a job considered by the Communist party as “non-influential and non- problematic to the regime.” As a young teenager, my father naively sympathized with the ideals of communism and was an enthusiastic supporter of the communist party.

He, however, learned very quickly the oppressive practices of the regime. The party unleashed a brutal campaign designed to crush any potential opposition. Even some original founders and party members who initially voted and supported the party but spoke up against the party’s oppressive practices were quickly expelled or eliminated by the leadership. After, he witnessed public trials and executions of leading intellectuals and citizens who dared to oppose the party’s “ideology,” my father refused any association with the Communist Party and joined the movement called “Socialism with a Human Face.” A period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia began in January 1968 with the election of Alexander Dubček. The movement composed a manifesto called "The Two Thousand Words,"written by Czech reformist writer Ludvík Vaculík. My father signed it, along with thousands of intellectuals, artists, farmers, and workers, on June 17, 1968, during the Prague Spring. Threatened by these developments, the Communist Party sent a letter to Moscow asking for help to crush the movement. On August 23, 1968, the Warsaw Pact armies, led by the Soviet Army, invaded Czechoslovakia. I was 6 years old. I remember my father carrying me on his shoulders to work, passing by tanks dug into the streets, stripped of cobblestones by Soviet military vehicles. A martial law was invoked, and Russian soldiers with machine guns guarded the checkpoints. My father kept sarcastically telling me, "Pay attention and never forget; these are our brothers, as our government keeps telling us. 

The period after the Soviet invasion was called “Normalization.” The purge continued. Intellectuals, artists, clergy, scientists: anyone who had educated knowledge of history, economics, science, and democratic principles and disagreed with the party was sentenced to political prisons or isolated from society in mental institutions or by being moved out to rural and small villages or forced labor camps working in stone quarries, uranium mines, building roads and bridges, or asnight watchmen at some factory in the middle of nowhere. Many famous artists, actors, directors, philosophers, and public figures disappeared from the public eye. Blacklisted and denied any presence in their fields of expertise, they were no longer allowed to practice their professions. Radio, TV, movie theaters, and galleries presented strictly censored and crafted propaganda, celebrating the “outstanding accomplishments” of the Communist Party's leadership. Art, film, and television featured fake and distorted images of a happy working population, smiling coal miners, proud steel workers, and singing farmers while milking cows and toiling the soil on the cooperative farms. The illusion of happy citizens dancing or shopping in stores full of goods was part of the massive brainwashing propaganda. In reality, stores were empty; the country was isolated from the rest of the world. People retreated to their homes, isolating themselves, living in fear of speaking up against the dismal state of being. Life became gloomy, depressed, and lethargic. The scarcity led to more corruption and criminal behaviors, turning citizens against each other in a competition to survive. The only way to move up in society was to become a Communist Party member, forcing many to make difficult moral decisions to collaborate or face persecution. The opposition moved into hiding and the underground movement, and in 1977, a new petition called Charter 77 was composed.

Now I was 15 years old. When the petition was published and signed by thousands, my father worked as a Master gardener. Leading a crew of 25 workers, he was asked by the authorities to openly and publicly reject Charter 77 and express support for the Communist Party. That night, he sat me down and said, “Son, I want you to know I have been asked to sign the rejection of Charter 77 and publicly express my support for the regime. If I don’t sign it, you will not be accepted to study in any schools, get a driver's license, or participate in public events, exhibits, or performances. You will likely end up working a job that will not support your artistic ambitions and talents, and you will be under the surveillance of the secret police for the rest of your life." He continued, tears streaming down his face, "I am so sorry, but I cannot and will not sign any of these documents or show any support for the regime. I would not be able to live with myself, and I hope you will understand and forgive me one day.”
 
I thought this was the bravest and most amazing lesson my father ever gave me. Until I left my old country in 1981, I was actively part of the underground movement that ultimately led to the end of the Communist dictatorship in 1989. After six years in political prison, the spokesman for Charter 77, a playwright, Václav Havel, went from his prison cell straight to the presidential palace to become the new president of the newly reformed democratic Czech Republic.

This is a concise reflection of my family’s journey spanning one century. The fourth generation is now living in the USA. American democracy has always been a source of hope and inspiration for my family, spanning three generations. It represents hope and a guide to freedom, a dignified, respectful, and just way of life, and opportunity. My family was granted US citizenship in 1995, and I am proud to say I am an American. I believe American democracy is the most significant human experiment, unparalleled on the planet, and I am grateful every day to be part of it.
In the wake of recent political developments, my muscle memory reminds me of where I came from and how I felt then. I never thought I would feel that way in this country. The weird anxiety and pain in my stomach, the stress and nausea, are coming back. I worry not just for me and my family but for all my American friends and people who have not experienced firsthand what life under a dictatorship and loss of justice under an oppressive regime is like. The events of the last decade show extreme political division, hate-filled rhetoric, denial of human rights, deportations, normalized hate crimes, and the open attempt for one party’s ideological dominance— symptoms reminiscent of the lead-up to the 1948 communist dictatorship. Propaganda and misinformation, driven by corporate interests, fuel further division and fear.

The middle class is shrinking, small businesses are struggling, and more citizens are being pushed into corporate jobs controlled by lobbyists. The arts, education, and sciences are underfunded and attacked, labeled “nonessential” or immoral, leading to censorship and banned books. This echoes the book bans of nazi Germany and communist regimes, threatening freedom and individuality. Our educational system fails to produce a competitive workforce, hindering economic potential and keeping pace with global markets and domestic economic needs. Infrastructure, healthcare, and human services are in decline, and corruption is undermining democratic values, both left and right. A lack of understanding of the complexity of foreign policy leads to isolation and undermines national security. The list is long, and this climate fosters the illusion that a strong leader or dictator can solve our problems, risking the loss of collective consciousness and democratic principles and the value of individual and unique expression and contributions that are the foundation of a vibrant, progressive, and successful society. 

Given my background, here is what makes me anxious about the open conversation today: The banning of books, deportation of immigrants, removal of civil rights, the acceptance of the rise of hate crimes, censorship of free speech, the influence of money on our politics and the justice system—these are just examples. It is not easy to hear or believe that we are slowly moving towards losing democracy. I have lived through it, and what I see around me can’t be ignored. Now, that the fourth generation of my family lives in the US, I hope they will never have to experience what my ancestors endured. While perfectly aware of human nature's flaws, challenges, and imperfections, Democracy is a fragile experiment. Now, discussing it with my ancestors around the table, I still value and choose democracy at any time as the best idea we currently have in the evolution of our species, and I urge you to pay attention and do the same.

Thank you for your time,
 
Vitek Kruta
Concerned citizen.

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"This essay focuses on the experiences of four generations of a Czech family living through a rapidly changing world marked by political upheaval, wars, and economic hardship. Having lived in the USA for over 30 years, I share these experiences in response to the current situation in the country and what American democracy means to me and my family."