Collections

The Victims of Communism Museum is our schoolhouse and the hub of our educational activity. Witness the rise of Communism, the terror of Lenin and Stalin, the growth of the tragic Gulag system, the eastward expansion of communism, and share in the inspiring stories of those fighting against the most deadly ideology man has ever created. For more information and to schedule a tour, visit vocmuseum.org.

Gallery I: The Rise of Communism
From Marx and Engels’ inception of Communist ideology to Lenin’s failed utopian promise, Gallery I envelops the visitor in a visceral first encounter with the violent revolutions born in Russia that swept across Europe starting with Lenin’s Bolshevik Revolution. No one anticipated that the effects of Communism in Europe would last until the end of the 20th century. Viewers will be introduced to The Communist Manifesto, a tiny political pamphlet which would become the source of suffering for so many.

Gallery II: Stalin’s Terror
In Gallery II, visitors will come face to face with the heroes that fought against Communist oppression as well as the victims of its crimes. Joseph Stalin’s rise to power is presented alongside the gruesome stories of mass deportation to—and suffering within—the Gulag, described as a “meat grinder” by one of the most outspoken and famous Russian dissidents and forced labor camp survivors, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn. Visitors will witness how starvation, deprivation, imprisonment, and the murder of millions became banal under Stalin’s reign of Terror. They will also hear from dissidents and victims, including Cardinal József Mindszenty, Milada Horáková, Witold Pilecki, and Natalia Talanchuk. This gallery will illuminate the truths concerning the irreversible effects of the Communist ideology, warn against repeating history, and remember the deadly crimes of Communism.

Gallery III: Miracles and Tears
Gallery III presents the arduous struggle for freedom by those who led the resistance and kept the flame of liberty alive. Visitors will meet Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, Andrei Sakharov, Armando Valladares, Wei Jingsheng, and Václav Havel. Next, visitors will have the chance to learn about the disastrous escalation of Communism and how it spread throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America. While 1989, the “year of miracles,” saw the fall of Communism in the Eastern Bloc, this gallery will also honor those today who must still fight against Communism in China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam.

Anteroom: Remember Us
Remember the heroes, the dissidents, and the freedom fighters. Remember those who have fought, shed blood, and died. Remember those who have stood against and continue to stand against Communism. Together, let us commemorate the more than 100 million victims and the more than 1.5 billion still oppressed under Communism around the world today.