How Museums in Central and Eastern Europe Tell the Complicated Story of Life Behind the Iron Curtain
Apr 24
Overview
In the 20th century, we must contend with the single-party communist dictatorships in China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Vietnam, and Venezuela and the threats they pose to free people — and we must struggle for the freedom of the more than one billion people held captive by these regimes.
The situations in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, Crimea, Eastern Ukraine, Venezuela, and Nicaragua are perilous and tragic. The alarming reality is that the world is growing less free and Marxism is on the rise. What besides a horrible failure of education can explain the growing popularity of socialism in America today?
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) has established Studies and Program Centers to promote original academic research on historical and contemporary questions in the areas of trade, economics, foreign policy, political development, and human rights. Our research teams have worked tirelessly to teach the truth about the failures of communism, socialism, and Marxism; to pursue justice for those still striving for freedom under communist regimes; and to honor the memory of the more than 100 million victims of communism.
China Studies
To help people understand the nature of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, and key issues in U.S.-China relations, VOC supports public and private events and original academic research on historical and contemporary questions in the areas of trade and economics, foreign policy and security studies, and political development and human rights in China.
Latin America Studies and Programs
VOC’s Latin America Studies and Programs Center promotes individual freedom, respect for human rights, and democracy throughout Latin America, but especially Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Our researchers document human rights abuses, support in-region civil society and pro-democracy groups, and educate the American public and U.S. policy makers about the realities on the ground.
Poland Studies
The 20th and 21st century history of Poland can be seen as a microcosm of Western history: it is the story of freedom’s suppression by the imperial forces of Nazism and Communism and liberty’s eventual rebirth. As such, understanding Polish history can help us to understand how these competing totalitarian movements sought to suppress the free individual and how free government can be reestablished in their wake, as well as how liberty must be defended against the ideas and forces of tyranny.
