The Atrium Gallery in Cal State Fullerton’s Pollak Library and the Regimes Museum are presenting a new exhibition on the indoctrination of youth under the age of 2 during the 20th century’s most notorious dictatorships: the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
The exhibition will run from Oct. 3 through Dec. 31, and the opening reception will take place in Pollak Library, Room 130 at 2 p.m. on Oct. 12. The exhibit and reception are free and open to students, faculty, staff and the general public.
“Youth Under Dictators” examines what life was like for young people living under Nazi and Soviet tyranny. Curated by Heather Moore, lecturer in music, and Marc Voss, founder and executive director of the Regimes Museum, the exhibition was inspired by an American children’s book from 1941 titled “Youth Under Dictators” by Oril Brown. Like this book, the exhibition explores the similarities and differences between the youth movements of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and seeks to understand what life was like for children in these tyrannical societies. It demonstrates how children in these regimes were indoctrinated into embracing harmful ideologies through material culture. From toys, books and games to uniforms and flags, these children were surrounded by politicized messaging that was intended to shape their thoughts and opinions from early on.
The last portion of the exhibition covers what the American public knew about the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany’s indoctrination of young children. Newspapers, magazines and books gave Americans glimpses of what these regimes were like and influenced public opinion, which is a rhetoric that shifted with the currents of time. The exhibition concludes with a station for personal reflection on youth indoctrination and the dangers posed by totalitarian ideologies.
Visit the Regimes Museum website to learn more.