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Our latest traveling exhibition, "Youth Under Dictators," will be on display in CSU Fullerton's Atrium Gallery, located in the Pollak Library, from October 3 - December 31, 2024. Please visit https://www.library.fullerton.edu/ for more information about the venue.This exhibition was inspired by a children's book of the same name. Written for American youth in 1941, Oril Brown's Youth Under Dictators describes the daily life of ordinary German and Russian children around the same age as its intended audience, following what would have been a typical day for a child living under the reigns of Hitler and Stalin.
Like this book, the "Youth Under Dictators" exhibition sheds light on what life was like for children and young adults growing up in some of the most notorious regimes of the twentieth century: the Soviet Union (and its Warsaw Pact allies) and Nazi Germany. It displays materials that played a role in the indoctrination of these young people: books and other print material (both State-approved and banned), youth uniforms, toys, propaganda, and more. Youth culture and everyday life are also shown through photographs. Finally, the exhibition considers what Americans knew about these movements, and their reactions to them.
“Youth Under Dictators” seeks to understand a phenomenon that is shared by many totalitarian societies: the control and indoctrination of the nation’s youth. In many cases, this was a central part of what made these regimes so dangerous. There is much to be learned from studying the way these societies used young people to secure, hold, and expand their power. It is our hope that, by bringing these histories to light, we can encourage a present and future of rationality, critical thinking, and social justice.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Pollak Library at CSUF, Starbucks, 800 N State College Blvd, Fullerton, CA 92831, United States,Fullerton, California
