Through children's stories: the "Time to Remember" exhibition has opened in Dnipro.

The Dnipro National Historical Museum has launched an exhibition titled "Time to Remember: Children and Society Under Totalitarian Regimes," as reported by a correspondent from "Vidomo."

This exhibition, focusing on the tragic yet significant aspects of history from the 1920s to the 1950s, introduces visitors to the impact of totalitarian regimes on individual and societal consciousness, particularly on the mindset of children raised amidst state propaganda and separation from family.

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The exhibition, which is open to the public, provides a unique opportunity to view photographs, documents, and artifacts from that era. Among the exhibits are rare archival materials that illustrate how ordinary people became part of the repressive system by carrying out criminal orders.

89 "We have held such exhibitions multiple times, but today we have made it even more expansive, incorporating various materials, documents, and memories. For the first time, we are presenting them at this exhibition," museum representatives noted.

The importance of this theme is emphasized in the context of the current war and the struggle for the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories. Especially during this challenging time, as we witness the events occurring in Ukraine, we realize that the rhetoric from the era of totalitarianism is repeating itself today.

"They wonder why we resist now. But we know and remember the crimes of the totalitarian regime," added Tatyana Tsymlyakova, head of the Department of Ukrainian History for the period from 1914 to 1945.

0 Visitors will learn how morality and behavior were shaped under totalitarian regimes, and understand how children, raised in isolation from their families, became carriers of the ideology imposed by the state.

"Children in that system were raised on false information, becoming tools of power in its hands. We invited representatives from the Dnipro region since we have many materials specifically about this area. Today, we welcomed students from School No. 105. The preparation of documents and materials took about a year, while the exhibition itself was set up in just two weeks," shared Iryna Reva, a researcher at the Dmytro Yavornytsky National Historical Museum.

1 Special attention is given to the study of the phenomenon of homo soveticus, where individuals ceased to be authors of their actions and became mere parts of the system. The exhibition presents examples of "heroic deeds" by young pioneers from the 1930s, commemorative badges of GPU-NKVD employees, texts of denunciations and anonymous letters, as well as revealing the lives of secret agents and informants of that time.

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"My school's gymnasium invited us to this exhibition. I was very curious to learn how people lived in the past, as it is crucial for understanding our present. It is very important that the children here today had the opportunity to learn new things and understand how people lived before. I was struck by how people survived in those conditions and how they adapted to the difficulties of that time," added gymnasium student Yulia.

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The exhibition is aimed at high school students, university students, and anyone interested in history and the consequences of totalitarian regimes.

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