WASHINGTON, D.C.—Millions were liberated from totalitarianism after the fall of the Soviet Union but the shadow of total domination by the State continues to haunt the modern world. More than 20 percent of the world’s people today live under authoritarian regimes that draw on the totalitarian legacy.
Even in the West, totalitarian ideas still influence the thinking of a section of the population as manifested by the curtailing of academic freedom. Totalitarian regimes and ideologues masked their intentions with ideological slogans, which is why people under their control in the twentieth century rallied to them often only to become the first victims, and also why their ideas continue to appeal particularly to younger generations.
The Remembrance Society (TRS) is dedicated to documenting and exposing the crimes of totalitarianism and to raising awareness about present totalitarian dangers. Our organization will publish materials and curricular resources, advocate for the adoption by schools of courses on the history of totalitarianism and materials commemorating the victims, promote the legacy of critical historical and intellectual leaders including Hannah Arendt and Vaclav Havel, and partner with organizations united in our mission to keep memory alive and advance liberty.
TRS is fortunate to have among its leadership some of the world’s foremost experts on the history of totalitarianism in the twentieth century, as well as leaders distinguished and diverse in their experience from business to government to education and advocacy.
Founding TRS Chairman and Trustee The Honorable Don Ritter has engaged in the fight against communism for over forty years as an activist, businessman, member of the U.S. Congress, and 20-year Board Member and Trustee Emeritus of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Mr. Ritter issued the following statement:
“Starting with my life experience in the Soviet Union, I have been dedicated to exposing the brutal and deadening nature of communism. Over decades, I have worked to combat their efforts to invade, subvert and control the unwilling. I am proud to lead the work of TRS to document the crimes of totalitarianism, expose truth, advance awareness, advocate for liberty and perhaps most importantly, emphasize the legacy of totalitarianism in today’s world.
Founding TRS Vice Chairman, Trustee, and Director of Education Programs David Satter is one of the most respected experts on the history of the Soviet Union, where he lived as a correspondent for the London Financial Times for six years and actively sought out Soviet citizens to document their accounts on the Soviet totalitarian system. Based on this extensive research, he has already published six books on Russia and the Soviet Union, including Russia: It Was a Long Time Ago and It Never Happened Anyway: Russia and the Communist Past (Yale, 2011); Age of Delirium: the Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union (Knopf, 1996; paperback, Yale 2001); and Darkness at Dawn: the Rise of the Russian Criminal State (Yale 2003). Mr. Satter issued the following statement:
“Unfortunately, a knowledge of the history of totalitarian regimes is sadly lacking in the West. This is why educating students and commemorating totalitarianism’s victims is so important. True knowledge creates an important barrier in the way of those who seek unlimited power and are indifferent to the cost in human lives. By reaffirming the value of those who were killed, it can also help guide political choices necessary for a better future.”
TRS Trustee Maximo Alvarez is President of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors Inc, one of the largest gasoline distributors in Florida. He was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to the United States at thirteen as part of Operation Pedro Pan. Mr. Alvarez issued the following statement:
“My family has fled totalitarianism and communism more than once. I heard the promises of Fidel Castro and I will never forget all those who grew up around me—who looked like me, who suffered, starved, and died because they believed the empty promises of these regimes. Those empty promises and ideas are being repeated here in America today—young Americans must be educated about the truth of totalitarian ideology, and why the system of government and liberty that sets America apart must be respected and protected.”
TRS Trustee Ambassador Martin Palouš is a Senior Fellow at Florida International University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and Director of SIPA’s Václav Havel Center for Human Rights and Diplomacy Initiative. He was elected to the Czechoslovakian Federal Assembly in 1990 and became a member of its Foreign Affairs Committee and then served under President Václav Havel as the Czech Ambassador to the United States. Ambassador Palouš is one of the original signers of Charter 77, a document signed in Czechoslovakia in 1977 that demanded the communist government respect human rights, he served as spokesman for the group and was also a founding member of the Civic Forum. Amb. Palous issued the following statement:
“Totalitarianism remains with us as the greatest threat and the greatest temptation for those who are, and eventually will be, endowed in the current world with power. As such we all have now our personal, but at the same time universal responsibility to resist the totalitarian threat, to keep our societies open, to preserve our democracies against their totalitarian enemies, to guard the openness of our world that has acquired the planetary dimensions in the 21st century. Because what is at stake today is the same as what was always at stake in the whole history of mankind: to maintain in it that element of freedom which still is the very essence of our humanity.”
Founding TRS Executive Director and Trustee Kristina Olney has directed nonprofit human rights and foreign policy advocacy for the past decade, and mostly recently served as the Director of Government Relations for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Ms. Olney issued the following statement:
“I am honored to direct this organization bringing together the most courageous and dedicated partners and scholars to expose, document, and advance the truth about totalitarian tyranny. Educating people about the crimes of totalitarian regimes is the only way to prevent the totalitarian horrors of the twentieth century from being repeated. The fight for human freedom against totalitarian oppression is still being waged every day, and we are committed to standing for truth, memory, and liberty.”
