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Description

“Captive Nations” was the term used to describe nations under Communist domination, primarily Soviet domination. The tradition continues today describing nations under non-democratic regimes.

As part of the United States Cold War strategy, Captive Nations Week was officially established in 1959 to educate the public of the plight of these nations. The week was traditionally proclaimed for the third week in July.

The Library considers the following countries from the 1980s as meeting the definition of “captive nations”: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. Also included are the Baltic nations: Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. Minority regions with a strong nationalist tradition are also included such as: Armenia, Byelorussia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Ukraine.

Last Updated: 07/05/2022 08:16PM

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Soviet Union

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