Swampoodle in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Victims of Communism Memorial
National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C.
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
“These voices cry out to all, and they’re legion,” President George W. Bush, June 12, 2007
The Victims of Communism Memorial enshrines the more than 100 million men, women, and children struck down by 20th century totalitarian communist regimes.
Communist leaders attracted countless millions throughout the world with their “big lie” promises of a classless, egalitarian society free of poverty and oppression. But in fact communist dictators wielded centralized authority and employed brutal measures to crush all those who rebelled against the suppression of their freedoms.
Imprisonment and executions were used with devastating effect as were deportation, famine, and forced labor. Millions of innocents died in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Memories of their sacrifice endure in the hearts and minds of families and friends.
The memorial offers no image of repression or despair. Rather, it features a universally recognized symbol of hope inspired by the “Goddess of Democracy” statue erected by

By Richard E. Miller, September 25, 2010
2. Victims of Communism Memorial
The estimated deaths from communism over thirty nations on four continents are staggering. They include: U.S.S.R., 20 million; China, 65 million; Vietnam, 1 million; North Korea, 2 million; Cambodia, 2 million; Eastern Europe, 1 million; Latin American, 150,000; Africa, 1.7 million; Afghanistan, 1.5 million; the international communist movement and Communist parties not in power, 19,000. (The Black Book of Communism. Harvard University Press, 1999)
Erected 2007 by Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation; National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • War, Cold.
Location. 38° 53.909′ N, 77° 0.723′ W. Marker is in Swampoodle in Washington, District of Columbia. Memorial is on Massachusetts Avenue Northwest east of New Jersey Avenue Northwest, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 707 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. U.S. Reservation 196 (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Original Adas Israel Synagogue (approx.
0.2 miles away); On This Corner ... (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lillian and Albert Small Jewish Museum (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cristoforo Colombo (approx. 0.2 miles away); Famine-Genocide in Ukraine (approx. 0.2 miles away); Second Baptist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); All Aboard! (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Swampoodle.
More about this memorial.
[Photo captions, lower middle :]
“Hungarians burn a Stalin portrait, November 1956"
“An angry Khmer Rouge soldier”
“A raft of Cuban refugees is rescued, August 1994"
“Goddess of Democracy” [Tienanmen Square, 1989]
Also see . . . Victims of Communism Memorial. (Submitted on September 26, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
Additional keywords. Thomas Marsh, sculptor.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2010. This page has been viewed 1,127 times since then and 6 times this year. Last updated on August 10, 2020, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 26, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 1, 2020, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.