The education of true believers? Soviet youth in the 1920s

Abstract

After the October Revolution of 1917, one of the primary aims of the Bolshevik Party was the creation of the “New Soviet Man and Woman.” In the view of the Party, young people, who were presumably more malleable and less influenced by the country’s tsarist past, were the most logical group to become this new Soviet person. This thesis examines the relationship between the Bolshevik Party and young people in the 1920s. It discusses the methods the Party took to influence young people, including the restructuring of the country’s school system, the creation of a national youth organization, the Communist League of Youth (Komsomol), and the development of recreational and leisure activities intended to teach youth the values and behaviours appropriate to Communists. It also examines the experiences of youth under the regime, with attention paid to the different experiences had by urban youth as opposed to rural youth, and young men as distinct from young women. Finally, the thesis attempts to assess the degree to which the Bolshevik Party was successful in creating believers among young people.