In what year was the Komsomol founded? The history of the Komsomol, the history of my homeland

On the one hand - even in last years existence of the Soviet Komsomol, it was still the first “school of life” for many prominent politicians and businessmen modern Russia. On the other hand, this can be explained by the fact that there was simply nothing else where in the 1970-1980s a young man could realize his talents and start building a career: the one-party system did not imply any competition in the ideological field. Komsomol members of the last years of the USSR’s existence recall that era and the crisis of their organization.

Exactly 20 years ago, on September 27, 1991, the XXII Extraordinary Congress of the Komsomol began, with one single question on the agenda: “On the fate of the Komsomol.” At the end of its work, the congress declared the historical role of this organization exhausted, and it itself was dissolved. At the end of the congress (and I’m not joking), the delegates sang while standing: “I will not part with the Komsomol, I will be forever young” and began to “derib” the property of this wealthy organization.

Well, God bless them - unfortunately, we were not allowed into this “deriban”, so let’s remember each of our Komsomol (who had one, of course).

Stages of development public life any Soviet schoolchild was reminded of the stages of insect development. But if in invertebrate arthropods they proceeded in the order: egg -> larva -> pupa -> imago, then in vertebrate Soviet schoolchildren they took place in the following sequence: first-graders became October students, October students - pioneers, and pioneers, upon reaching 14 years of age, automatically turned into Komsomol members , and this was not discussed.

The rules for admission to the Komsomol were as follows: it was necessary to collect recommendations from either 1 communist or 2 experienced Komsomol members; fill out the form for admission to the Komsomol; turn in two 3x4 photographs; get a description and learn the answers to the following questions:

Who Secretary General Central Committee of the CPSU?

Who is the first secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee?

Who is your favorite Komsomol hero?

How many orders does the Komsomol have?

And what is “democratic centralism”?

(ideally, of course, it would be advisable to read the Komsomol Charter - but this is not for everyone).

The acceptance of our class into the Komsomol took place in two stages - in spring and autumn. In the spring, the Komsomol accepted the “best” (excellent and good students), in the fall the “worst” (C students and slobs, as well as those born in the summer). Naturally, I was accepted in the fall. Moreover, life had not yet “broke me down” and I loved to show off - when everyone brought recommendations from Komsomol high school students, I brought a recommendation from a Communist Hero friend Soviet Union.

After a public discussion of the candidates at the school Komsomol meeting, a gala reception took place at the district/city Komsomol committee with the presentation of tickets and badges (sometimes the gala reception was replaced by a simple presentation of a Komsomol ticket in the “Pioneer Room”).

After this action, the Soviet schoolchild received every right:

b) pay monthly Komsomol dues in the amount of 2 kopecks;

c) get bored at Komsomol meetings;

d) after school go to college.

You will say that there were those who refused to join the Komsomol: they believed in God, or they listened to the Rolling Stones. There were, of course, some. But then usually the Soviet Army was in their lives, and they didn’t care what you believed in or what you listened to. They also didn’t care about the rules for admission to the Komsomol established “in civilian life” and the soldier’s ignorance of the answers to the above questions. There, simply one fine day, during the morning formation they announced: “Private Pupkin, get out of line! Congratulations on joining the glorious ranks of the All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union! Get in line!” The warrior shouted: “I serve the Soviet Union!” and joined the multi-million ranks of Soviet Komsomol members.

But I, in the army, refused to stand in a single Komsomol formation. I hated being part of this thoroughly rotten, formalized organization into which everyone was driven en masse in pursuit of interest and reporting. I was sick of these false slogans and of Komsomol functionaries who themselves did not believe in what they were saying from high tribunes. From their showing off, careerism and hypocrisy...

No, I refused to participate in all this and in the army became a candidate member of the CPSU.

First Secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee (1986-1990). Special Advisor to USSR President M. Gorbachev. Historian, candidate of historical sciences...

The Komsomol did not collapse. His time has passed. Please note - as soon as our country began to become what it should be, it fell apart and ceased to exist. This is where you need to think and ask yourself: what happened? We need to figure out what happened to our country in the twentieth century? What started in 1905 and ended, I hope, in ’91? What was it? From a historical point of view, it is simply impossible to understand the heap of myths that shrouded the entire twentieth century. We live in a completely false coordinate system. We live in a completely mythologized historical space. It turns out that we had the first Russian revolution in 1905. Then, it turns out, there was the February bourgeois-democratic revolution. Then six months later it happens socialist revolution. What can you call the revolution that took place in 1991? Capitalist, it turns out? From my point of view as a candidate of historical sciences, this is complete nonsense.

A bourgeois-democratic revolution began in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. But it was very different from those that took place before - from the English, French, North American. All of them were in a completely different historical period. Our revolution was late, like everything else with us. It began at a time when globalization processes began to manifest themselves. Our revolution differs from all others in that, oddly enough, it turned out to be a revolution not so much for our country as a revolution for the rest of the world. All other revolutions also influenced the world, but this was an indirect influence. Our revolution had a colossal impact on the whole world. The whole world has changed. John Reed was wrong when he called the book Ten Days That Shook the World. They changed the world...

- Viktor Ivanovich, when you left your post, you lost not only your job, but also your privileges.

What privileges? What are you talking about? Sometimes today my wife points her finger around me and asks: “What privileges did you have?”

I was the head of an organization that had two billion dollars in its bank account alone. I received five hundred rubles, I had a Volga car and they also gave me coupons for a special store. Yes, there was also a clinic, from which I was immediately expelled. Now I feel fine at the district clinic. But I never even went to the Central Clinic because I was young and healthy.

- Excuse me, but where did the two billion dollars you mentioned go?

Don't know. I left them safe where they were...

In the comments I remembered that I worked in the Komsomol city committee. They asked me to tell you how it was.

Alas, there will be no dirty details in the style of the film “Regional Emergency”. In our city committee there was no drinking in saunas, ********, theft and other things that were attributed then, during the era of perestroika, to party and Komsomol functionaries. There was the usual work of organizing life and leisure in a small area - the Slobodsky district of the Kirov region.

We had four offices - the office of the First Secretary, the Second, and the accounting department with the organizational department. And I worked as acting third secretary - the position of working with student youth. In the same office as the Second. In the office there were two tables, a Yatran typewriter, I think a dozen chairs, a wardrobe and a bookcase. A! There was also a rotator - this is such crap for printing leaflets.

There was a car - either a “five” or a “Muscovite” - I don’t remember. But definitely not Volga. This miracle broke down once a week, so we often took regular buses on business trips around the region. The salary was 250 rubles. Soviet. True, in 1990-1991 there was nothing special to buy. I personally subscribed to newspapers home - dozens of them. From " Soviet Russia" to "Literature" and "Football-Hockey". Lunch in the dining room cost about a ruble. The dining room, by the way, was common to the city party committee, Komsomol, district executive committee, city executive committee and other councils.

Entrance to the dining room was free for everyone. No passes, no policemen at the entrance. And there were no pineapples in the champagne either. And there was no black caviar either. In my opinion, the food was tastier in factory canteens. There were also subsidiary farms there. Something like a collective farm at a factory. There were no special privileges, additional rations, or dachas with swimming pools. The only “privilege” that I took advantage of was taking two vacations at my own expense, going on a ski trip around the region in February and on a hiking trip in Crimea. Your own expenses). All. After working there for a year, I probably became anti-Soviet for about ten years.

Because a boy at seventeen needs a feat - to overcome himself. Previously, Komsomol members had a fight against devastation, Budennovka, OSOAVIAKHIM, war, restoration, virgin lands, BAM... We had a city KVN competition and reporting and election conferences. By the way, since then I can’t stand KVN people. Antics with forced humor and a huge superiority complex. How was the festival organized?

Very simple.

You write a statement on two pages - the topic of KVN, the jury, prizes. You print it on a rotator, smearing it with black ink. You call the secretaries of the school committees of the Komsomol. You give them a position and a pointer so that there is a command by such and such a date. Then you go to the House of Culture - for us it was the House of Culture named after. Gorky - you agree on the provision of a stage and hall for such and such a date. No money, everything is free. You buy prizes at a sporting goods store and prepare certificate forms. Persuading important people sit on the jury. Again for free. You've been calling secretaries for a month - how are they doing with their team preparation?

That's all. And where is the feat?

And constant reports to the regional committee - monthly, quarterly, annual. The main part of the report is how many new members of the Komsomol were accepted. There is a reporting and election conference in April. So many events were carried out: then they liked to call collective creative activities - KTD. How many members have been accepted? A plan for admission was lowered from above - 90% should be covered and that’s it. Well, and the indispensable Gorbachev spells - democratic centralism, glasnost, a brake on perestroika. Boredom.

By the way, I don’t remember any loud exits from the party and Komsomol here. Komsomol tickets were not burned. There were no punks or metalheads in large numbers. And those who were, at times, were Komsomol members. It seems that there was a Komsomol rock club. I even thought about opening a Komsomol video salon, where after watching the film there would be a mandatory discussion. Did not have time.

In the summer, organizing a regional activist camp, sending a delegation to the regional camp of the Komsomol activist “Spiritual” and the camp of the regional pioneer activist “Zvezdny”. There was no overarching goal of all these KTD, activist camps, reports and elections.

Everything was rolling by inertia into the abyss. But we didn't notice this. It seemed that everything was about to end. The Komsomol and the USSR are about to emerge from the crisis renewed.

Now, of course, it’s good to say from a height of years that it was necessary to do this or that. Just jump naked on Revolution Square in Slobodskoye - everything was decided not in the regional centers, but in the Kremlin and on Staraya Square. It was there that the Supergoal and Supertasks disappeared. And without them the USSR is impossible. Ask, maybe I missed something?

By the time I graduated from school, the Komsomol had almost collapsed... At the school’s annual meeting, we gave the work of the Komsomol organization an unsatisfactory assessment, it was brave! But we consoled ourselves with integrity and courage, not knowing that we were kicking a corpse. The Komsomol ceased to exist a year later. I recommend to everyone who remembers the pioneers and the Komsomol to re-watch this film - “Emergency of a regional scale.”

Also, this film is about what a person really is, namely a man. To all the men leading double life who make deals with their conscience for the sake of a career, is dedicated. The most interesting thing is when men do unseemly things, but at the same time cover up in high words: I do this for the sake of the family. Komsomol members, volunteers...

And at one time I was on this nomenklatura career ladder: “Pioneer Komsomol”, dad didn’t let me in! He hated party privileges, and believed that the only real privilege of a party member was to stand up and lead a platoon into the attack. Dad was upset that the school's squad council was meeting New Year's celebration separately from the rest of the school students. He screamed and got angry. Thanks to him, and the Kingdom of Heaven! He understood everything correctly.

From the comments.

IMHO in Komsomol (not the militarized one, but the regular one) there is positive side- young men are left without elders and take on certain matters on their own (for example, conduct cell meetings), and take responsibility themselves. Such a difference between people, that one person is a Komsomol member, and another person is just a Komsomol member, structures society. Structures. And thus contributes to its understanding.

The Komsomol helps you to remain without elders, and to do something yourself, without elders.

I was born in 1984 and I think that my childhood and youth were very much spoiled by the absence of a universal, widespread organization like the Komsomol.

I recently watched the film “Regional Emergency” (a perestroika film about how bad the Komsomol is and how much hypocrisy and lies there are in it). I liked the film. The Soviet Union is bad. Komsomol is bad. But it’s better to have a lying Komsomol than none! He, with all his deceit, gives the experience of independence, gives the experience of life without dependence on elders!

Well, the positive side of the Komsomol is not deceit, but that it would provide the opportunity to hold events without the participation of elders. By ourselves, on our own. And in my generation, no one thought about the fact that someone was entrusted with being “responsible” for what was happening in the classroom (like a Komsomol organizer is responsible). It is not the teacher who takes responsibility (as in our generation), nor the father, nor the mother, but one of the young people.

And the Komsomol pointed to moral values (which are written in the charter) - truthfulness, mutual assistance, etc. In our generation, no one said: “you must be truthful, because you are members of such and such an organization, and the members of this organization must correspond to a high moral level" We were told about morality - but it was vague, unclear. There was no argument - “BECAUSE YOU ARE MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION.” This argument could be more convincing. And special We were not given tickets, we did not pay fees. Having a ticket in your pocket and some paraphernalia could REMIND you of moral duty. And without paraphernalia it is easy to forget.

And in general, in the Komsomol Charter there are ideas that are closer to pacifism than to militarism:

Everyone’s concern for the preservation and enhancement of public wealth;

High consciousness of public duty, intolerance to violations of public interests;

Collectivism and comradely mutual assistance: each for all, all for one;

Humane relations and mutual respect between people: man is friend, comrade and brother to man;

Honesty and truthfulness, moral purity, simplicity and modesty in public and personal life;

Mutual respect in the family, concern for raising children;

Intransigence to injustice, parasitism, dishonesty, careerism, money-grubbing;

Friendship and brotherhood of all peoples of the USSR, intolerance towards national and racial hostility;

Intransigence towards the enemies of communism, the cause of peace and freedom of peoples;

Fraternal solidarity with the working people of all countries, with all peoples.

When a person is told about all this, it can help the development of critical thinking. A modern youth They just don't talk about it! And they are not given the responsibility that “you must live up to a high moral standard.” There is another anti-Soviet film - “Tomorrow there was a war.” But the Komsomol women from this film were to some extent inspired by Komsomol ideology. And this is justified in the film. They were capable of thinking - Spark, for example, could change their views under the influence of some arguments. And the Komsomol noodles on the ears did not prevent this. On the contrary, Komsomol ideology contributed to this.

On October 29, 1918, at the First All-Russian Congress of Unions of Workers' and Peasants' Youth, a decision was made to create the Russian Communist Youth Union (RCYU), which would later be renamed the All-Russian Leninist Communist Youth Union (VLKSM). This is how the history of the Komsomol in the USSR began.

After the February Revolution of 1917, youth organizations of workers began to appear, whose members were oriented towards socialist parties. On October 29, 1918, at the First All-Russian Congress of Unions of Workers' and Peasants' Youth, a decision was made to unite individual disparate unions into all-Russian organization with a single center, working under the leadership of the Bolshevik Communist Party - RKSM.

In 1924, the RKSM was named after V.I. Lenin - the Russian Leninist Communist Youth Union (RLKSM), and in March 1926 the union was renamed the All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union (VLKSM).

The initiator of the creation and the main ideologist of the Komsomol organization was V.I. Lenin. At the III All-Russian Komsomol Congress in October 1920, he read out “Tasks of Youth Unions,” which became the fundamental ideological document of the Komsomol on long years. By this time, the Komsomol had 482,000 members (in October 1918, the RKSM had 22,100 members).

Very soon after its creation, Komsomol remained the only political youth organization in the RSFSR, and then in the USSR. Through its structure it was carried out ideological education youth, political and social projects. The Komsomol was positioned as an “assistant and reserve” of the Communist Party. Under the leadership of Komsomol in 1922, the All-Union pioneer organization named after V.I. Lenin.

In 1930, the Komsomol took patronage over the general education system and initiated the creation of two-year evening schools for the illiterate. The Komsomol announced a march for young people into science. In 1928-1929 15 thousand people went to study at workers' faculties using Komsomol vouchers, 20 thousand went to training courses at universities, 30 thousand went to universities and technical schools. In 1934, the working class among students reached 48%. On the initiative of the Komsomol, a new mass form of technical training for workers was born - the technical minimum. “You can become a communist only when you enrich your memory with the knowledge of all the riches that humanity has produced,” with these words V.I. Lenin addressed the delegates of the Third Congress of the RKSM.

In 1941, there were more than 10 million Komsomol members in the USSR, and in 1977, over 36 million USSR citizens aged 14-28 years were members of the Komsomol.

In the later years of the USSR, the title of Komsomol member was actually a necessary attribute for successful career young man in USSR. The Komsomol became almost universal (over 60% of young people). This led to organizational blurring, to the fact that membership in the Komsomol ceased to be perceived as an honor and responsibility at the same time. In recent years Soviet power The Komsomol has finally turned into a bureaucratic system.

In 1989, the Lithuanian Communist Youth Union declared its independence. In the same year, the Estonian Komsomol separated. By 1990, the issue of organizational development of the Russian Komsomol was on the agenda. As a result, at the first congress of Komsomol organizations of the RSFSR, held in February 1990, the Komsomol of the RSFSR was formed, although still within the Komsomol. However, after the August events of 1991, the Central Committee sharply took a course towards liquidating the Komsomol as an All-Union organization. Everything was decided at the XXII Extraordinary Congress of the Komsomol, convened in Moscow in September 1991.

On September 27-28, 1991, the XXII Extraordinary Congress of the Komsomol was held, declaring the historical role of the Komsomol exhausted and dissolving the organization. RSM and other republican youth organizations continued to exist as independent national youth organizations of the respective republics that were part of the USSR.

The meaning of the word “Komsomolets” is unclear to the modern generation. People who saw it remember very well what it means. A Komsomol member is a young communist, the future leader of party cells. With the political monopoly of the CPSU, it was impossible to reach the top of power without the Komsomol. This is the first step in the authoritarian hierarchy. About who Komsomol members are, later in the article.

Meaning of the word

This concept came about by shortening the name of the organization - the All-Union Leninist Communist Union of Youth (VLKSM). Consequently, a Komsomol member is a member of this organization.

Requirements for candidates to the Komsomol

Not everyone could become members of the Komsomol. A Komsomol member is a future party member, the elite of society. Not every person could get here. Main criteria:

Age. Young people from 14 to 28 years old could become members of the Komsomol. In practice, teenagers rarely joined the Union.
Personal achievements. A Komsomol member is an excellent student and an activist. He always attends military-patriotic circles. It is desirable that the candidate go through the entire ideological chain “Oktyabrenok - Pioneer - Komsomol member.” Naturally, there should be only positive characteristics.
Recommendations. It is imperative that the candidate is recommended by someone. This can be done either by a respected communist, or by a couple of other Komsomol members.
Knowledge. A mini-exam was conducted before acceptance. The questions, of course, were known to everyone at that time: about the general secretaries of the CPSU Central Committee, related to the history and orders of the Komsomol, about the first secretaries of the organization, etc.

All requirements were formal. Often not followed. Sometimes, for the sake of numbers, less worthy candidates were selected.

How many orders does the Komsomol have, or formalism in acceptance

At the end of the era of socialism, getting into the Komsomol was simple: write an application and go through an interview. The questions were templates, the answers to them were simple. The most common one is how many orders the Komsomol has. There were six of them. The other three are the Order of the Red Banner of Battle, the Red Banner of Labor and October revolution. It was not difficult to answer other questions. For example, it was necessary to name the current Secretary. We think that few people today do not know the current leader of our state.

Contributions

All Komsomol members were required to pay dues. For students and army personnel the amount was two kopecks. At the prices of that time, this is two boxes of matches. For working members, the contribution was one percent of salary.

The tragic fates of pre-war leaders

The Komsomol was proud to be the same age as the revolution. In fact, since October 1917, youth unions had no single organization. The official date of formation of the Komsomol is October 29, 1918. On this day, the First All-Russian Congress of Unions of Workers' and Peasants' Youth took place.

The fate of all pre-war Komsomol leaders was tragic. Efim Tsetlin was the first to be elected. In 1937 he was shot as an “enemy of the people.” In the years Stalin's repressions This fate befell five other pre-war leaders of the Komsomol. Of the first seven pre-war Komsomol leaders, only one died of natural causes. It was Alexander Milchakov. He got off “easy” - he received 17 years in the camps.

History of the Komsomol

As mentioned above, the First Congress of the RKSM took place on October 29, 1918. It lasted until November 4. The name of the organization changed. RKSM soon changed its name to RLKSM (Russian Leninist Communist Youth Union), and since 1956 - Komsomol.

In 1928, the Union received its first order - the Battle Red Banner for merits and heroism during the civil war and for repelling foreign intervention.

There were six of them in total: the Red Banner of Labor (1931) for the October Revolution (1968), three Orders of Lenin (1945, 1948, 1956).

Apart from the Red Banner of Battle and one Order of Lenin, all other awards had the wording “for active socialist construction.” There is no pathos in this. The Komsomols, indeed, raised the country from its knees: these were the first virgin lands, with their hands the Baikal-Amur Mainline was built, they built cities, Komsomol members were never indifferent when the “Lenin Party” needed them. That is why many elderly people, former Komsomol members, were so sensitive to the collapse of the Union and the privatization of factories built by their hands.

At the end of September 1991, the XXII Extraordinary Congress of the Komsomol took place. There, the organization announced its self-dissolution. As stated at the congress, the Union has exhausted its capabilities.

Who is a Komsomol member at the end of socialism?

At the end of the 80s. In the twentieth century, the crisis of Soviet power was evident. The Komsomol as one of the stages of a unified ideological system was doomed.

The decline of the organization, as noted by current Komsomol members, occurred already in the mid-eighties of the last century. The Komsomol was compared to a beautiful wrapper, inside of which there was nothing.

A Komsomol member of the era of the decline of socialism is not an exemplary young man with high moral principles. Everyone was accepted into the organization. Therefore, few people thought about the moral aspect.

The role of the Komsomol for youth

What did the Komsomol mean to young people? It performed several important functions:

Conducted socialization of youth. For 25 years after the closure of the Komsomol, our society has not created similar organization. The Komsomol for young people was a real school, a transitional stage from youth to adulthood. The Union helped young people find themselves in life and revealed their potential.
Acted as a social elevator. Komsomol is an organization that was a forge of leadership personnel. Without her it was impossible to join the only party in the country. And without this, in turn, you can forget about a leadership position.

Why were they expelled from the organization?

The reasons why young people were expelled from the organization were few, but they were serious:

non-payment of membership fees;
criminal record;
drunkenness;
parasitism;
immoral lifestyle.

Such behavior was widely publicized and condemned at party meetings, Komsomol organizations, and labor collectives. In social science, this concept is called “social control.”

conclusions

We hope that we have covered this aspect. So, Komsomol members, who are they? Let us repeat, these are members of the Komsomol, the main youth organization in the socialist system of power. Membership could guarantee career advancement.

The Komsomol organization, celebrating its 90th anniversary on October 29, ended its existence almost 20 years ago, but its anniversary is celebrated on a grand scale throughout the country.

The All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union (VLKSM) is a youth socio-political organization created at the 1st All-Russian Congress of Unions of Workers' and Peasants' Youth on October 29 - November 4, 1918.

The congress united disparate youth unions into an all-Russian organization with a single center, working under the leadership of the Russian Communist Party. At the congress, the basic principles of the program and the charter of the Russian Communist Youth Union (RCYU) were adopted. The theses approved by the congress stated: “The Union sets itself the goal of spreading the ideas of communism and involving worker and peasant youth in the active construction of Soviet Russia.”

In July 1924, RKSM was named after V.I. Lenin and it became known as the Russian Leninist Communist Youth Union (RLKSM). In connection with the formation of the USSR (1922), the Komsomol in March 1926 was renamed the All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union (VLKSM).

From the Komsomol Charter: “The Komsomol is an amateur public organization, uniting in its ranks the broad masses of advanced Soviet youth. Komsomol is an active assistant and reserve of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. True to Lenin’s precepts, the Komsomol helps the party educate youth in the spirit of communism, involve them in the practical construction of a new society, and prepare the generation comprehensively developed people who will live, work and manage public affairs under communism. The Komsomol works under the leadership of the Communist Party and is an active implementer of party directives in all areas of communist construction.”

According to the Komsomol Charter, boys and girls aged 14 to 28 were accepted into the Komsomol. Primary organizations of the Komsomol were created at enterprises, collective farms, state farms, educational institutions, institutions, units Soviet army and the fleet. Higher governing body Komsomol - All-Union Congress; all work of the Union between congresses was led by the Central Committee of the Komsomol, which elects the Bureau and Secretariat.

The history of the Komsomol was inextricably linked with the history of the USSR. Komsomol members were active participants Civil War 1918-1920 in the ranks of the Red Army. In commemoration of military merits, the Komsomol was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1928.

For his initiative in socialist competition, the Komsomol was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1931.

For outstanding services to the Motherland at the front and in the rear during the Great Patriotic War 3.5 thousand Komsomol members were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 3.5 million Komsomol members were awarded orders and medals; The Komsomol was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1945.

For the work that the Komsomol put into restoring what was destroyed by the Nazi invaders National economy, Komsomol in 1948 was awarded the second Order of Lenin.

Behind Active participation in the development of virgin and fallow lands of the Komsomol in 1956 he was awarded the third Order of Lenin.

In 1968, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Lenin Komsomol, the Komsomol was awarded the Order of the October Revolution.

Over the entire history of the Komsomol, more than 200 million people passed through its ranks.

In September 1991, the XXII Extraordinary Congress of the Komsomol considered the political role of the Komsomol as a federation of communist youth unions to be exhausted and announced the self-dissolution of the organization.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

The largest parties in many countries of the world have a youth wing. This practice is especially common in parties that merge with the state apparatus and serve as the support of an authoritarian society. Under the only party of the Soviet Union, there was also a youth organization - the Komsomol.

Unions of working youth

The formation of unions, which later became the basis of the Komsomol, began soon after February Revolution. In Petrograd, and later in other cities of Russia, the Socialist Unions of Working Youth (SSRM) were formed under the party cells of the RSDLP(b). By October 1917, the number of such unions was so large that it was necessary to create a coordinating body for them. Three days after the October Revolution, the founding congress of working youth unions began in Petrograd, which proclaimed the creation of the Russian Communist Youth Union (RKSM).

The first years of the RKSM and Komsomol

At the beginning of its existence, the RKSM was not a general organization. It united only people truly devoted to the Bolshevik ideology. However, by 1922, membership in the Komsomol was already a mandatory sign of loyalty to the authorities, and by the early thirties it became almost universal in the cities. The path to the Komsomol was closed to youth with “class-hostile” origins and representatives religious sects. Expulsion from the Komsomol guaranteed to lead to loss of career prospects and exclusion from higher education.

After Lenin's death, the Komsomol was named after him. At the same time, the organization transformed from Russian to All-Union. This is how the famous abbreviation Komsomol appeared. Until 1943, Komsomol was part of Communist International youth, which is why the first Komsomol badges bear the inscription KIM. Only after the war was it replaced by the name all-union organization.

Komsomol tasks

People were accepted into the Komsomol at the age of 14, and membership in the union was terminated at the age of 28. Naturally, it was the Komsomol members who were the most active part of the population of the USSR. When implementing any government initiatives, the country's main youth organization was at the forefront. In the thirties, the Komsomol took patronage over educational schools that eliminated illiteracy. In the countryside, Komsomol members became the main promoters of the unification of peasant farms into collective farms.

Many Komsomol members underwent active physical training, passed the GTO standards, shooting and topography standards. The skills of Komsomol members were useful during the Great Patriotic War. Thousands of Komsomol members showed heroism at the front. In the occupied territories, Komsomol members formed the basis of underground organizations. At least one of them, the “Young Guard” in the city of Krasnodon, consisted entirely of Komsomol members.

Activities of the Komsomol in the post-war years

After the war, the Komsomol remained the support of the Communist Party. But the nature of interaction between the Komsomol and the CPSU has changed. Paramilitary organizations and Komsomol propaganda detachments were replaced by large-scale projects for the development of the Asian part of the USSR. The first such project was the development of virgin lands. It was followed by a number of Komsomol construction projects: Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, Volzhsky Automobile Plant and the famous Baikal-Amur Mainline. Gradually, membership in the Komsomol turned into a mere formality. In 1989, the norm according to which a Komsomol reference was required for admission to a university was abolished.

In the party apparatus, voices were growing louder about the need to reform the Komsomol. In 1990, the Komsomol members of Estonia and Lithuania left the all-Union organization. After the August putsch, the Komsomol dissolved itself. Today in Russia there are several revived Komsomol movements, both independent and belonging to various left-wing parties. But none of them can compare with the Komsomol of the Soviet era in terms of the scale of their activities.