"Be ready!" and the answer is “Always ready!” - these words are familiar and understandable for people of the older generation, whose childhood was still in the Soviet Union. After all, this is how the motto of the pioneers sounded in an abbreviated version.
How it all began
The basis for the formation of pioneers was the scout movement that already existed in Russia, formed before the revolution (1917), the purpose of which was to unite young people and educate worthy and responsible citizens of the country.
The network of children's organizations numbered about 50,000 scouts. During the Civil War, they created units of "young policemen" who helped search for homeless children. Scouts also provided various assistance to the population.
In parallel with traditional scouting, a new direction appeared in the country: "YUK" (young communists) - scouts who sought to combine the foundations of the movement with communist ideology. However, the new youth formation - the Komsomol - seeing rivals in scouting, decided from himget rid of. At the Congress of the RKSM (1919), the "YuK" was accused of taking a formal approach to the question of the communist upbringing of children, but in fact propagandizing "bourgeois scoutism." As a result, it was decided to disband all existing units.
Creation of the All-Union Pioneer Organization
However, very soon the issue of creating a children's communist organization had to return. This happened after a speech at the next bureau of the Central Committee of the RKSM by the wife of V. I. Lenin - N. Krupskaya. She urged the leaders of the Komsomol to think about creating a children's community, which includes a scout uniform with a communist content.
Soon a commission was created, which included Innokenty Zhukov, who in the past held a leading position in the Russian Scout society. It was he who suggested calling the members of the new children's organization "pioneers".
Pioneers were required to wear a red tie and a white blouse (scouts have both in green). The motto "Be ready!" - "Always ready!" also borrowed from scouts. In addition, the pioneer organization retained the inherent forms of scouting: game forms of education, division into groups headed by counselors, as well as campfire gatherings. The lily with three petals depicted on the badge of the Scouts was replaced by the pioneers with three flames.
During 1922, pioneer detachments began to be organized throughout the country from small villages to large cities. And in October, the Fifth Congress of the RKSM passedthe decision to unite them all into one communist organization for children, calling it “Young Pioneers. Spartacus. However, after the death of the “leader of the proletariat” (1924), she was given the name of Lenin. And since March 1926, the pioneers received the official name - the All-Union Pioneer Organization named after V. I. Lenin.
The structure of the pioneers in the USSR
The All-Union Pioneer Organization named after V. I. Lenin was an association of republican, regional, regional, city and district divisions, the basis of which was the squad.
Squads were created directly in schools, orphanages and boarding schools. If more than twenty people were recruited in them, then they were allowed to be divided into detachments, which should have included at least three pioneers. Traditionally, detachments were created from children of the same age, exceptions were allowed for pioneer camps and orphanages.
Teams, in which fifteen people were recruited, were divided into units, at the head of which was placed a unit, elected at the general meeting.
In fact, the squads united the pioneers of one educational institution (school, boarding school, orphanage), and the squads, respectively, of the same class.
Innovations of the 80s
In the 1980s, the structure of the pioneers of the USSR changed a little. Senior pioneers appeared - a link preparing to join the Komsomol. They wore a special badge, in which there were elements of the Komsomol. In addition, they were allowed to wear an “adult” instead of a pioneer tie.
Leading the organization
The management of the All-Union Pioneer Organization was carried out by the Komsomol (VLKSM), which was directly subordinate to the CPSU. According to the same scheme, management was built in separate divisions of the "young Leninists" (schools, orphanages, boarding schools). All chairmen, deputies and secretaries of the Pioneer councils, from the Central to the district, were approved at the relevant Komsomol plenums.
Committees of the Komsomol trained senior leaders for the pioneer squads, selecting and training them, and also engaged in further improvement of their qualifications.
Self-government among the pioneers
Each squad, detachment or link had its own governing body, called the collection. The function of gathering the detachment included the acceptance of candidates for pioneers. He also recommended the most worthy "young Leninists" to be accepted into the ranks of the Komsomol. Although, in the end, almost all members of the organization joined the Komsomol, since in the Soviet period it was very difficult to build a successful further career without the title of Komsomol member.
As for the larger pioneer organizations, ranging from regional and ending with the All-Union, here the so-called pioneer rallies were a form of self-government. True, they met only periodically. So, republican and all-Union rallies took place once in a five-year plan, city and regional meetings - every two or three years.
How they were accepted as pioneers
Children aged 9 to 14 inclusive could voluntarily join the pioneers. It would be more accurate to say - voluntarily -forced.
Before becoming a member of the pioneer organization, the candidate underwent some training. He got acquainted with its history, the exploits of the pioneer heroes committed during the years of the war with Germany, memorized the "Pioneer's Solemn Promise". In addition, the meaning of the distinctive symbols was explained to him.
As a rule, the date of the next admission to the organization was summed up under some communist holidays. The event was held in a festive atmosphere. But beforehand, the reception took place individually through voting at the gathering of the detachment or squad, where the candidate's readiness to bear the title of "pioneer" was assessed. It was like a kind of exam. After passing this test, the future Leninist actually became a pioneer, but he could wear a pioneer badge with a red tie only after their festive presentation. It took place on the general line. In the same place, he gave the "Pioneer's Solemn Promise".
In a word, the entry procedure was quite lengthy and thorough. Therefore, everyone who went through it remembered for the rest of their lives how they were accepted as pioneers.
The Solemn Promise and the Laws of the Pioneers
Before a new member of the organization was tied with a red pioneer tie, he had to give a solemn promise at a general formation (line at a school, boarding school, etc.), in which he pledged to serve the cause of the CPSU, love the Motherland and observe the laws of the pioneers.
They were based on all the best that I would like to seecountry in the younger generation: the desire to defend their homeland from the enemy, fight for peace, strive to become a member of the Komsomol and be an example for kids (October). In addition, try to be a good friend, treat elders with respect, and, of course, take an active part in the life of the pioneer organization.
As you know, the Soviet system assigned a special role to the mass propaganda of communism. Songs, posters, banners, slogans at that time could be found at every step. Pioneers could not stand aside: the motto of the pioneers is a vivid example of this. When pronouncing it, the young Leninist raised his arm bent at the elbow to his head, giving the so-called "pioneer salute", which, in the end, became a generally accepted gesture of mutual greeting among the members of the organization.
Motto of the Pioneers
The pioneer motto consisted of two parts: an invocation and a response.
The call was as follows: "Pioneer, be ready to fight for the cause of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union!" And then the answer followed: "Always ready." But in its full version, the text was usually pronounced only on solemn occasions or at general gatherings or gatherings. In everyday life, the motto was pronounced in an abbreviated version: "Be ready!" - "Always ready!".
Pioneer form, symbols and paraphernalia
The traditional pioneer uniform coincided with the school one, but at the same time it was necessarily supplemented with generally accepted symbols - a scarlet tie and a pioneer badge. To participate in ceremonial events, a red cap was put on the head.
Each individual squad had its own "pioneer room", which had a special place for storing paraphernalia: squad banner, horns (wind instrument), drums, flags, which were used to open and close important and solemn internal organizational events.
Well, since in the Soviet Union a special place was given to discipline, and the younger generation learned to walk in formation literally from kindergarten, pioneer organizations even had their own traditions in this regard. Every year, among the detachments, "reviews of the system and songs" were held. On them, the jury evaluated drill training, pioneer chants read out during the passage, and how harmoniously and harmoniously the drill song is performed.
In a word, if you do not take into account the political background, the pioneer organization played a crucial role in the upbringing of children. Literally everything, from the motto of the pioneers to the uniform, set the youth on self-discipline and the desire for self-improvement, as well as respect for the elders and love for the Motherland. In a word, the pioneer was an example for all Soviet guys.
