The meaning of the word "Komsomolets" is incomprehensible to the modern generation. People who found Soviet times remember very well what it means. Komsomolets is a young communist, the future leader of party cells. With the political monopoly of the CPSU, it was impossible to climb to the top of power without the Komsomol. This is the first step in the authoritarian hierarchy. About who the Komsomol members are, later in the article.
Meaning of the word
This concept came about by shortening from the name of the organization - the All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union (VLKSM). Therefore, a Komsomol member is a member of this organization.
Requirements for candidates for the Komsomol
Not everyone could become members of the Komsomol. Komsomolets is a future member of the party, 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, teenagersrarely joined the Union.
- Personal achievements. A Komsomolets is an excellent student, an activist. He always attends military-patriotic circles. It is desirable that the candidate goes through the entire ideological chain "October - Pioneer - Komsomol". Naturally, there should be only positive characteristics.
- Recommendations. It is imperative that the candidate be recommended by someone. This can be done either by a respected communist or a couple of other Komsomol members.
- Knowledge. Before acceptance, a mini-exam was conducted. The questions, of course, were known to everyone at that time: about the general secretaries of the Central Committee of the CPSU, 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 less worthy candidates were selected for the sake of numbers.
How many orders the VLKSM has, or Formalism when adopting
At the end of the era of socialism, getting into the Komsomol was easy: write an application and pass an interview. The questions were formulaic, the answers to them are simple. The most common is how many orders the Komsomol has. There were six of them. Three Orders of Lenin, the other three - the Order of the Red Banner of War, the Red Banner of Labor and the October Revolution. It was not difficult to answer other questions. For example, it was necessary to name the current Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. We think that few people today do not know the current leader of our state.
Contributions
All Komsomol members were required to pay dues. Forstudents and army men 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 fate of pre-war leaders
Komsomol was proud to be the same age as the revolution. In fact, since October 1917, youth unions have not had a 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 Worker and Peasant Youth was held.
Tragic was the fate of all the pre-war leaders of the Komsomol. Efim Tsetlin was the first to be elected. In 1937 he was shot as an "enemy of the people". During the years of Stalinist repressions, this fate befell five other pre-war leaders of the Komsomol. Of the first seven pre-war leaders of the Komsomol, only one died a natural death. It was Alexander Milchakov. He got off easy - got 17 years in the camps.
History of the Komsomol
As mentioned above, the First Congress of the RKSM was held on October 29, 1918. It lasted until November 4th. The name of the organization has changed. The RKSM soon changed its name to RLKSM (Russian Leninist Communist Youth Union), and since 1956 - VLKSM.
In 1928, the Union received the first order - the Red Banner of Battle for merits and heroism during the civil war and for repelling foreign intervention.
There were six in total: the Red Banner of Labor (1931) for the first Five-Year Plan, the October Revolution (1968), three Orders of Lenin (1945, 1948, 1956).
Except CombatRed Banner and one Order of Lenin, all other awards had the wording "for active socialist construction." There is no pathos in this. The Komsomol, indeed, raised the country from its knees: these were the first virgin lands, the Baikal-Amur Mainline was built by their hands, they built cities, factories, factories. Komsomol members were never indifferent when the "Party of Lenin" needed them. Therefore, many elderly people, former Komsomol members, so painfully perceived the collapse of the Union, the privatization of factories built by them.
At the end of September 1991, the XXII Extraordinary Congress of the Komsomol took place. On it, the organization announced its dissolution. As was said at the congress, the Union has exhausted its possibilities.
Who is a Komsomol member at the decline of socialism
In the late 80s. XX century the crisis of Soviet power was evident. Komsomol as one of the steps of a single ideological system was doomed.
The decline of the organization, as noted by the current Komsomol members, occurred already in the mid-eighties of the last century. VLKSM was compared to a beautiful wrapper, inside of which it was empty.
A Komsomol member of the era of the decline of socialism is not an exemplary young man with high moral principles. The organization took all comers. Therefore, few people thought about the moral aspect.
The role of the Komsomol for youth
What did the VLKSM mean for young people? It performed several important functions:
- Conducted the socialization of youth. For 25 years after the closure of the Komsomol, our society has not created such an organization. Komsomol foryouth was a real school, a transitional stage from youth to adulthood. The Union helped young people find themselves in life, revealed their potential.
- Served as a social elevator. Komsomol is an organization that was a forge of leading cadres. Without it, it was impossible to join the only party in the country. And without this, in turn, you can forget about the leadership position.
For what they were expelled from the organization
There were few reasons why young people were expelled from the organization, but they were serious:
- non-payment of membership fees;
- conviction;
- drunkenness;
- parasitism;
- immoral lifestyle.
Such behavior was widely reported and condemned at party meetings, Komsomol organizations, in labor collectives. In social science, this concept is called "public control".
Conclusions
We hope that we have covered this aspect. So, Komsomol members, who are they? We repeat, these are members of the Komsomol, the main youth organization in the socialist system of power. Membership could guarantee career advancement.
