22 research outputs found
Youthful Internationalism in the Age of âSocialism in One Countryâ: Komsomol'tsy, Pioneers and âWorld Revolutionâ in the Interwar Period
This article examines the complex and multifaceted engagement of young Soviet communists with the idea of revolutionary internationalism and international solidarity in the interwar period. In spite of the introduction of the official doctrine of âSocialism in One Countryâ and the ritualization of internationalism in in the 1920s, youth activists continued to encounter the powerful charismatic idea of âworld revolutionâ. Moscowâs central role in the Communist International and developments in Asia and Europe meant that the members of the Pioneer organization and the Komsomol had to engage with revolutionary events abroad through the official discourse as well as through their leagueâs practices. The article seeks to reveal the interplay and tensions between the Komsomolâs official rhetoric and policies concerning its leading role in the international communist youth movement and the idiosyncratic revolutionary identities and beliefs of young activists. By examining the shifting rhetoric and realities in expressions and enactments of international solidarity by young communists, the paper will question the potency of the idea of ârevolutionary internationalismâ amongst the communist youth movement and its significance in the intergenerational discourse