Translation; LENIN CHECKING VLKSM.
Russian; Leninskaya Poverka VLKSM.
The Komsomol was the senior group within the All-Union Leninist Communist League of Youth (Communist Youth) for children between the ages of fourteen to twenty eight. The organisation formed in 1918 for the aim of teaching Communist theories and practices to the new generation of Communist party members. However, the group also promoted heath, sport and community activities – very much like the young Bulgarian Chevdarches in a similar format to the Scouts.
During the October Revolution and the five years of civil war, many different youth groups were in operation and were involved in the riots and unrest until they were condensed into the Communist Youth. Earlier phases included the Little Octobrists and Pioneers; both stepping stones into the Komsomol and Communist Party.
(Above) A Komsomol poster reading, ‘Long Live the Komsomol Generation! Stalin’. This propaganda poster portrays the respected occupations that a Komsomol member was expected to strive for, including roles in the Soviet Navy, aviation, students of the academy’s and mining, with Stalin representing the father/authority figure to whom the young Communists should admire, and aspire to work for.
Although Komsomol membership was not mandatory, those who did not join were less favored in applications for work, and less likely to be sponsored/aided through education and holiday trips. A forced stigma was placed on individuals who were not seen as supportive or involving; during Stalin’s time of power membership drastically rose in numbers.
(Above) Membership card for a Komsomol member in 1986.
Vladimir Lenin’s image is used on the Komsomol badge, and used in the other groups under the Communist Youth in Russia, as he was forever idolized as the revolutionary who freed a struggling nation and brought forth the empowering social reform of Communism; therefor his image is used on so many pieces of Soviet propaganda, less they forget that it was he who molded a new country and state of ‘equality’.
Cyrillic pins 