Komsomol

Komsomol isportmanteau word, fromrussian Kommunisticheski Soyuz Molodezhi, or Communist UnionYouth. The organisation served asyouth wing ofCommunist Party ofSoviet Union (CPSU),youngest members being fourteen years old,eldest beingtheir mid twenties. Younger children could joinallied Pioneers organisation.

Komsomol had little direct influence onCommunist Party,sogovernment ofsoviet union, but asmechanismteachingvalues ofCPSU inyoung,as an organintroducingyoung topolitical domain, Komsomol fulfilled an important roleSoviet government. Alongthese purposes,organisation served ashighly mobile poollabourpolitical activism, withabilitymoveareashigh-priority at short notice. Members received privilegesprefermentpromotion. For example, Yuri Andropov, CPSU General Secretary forshort time following Brezhnyev reached political heights by means ofKomsomol organisationKarelia. At its height, in1970's, Komsomol had tensmillionsmembers; around two thirds ofpresent adult populationRussiabelievedhave once beenmember.

Duringrevolution,Bolsheviks showed no interestestablishing or maintainingyouth wing. However, by 1918first Congress was held underpartonage ofBolshevik Party, despiteorganisations having not entirely coincident membership or beliefs. Bytime ofsecond Congress,year later, however,Bolsheviks had,effect, taken control oforganisation,it was soon formally established asyouth wing ofparty. Inearly years,organisation borenumbernames, including: RKSM, RLKSM, VLKSM, all acronymns.

However, underreformsMikhail Gorbachev Perestroika (restructuring) was accompanied by Glasnost (openness), which revealed Komsomol as an organisation out-of-touchmodern youth,no longer serving their interests,calibreKomsomol leadership was low,these,other, structural problems could no longer be hidden innew, more open, atmosphere. Komsomol hadbeenhavenconservatismbureaucracy,had always been largely politically impotent, properties then at odds withtimes. Atradical Twentieth Congress ofKomsomolrules oforganisation were massively alteredreflectmore market-oriented approach. Unfortunately,reforms oftwentieth congress eventually destroyedorganisation, not withbang, but withwhimper,fragmentation,lackclarity-of-purpose, andwaninginterest, membershipcalibremembership -- there was simply no longerneed fororganisation.