October 29 - Birthday of the Komsomol
On Saturday, the All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union (VLKSM), an organization, turns 104 years old.
In the Soviet Union, Komsomol, being a mass organization, had a colossal influence in all spheres of the country's life: industry and the economy, education and science, culture and art, sports and leisure. In every institution, enterprise and power departments, there was always a primary organization of the Komsomol. Boys and girls aged 14 to 28 could become Komsomol members. The Komsomol had its own print media, including the all-Union newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. The Komsomol was the hope and pride of the Soviet people. Millions of young patriots, active builders of society, grew up in its ranks. In difficult times, Komsomol members proved their love for the people and their homeland.
Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, about 1 million members of the Komsomol became "Voroshilov shooters", more than 5 million passed the standards of the military topography and other military specialties.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, hundreds of thousands of Komsomol members, without waiting for summonses, volunteered for the Red Army and the people's militia, became the "Young Guard" and "Young Avengers". Special units of Komsomol girls numbered in their ranks more than 200 thousand machine gunners, snipers, doctors.
Of the eleven thousand Heroes of the Soviet Union, three and a half thousand were Komsomol members.
Three and a half million Komsomol members were awarded orders and medals.
Komsomol heroes - Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Lyubov Shevtsova, Oleg Koshevoy, Alexander Matrosov, Liza Chaikina and many thousands of others have been and remain permanent symbols of love for their country.
Under the auspices of the Komsomol, mass children's organizations of pioneers and Octoberists were created.
During the Great Patriotic War, many Soviet pioneers took part in hostilities and fought in partisan detachments. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to six pioneers: Lenya Golikov, Marat Kazei, Valya Kotik, Zina Portnova, Shura Chekalin and Borya Tsarikov.
For the exploits committed during the years of the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars, as well as successes in the development of the national economy of the country, the Komsomol in 1928-1968 was awarded 6 orders.
Komsomol members made an invaluable contribution to the restoration of the country destroyed by the war, the development of virgin lands, the construction of the BAM and other "shock Komsomol construction projects." Over 160 million people passed through the ranks of the Komsomol in 73 years. For example, in 1977 alone, more than 36 million young people of all nations and nationalities of the USSR were members of the Komsomol.