Once every four years, in the fall, in October, the Festival of Youth and Students takes place. The event is organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth. This name does not say anything to many. However, this organization has a long history. It was an outpost of the information war of the USSR against imperialist powers.
What is the world organization of democratic youth
The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDF) is an organization that includes millions of people around the world. The main condition is that they must share the ideals of freedom, equality and fraternity, have the desire to build a just society throughout the world and in each individual country.
Initially, the WFDM was created as a counterweight to the Western, capitalist ideology. She called on young people to fight against the imperialist threat of Western countries in relation to the rest of the world. She also opposed racial discrimination. It is no coincidence that the emblem of the federation depicts representatives of three races: the European, Negroid and Mongoloid.
In the first years after its creation, it included more than 100 million people from 115 states. At the same time, the USSR had the greatest influence in the organization, since it was created at the expense and with the information support of the Soviet Union. And although with the collapse of the USSR, funding for the International Federation of Democratic Youth fell sharply, it still works. Congresses and conferences are held annually, and a festival takes place.
Organization History
The World Federation of Democratic Youth was established on November 10, 1945 in London. Up to this point, various left-wing organizations existed, but they did not have such mass character and influence. The federation created in London included representatives from the USSR - the Komsomol and the Committee of Youth Organizations. It reached its peak in 1985, when 250 organizations from 115 countries of the world were united in it, and the number of members was over 100 million people.
After the collapse of the USSR, the Federation experienced a serious crisis, but did not stop its work. The headquarters of the World Federation of Democratic Youth was moved to Budapest. According to the latest data, it hosts representatives of 85 youth organizations from 65 countries, including Russia. The Federation periodically holds Youth and Student Festivals in different countries. In 2017, the Festival of Youth and Students was held in Russia.
Goals and objectives of the federation
Since the creation of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, its main goal has been - this is a world revolution. In the struggle for world revolution and the construction of a new just society based on Marxism-Leninism, the Soviet Union spared no money. They mainly acted by propaganda methods through various organizations located in other states. The task of these organizations was to unite and direct the peasants and workers in the capitalist countries to overthrow the current regimes and establish a new, communist one.
However, over time, the idea of a world revolution turned out to be untenable. Even in the Soviet Union, she lost her appeal. In the future, the goals were the struggle for the rights of youth, peace, national independence, democracy. Through organizations that are members of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, the USSR also pursued foreign policy, influencing the minds of citizens in other countries.
What organizations in Russia are members of the WFDM
In the Russian Federation, there are several organizations that are members of the WFDM. The following are the most famous of them.
- Russian Communist Youth Union (RKSM);
- Commonwealth of Communist Youth;
- Revolutionary communist youth union;
- Leninist Communist Youth League.
But the ideas of communism in Russia are not particularly popular. It affects the fact that not everyone evaluates the Soviet past unambiguously, but some things attract young people to such organizations. These are the ideals of a justly built society, confidence in the future, the importance of each member of the society, the availability of housing and education.
Youth festivals
Every four years, on October 7, the federation holds the World Festival of Youth and Students. The first such event of the WFDM (World Federation of Democratic Youth) in the history of the communist movement took place in 1947. The most massive festival was the 1957 year.
The International Festival of Youth and Students is held in order to attract young people to discuss and develop solutions to social, economic and political problems that occur in the world. The main task posed by the organizers of such events is to teach young people to understand modern realities, to be able to defend their rights and opportunities. But no less important is the fact that in this way the WFDM strives to preserve the memory of what the Soviet Union gave the world. Indeed, it is thanks to him that such measures of social protection of the population exist in the world as allowances and pensions, free education, free medical care.
Who can join the organization
Anyone can join the World Federation of Democratic Youth if he is older than 14, but younger than 35 years old. It is enough to contact the website of an organization that is a member of the federation and fill out a form. You can also join it offline by going to the branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in any city or by sending a letter requesting that you be accepted into any of the above organizations. The main thing is that the person sharing the ideals of communism and be ready to live in accordance with the norms of this ideology.
Federation management is simple. Any member can take the post of president of the World Organization of Democratic Youth. The main thing is that he should be a member of a communist youth organization and be a member of the communist party.
Rights and obligations of participants
The rights and obligations of participants in the International Federation of Democratic Youth are spelled out in the Charter of each individual organization within the federation. All participants of the WFDM are entitled to:
- express your opinion at meetings and rallies, engage in discussions with other community members;
- participate in the development of decisions on the work and development of the federation;
- use the support and protection of the WFDM;
- upon reaching the age of eighteen, to elect and be elected to the elected bodies of both his communist organization and the governing bodies of the world federation;
- apply with statements and suggestions to any branch of the WFDM.
In addition to rights, members of the community have some responsibilities. So, they cannot simultaneously belong to any party other than the communist one. They also do not have the right to participate in organizations whose principles and goals are contrary to the principles and goals of the WFDM.
Members of the federation are required to comply with the Charter, to promote community growth, attracting new members. Fulfill orders of leaders. Make mandatory membership dues monthly. Do not violate laws and moral standards. These obligations apply to all members of the community. This is especially true for the president of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, since he is a public person: he speaks on radio and television, gives interviews in newspapers and magazines.
What do the participants do
Participants may conduct any activity that does not contradict the principles and goals of the federation. They conduct mainly propaganda work among young people, spreading the ideas of communism and democracy. They also participate in the development of support and assistance programs for schoolchildren, students, and young professionals. Organize the work of trade unions. They ensure that employers do not worsen working conditions for workers. They also deal with environmental and economic problems. Participate in the political life of society.
Current head of organization
At the moment, the leading position is held by the President of the World Federation of Democratic Youth Nicholas Papadimitriou. He took this post in October 2014 and continues to work until now. He lives in Budapest, but was born in Cyprus. In 2005, he graduated from the Larnaca Academy, after which he entered the University of Sunderland at the Faculty of Law, which he successfully graduated in 2011.
Nicholas Papadimitriou, holding such a high post in the federation, often gives interviews, explaining what the purpose of this organization is and what its significance is for the normal development of mankind. In his opinion, it was the aggression of the imperialist capitalist countries of the West in relation to weak states that led to the growth of terrorism and extremism, the impoverishment of most of humanity, and the deterioration of the environmental situation in the world. The only way to prevent a global catastrophe is to join forces in the struggle against the predatory policies of the imperialist countries.
Current state
Today, the federation is experiencing its new heyday. The number of adherents is growing. Perhaps this is due to the personality of President Nicholas Papadimitriou. This is a young, charismatic and energetic leader who knows how to attract and inspire youth. And perhaps with the fact that people still want to build a truly fair society. And then it is not so important who is the president of the World Federation of Democratic Youth.
Many already today realize that humanity will not be able to survive without mutual cooperation, and it, in turn, is impossible without a fair redistribution of resources and restriction of the arbitrariness of large international capital. On the planet every year it is becoming less suitable for drinking water. Soils are being depleted due to intensive land use. Natural resources are increasingly difficult to extract from the ground. And although the federation is not so fiercely calling for the next revolution to happen, as it was before, preferring to follow the democratic path through elections, its influence is not diminishing.