Young Guard!

Tirado provides a fascinating and valuable account of the beginnings of an organized youth movement in revolutionary Russia and the founding of the Komsomol. Forming organizations to protect and advance group interests was one of the most striking features of the Russian Revolution of 1917; youth did not lag behind. . . . [This volume] is a valuable contribution to the history of the Russian Revolution and early Soviet state. Russian Review

This book examines in detail the formation of the Communist Youth League or Komsomol since its inception in 1917 and presents a social and institutional history of the organization and its impact on the first decade of Soviet power. By concentrating on Petrograd up to 1920 and by using a broad range of sources, this unusual study provides a clearer perspective on the mass efforts of Soviet youth during the early consolidation of the revolution. It describes the origins of the Komsomol, its institutionalization in 1918, its development during the Civil War, its economic and educational activities, and its relationship to the Communist Party.