Communist Youth Association of Germany

Communist youth marching in 1925 May Day rally in Berlin.

The Communist Youth Association of Germany (Kommunistischer Jugendverband Deutschlands, KJVD) was the youth wing of the Communist Party of Germany.^[1][2] The KJVD was created in 1925.^[3] It was the successor to the Free Socialist Youth (Freien Sozialistischen Jugend) of the Communist Party of Germany,^[4] which itself was formed in October 1918, with support from the Spartacus League (Spartakusbund). It was unable to attract many youth and its membership ranged only at thirty-five thousand to fifty-thousand in the last years of the Weimar Republic.^[5] However those who did join, commonly children of communist parents were highly extremely devoted to the Communist Party.^[6]

Their activities included selling party newspapers, painting slogans, gluing posters, collecting dues, taking part in agitation, and they made up the voice choruses for Communist songs at demonstrations and other events.^[7] The KJVD had its own publishing house, the "Young Guard".^[8] The KJVD followed the Communist Party propaganda of attacking the Social Democratic Party of Germany as a proponent of "social fascism" resulting in hostility to the Social Democrats becoming a feature of the KJVD.^[9]

Political rifts between the KJVD and its parent organization, the Communist Party, appeared, including support by members of the KJVD for the young Communist intellectual Heinz Neumann who advocated increased use of physical violence against communist enemies, including the Nazis.^[10]

Future leader of East Germany, Erich Honecker was a member of the KJVD and became KJVD leader of Saarland in 1931.^[11]

References

1. ^ Pierre Broué, Ian Birchall, Eric D. Weitz, John Archer. The German Revolution, 1917-1923. Chicago, Illinois, USA: Haymarket Books, 2006. Pp. ix.
2. ^ Timothy Scott Brown. Weimar radicals: Nazis and communists between authenticity and performance. Oxford, England, UK; New York, New York, USA: Berghahn Books, 2009. Pp. 27.
3. ^ Catherine Epstein. The last revolutionaries: German communists and their century. Harvard University Press, 2003. Pp. 38.
4. ^ Barabara Köster. "Die Junge Garde des Proletariäts" Untersuchung zum Kommunistischen Jungenverband Deutschlands in der Weimarer Republik. (PDF) Doctoral dissertation. (2005). Retrieved March 20, 2010
5. ^ Catherine Epstein. The last revolutionaries: German communists and their century. Harvard University Press, 2003. Pp. 38.
6. ^ Catherine Epstein. The last revolutionaries: German communists and their century. Harvard University Press, 2003. Pp. 38.
7. ^ Catherine Epstein. The last revolutionaries: German communists and their century. Harvard University Press, 2003. Pp. 38.
8. ^ Catherine Epstein. The last revolutionaries: German communists and their century. Harvard University Press, 2003. Pp. 38.
9. ^ Catherine Epstein. The last revolutionaries: German communists and their century. Harvard University Press, 2003. Pp. 40.
10. ^ Catherine Epstein. The last revolutionaries: German communists and their century. Harvard University Press, 2003. Pp. 38-39.
11. ^ Catherine Epstein. The last revolutionaries: German communists and their century. Harvard University Press, 2003. Pp. 40.