Soviet Young Pioneers: Induction


Figure 1.--New Pioneers were brought to important nearby monuments after the ceremoes at their school. World war II memorials were especially popular. I'm not sure where this monument is located, but given the way the children are dressed, we would guess it is the southern Ukraine. A Russian reader believes that it is more likely southern Russia taken some time between 1987-91. Click on the image for a further discussion.

There was a formal ceremony for the children in grade/year 3 formally introducting them into the the Young Pioneers. The children in year 3 were was 9-10 years old. All the children were inducted into the Pioneers at one time each year. Some of the children were not yet 10 years old, but they would be coming up on bring 10 years old. The ceremony was always held on April 22, 1870, the birth date of V.I. Lenin. There was an important ceremony which took place in front of all the Pioneers in the school, meaning almost all of the school in the school assembly hall. With the sound of drums, the Pioneer banner was brought into the assembly hall. The Pioneer leader then gave a small speech. It is at this time that each new Pioneer would recite the Pioneer oath and have his red neckerchief tied on. A Russian reader writes, "I also once stood in this rank of third graders and with a sinking heart awaited when it was my turn to say the oath and have my neckerchied tied on me.

Formal Ceremony

There was a formal ceremony for the children in grade/year 3 formally introducting them into the the Young Pioneers. There was an important ceremony which took place in front of all the Pioneers in the school, meaning almost all of the school in the school assembly hall.

The Children

The children in year 3 were was 9-10 years old. All the children were inducted into the Pioneers at one time each year. Some of the children were not yet 10 years old, but they would be coming up on bring 10 years old.

V.I. Lenin (1870-1924)

The ceremony was always held on April 22, 1870, the birth date of V.I. Lenin. Lenin of course was the Bolshevik leader who mastermined the Revolution and oversaw the Soviet Union during its first few years. Lenin had promissed that the suspension of bourgeois freedoms was to be temprary during the Revolution and Civil War. He promissed the Russians that they were creating a state which would allow greater freedoms than anything experienced in the Western bourgeois democracies. On the contrary, Lenin played a part in creating the foundation for a police state. Here the Bolshevicks can not be uniqueky faulted. They at first simply recreated their version of Tsarists institutiins which included a secret police (the Olcrana). arbitrary arrest and courts, and Siberian exiles at hard labor. Under Lenin and especially Stalin, however, the Soviets created a much more efficent police states than the Tsars ever imagined. Of course Soviet children were not taught to assess historical Soviet figures, but rather to ideolize Lenin. Curiously history was a complicated subject in the Soviet UNion. Lenin and Stalin were idealized. Yet many of the Bolsheviks who made the Soviet Union, the founding fathers, could not be idealized like this. Stalin had many of the old Bolshgeviks arrested and tried for treason.

The Ceremony

The ceremony began with the sound of drums, the Pioneer banner was brought into the assembly hall. The Pioneer leader then gave a small speech. It is at this time that each new Pioneer would recite the Pioneer oath and have his red neckerchief tied on. A Russian reader writes, "I also once stood in this rank of third graders and with a sinking heart awaited when it was my turn to say the oath and have my neckerchied tied on me.

Pledge

Each student before becoming a Pioneers had to recite the "solemn promise" or oath. Each had learned the pledge by heart. It began "I Ivanov Pete, joining the ranks of the All-Union pioneer organization im. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, torzhestvestvenno I promise ..." I do not have the entire pledge, but will add it here if I obtain it. Part of the pledge was "to learn well, to love their native land", The text of the Pioneer olbeshchaniya in those years could be read on the last page of any student notebook. They were then presented with a printed text of the pioneer promise. This solemn promise is something more similar to the oath or a little to the military oath.

Neckerchief and Pin

Older Pioneers also recited the Pioneer promise. After this upon command of senior Pioneer leader, the older Pioneers (usually year 7 students) approached the little-ones and tied on their red neckerchiefs ( galstuki ) and fastened to the Pioneer pin ( znachek )on the their shirts.

Closing Affirmation

The Pioneer leader to close the meeting pronounced the motto: "Yunye pioneers! To the fight for the affair of the Communist Party you be finished!" And then all the children in the entire assembly hall answered "are always finished!" and in this case and gave the pioneer salute. The children were now officially Pioneers.

Memorial Trip

If the city had a memorable place the new Pioneers were brought there for a followup ceremony. Especially popular for these ceremonies were memorials to the World War II Great Patriotic War. We tend to be very critical of the Soviet Union, but the Soviet people played the critical role in the defeat of NAZI Germany. It was accomplished with enormous bravery and sacrafice. The world owes a great deat of graditude for what the Soviet people did. The Soviet people honor their war dead in monuments erected throughout Russia and the Ukraine. The children here are photographed at one of thiose memorials (figure 1). In Moscow many new Pioneers were brought to the Red Square mausoleum Of v.I. Lenin. A Russian reader writes, "I remember how happy I was on that day when we were accepted into the Pioneers. The weather was beautiful. When I came home I unbuttoned my jacket so everyone would see my new red Pioneer neckerchief. I was very proud to be a new Pioneer. My first day in the Pioneers was one of the most beautiful recollections of my childhood.







HBU





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Created: November 15, 1998
Last updated: 8:07 PM 4/21/2005