‘A dream come true’: Finns visiting the lands of socialism at the World Youth Festivals in the 1940s and 1950s

Twentieth Century Communism - ISSN 1758-6437
Volume 2012 Number 4

‘A dream come true’: Finns visiting the lands of socialism at the World Youth Festivals in the 1940s and 1950s
PIA KOIVUNEN pages 133-158

Abstract

After World War Two, many young people throughout Europe pinned their future hopes on the socialist system. They were also attracted to the Soviet Union by the international peace movement, which appealed especially those who had personally experienced the war. While most young people learned about socialism through books, newspapers and political meetings, for a small group of leftist and communist youths there existed a unique channel through which to perceive their ‘dream world’. During the early Cold War almost the only travelling possibilities to socialist countries were offered by the World Festivals of Youth and Students, one of the key promoters of the Soviet peace enterprise. Drawing on personal narratives, this article analyses the perceptions of Finnish leftist working-class youth – one of the biggest national groups at these gatherings – on socialism and socialist countries during the youth festivals between 1949 and 1957. How did the Finns reflect upon the dreams of seeing socialism, and how did these expeditions influence their ideological commitments?

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To cite this article
PIA KOIVUNEN (2012) ‘A dream come true’: Finns visiting the lands of socialism at the World Youth Festivals in the 1940s and 1950s, Twentieth Century Communism, 2012(4), 133-158

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