The League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia (SSOJ) was the youth movement, member organisation of the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia (SSRNJ). Membership stood at more than 3.6 million individuals in 1983.

History

Govor Branka Kostića na VIII kongresu Saveza omladine Jugoslavije

The SSOJ was founded as a merger of the

League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia , SKOJ mk, Сојуз на комунистичката младина на Југославија, СКМЈ sl, Zveza komunistične mladine Jugoslavije, ZKMJ , colorcode = red , founded = 1919 , dissolved = 1948 , succeeded by = League of S ...

and the People's Youth of Yugoslavia organizations after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Membership in the organization, though not compulsory, was desirable for those wishing to pursue higher education and a career in public service, and typically began after children completed their time in the

Union of Pioneers of Yugoslavia Union of Pioneers of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Savez pionira Jugoslavije, Савез пионира Југославије; sl, Zveza pionirjev Jugoslavije (ZPJ); mk, Сојуз на пионери на Југославија) ...

at around 14 or 15 years of age. Similarly to the party itself, the SSOJ was decentralized and each Republic of Yugoslavia had a branch of its own. It was one of the five main government sanctioned socio-political organizations of Yugoslavia and sent its own delegates to the Federal Assembly. In the 1980s, attitudes within the SSOJ began to change its structure, and by the latter half of the decade it helped facilitate a network of alternative social and political opinions within the youth sphere of Yugoslavia. The organization attempted to subvert the growing threat of nationalism while following a liberal approach to social issues. The SSOJ tried to facilitate youth culture by encouraging the promotion of the arts, including literature and popular music styles. Following the dissolution of the SKJ shortly after the 14th Congress in 1990, the SSOJ was disbanded as well.

References

{{Authority control Organizations based in Yugoslavia Youth wings of communist parties 1948 establishments in Yugoslavia Youth organizations established in 1948 Youth organizations based in Yugoslavia League of Communists of Yugoslavia