The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) is an international youth organization, and has historically characterized itself as

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

and

anti-imperialist Anti-imperialism in political science and international relations is a term used in a variety of contexts, usually by nationalist movements who want to secede from a larger polity (usually in the form of an empire, but also in a multi-ethnic so ...

. WFDY was founded in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1945 as a broad international youth movement, organized in the context of the end of

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 ...

with the aim of uniting youth from the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

behind an anti-fascist platform that was broadly pro-peace, anti-nuclear war, expressing friendship between youth of the capitalist and socialist nations. The WFDY Headquarters are in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. The main event of WFDY is the

World Festival of Youth and Students The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History The festival has been held regularly since 1947 as an eve ...

. The last festival was held in

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, in October 2017. It was one of the first organizations granted general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

History

On 10 November 1945, the World Youth Conference, organized in London, founded the World Federation of Democratic Youth. This historic conference was convened at the initiative of the World Youth Council which was formed during the Second World War to bring together the youth movements of the allied nations in an anti-fascist front. The conference was attended by over 600 delegates from 63 nations, it was at the time the largest and most diverse gathering of international youth. The conference adopted a pledge for peace. Shortly after, with the onset of the Cold War and

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

speech, the organization was accused by the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

of being a "Moscow front". Many of the founding organizations quit, leaving mostly youth from socialist nations, national liberation movements, and communist youth.Richard Felix Staar,
Foreign policies of the Soviet Union
', Hoover Press, 1991, , p.84 Like the

International Union of Students The International Union of Students (IUS) was a worldwide nonpartisan association of university student organizations. The IUS was the umbrella organization for 155 such students' organizations across 112 countries and territories representing a ...

(IUS) and other pro-Soviet organizations, the WFDY became a target and victim of

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

espionage as well as part of active measures conducted by the Soviet state security.The cultural Cold War in Western Europe, 1945-1960.

Giles Scott-Smith Giles Scott-Smith (born 1968, in High Wycombe, United Kingdom) is Dutch-British academic. He is a professor of transnational relations and new diplomatic history at Leiden University and serves as the dean of Leiden University College The Hague ...

, Hans Krabbendam. p. 169 The WFDY's first General Secretary,

Alexander Shelepin Alexander Nikolayevich Shelepin (; 18 August 1918 – 24 October 1994) was a Soviet politician and security and intelligence officer. A long-time member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he served as First Depu ...

, was a former leader of the

Young Communist International The Young Communist International was the parallel international youth organization affiliated with the Communist International (Comintern). History International socialist youth organization before World War I After failed efforts to form an i ...

which had been dissolved in 1943. Shelepin had been a guerilla fighter during World War II (after his work with the WFDY, he was appointed head of Soviet State Security). Both the WFDY and IUS vocally criticized the

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...

, supported the

Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) ** Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repu ...

and the new

People's republics People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights mainly from its base at St. Gallen-Altenr ...

in eastern Europe. They opposed the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. The main event of the WFDY became the World Festival of Youth and Students, a large-scale political and cultural celebration which aimed to promote peace and friendship between the youth of the world. Most, but not all, of the early festivals were held in socialist nations in Europe. During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s the WFDY's festivals were one of the few places where young people from the

western bloc The Western Bloc, also known as the Free Bloc, the Capitalist Bloc, the American Bloc, and the NATO Bloc, was a coalition of countries that were officially allied with the United States during the Cold War of 1947–1991. It was spearheaded by ...

could meet youth involved in the campaign against apartheid from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, or militant youth from Vietnam, Palestine, Cuba and other nations. Famous people who participated in festivals included

Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. She is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis was a longtime member of ...

Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. Tr ...

Yasser Arafat Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

Ruth First Heloise Ruth First (4 May 1925 – 17 August 1982) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and scholar. She was assassinated in Mozambique, where she was working in exile, by a parcel bomb built by South African police. Family and edu ...

Jan Myrdal Jan Myrdal (19 July 1927 – 30 October 2020) was a Swedish author known for his strident Maoist, anti-imperialist and contrarian views and heterodox and highly subjective style of autobiography. Family Born in Bromma, Stockholm, in 1927, Jan ...

and

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

. When the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

collapsed, the WFDY entered a crisis. With the power vacuum left by the collapse of the most important member organization, the Soviet

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...

, there were conflicting views of the future character of the organization. Some wanted a more apolitical structure, whereas others were more inclined to an openly leftist federation. The WFDY, however, survived this crisis, and is today an active international youth organization that holds regular activities.

Pledge

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-M23075, Budapest, II

General Assembly

The WFDY conducts a General Assembly every four years, the last taking place in

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

in 2019. During the Assembly, leadership and a General Council are elected and an organizational declaration is approved.

Member organizations

Africa

Asia and the Pacific

Europe and North America

Latin America and Caribbean

North Africa and Middle East

Former members

* - Democratic Youth Organization of Afghanistan * - Bashkimi i Rinisë së Punës së Shqipërisë * - Juventud Intrasigente Argentina * - Juventud Socialista Auténtica * -

Eureka Youth League The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

* - Graffiti Jeugendsdienst * -

Jeunesse Communiste de Belgique ''Youth'' (French: ''Jeunesse'') is a 1934 French drama film directed by Georges Lacombe and starring Robert Arnoux, Lisette Lanvin and Jean Servais.Aitken p.754 The film's sets were designed by Pierre Schild. Cast * Robert Arnoux as Jean * ...

* - Confederación Universitaria Boliviana * - Juventude do PCB * - Dimitrov Communist Youth Union * - Leninist Communist Youth Union of Belarus * - People's Revolutionary Youth Union of Kampuchea * - Juventud de la Izquierda Cristiana de Chile * - Juventud del MIR * - Juventud Rebelde Miguel Enríquez * - Unión de Jóvenes Socialistas * -

Communist Youth League of China The Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), also known as the Young Communist League of China or simply the Communist Youth League (CYL), is a youth movement of the People's Republic of China for youth between the ages of 14 and 28, run by the ...

* -

All-China Youth Federation The All-China Youth Federation (ACYF; zh , s = 中华全国青年联合会 ) is a people's organization founded on 4 May 1949 that represents many youth groups in China, including the Communist Youth League of China. Former paramount leaders ...

* - Federación Juvenil Obrera * - Juventud de la Alianza Nacional Popular * - Juventud del Poder Popular * - Unión Nacional de los Estudiantes Secundarios * - Unión de Jóvenes Patriotas * - Union de la jeunesse congolaise, Republic of Congo * - Juventud del Pueblo Costarriquense * - Juventudes Patrióticas * - Juventud Vanguardista Costarriquense * - Union of Czech Youth * - Union of Slovak Youth * - Czechoslovak Youth Union * - Czechoslovak Socialist Youth Union * - Juventud Revolucionaria Dominicana * - Unión Democrática Orlando Martínez * - Departamento Juvenil del Central de Trabajadores de Ecuador * - Juventud Comunista de Ecuador * - Asociación General de Estudiantes Universitarios de El Salvador * - Føroyskir Sosialistar * - Democratic Youth League of Finland * - Finnish Union of Democratic Pioneers * -

Socialist Youth League Karl Liebknecht Socialist Youth League Karl Liebknecht, () was a communist youth organization in West Berlin during the Cold War. It was the youth organization of Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin. It was a member of World Federation of Democratic Youth ...

* - Greek Communist Youth (Internal) * - Maurice Bishop Youth Movement * - Union de la Jeunesse Communiste Guadeloupe * -

Union nationale des étudiants de france Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

-Solidarité Etudiante * -

Juventud Patriótica del Trabajo Juventud, a Spanish word meaning youth, or Juventude, its Portuguese equivalent, may refer to: Places * Isla de la Juventud, Cuba People * Juventud Guerrera, ring name of Mexican professional wrestler Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández also ...

* -

Young Socialist Movement The Movement of the Young Socialists (french: Mouvement des Jeunes Socialistes, MJS) or simply ''Jeunes Socialistes'' is the youth organisation of the Socialist Party of France. MJS was founded in 1993 as a formally independent youth organisation. ...

* - Jeunesse Communiste de Haiti * - Federación de la Juventud Comunista * - Revolutionary Communist Youth League * -

People's Youth (Indonesia) People's Youth ( Indonesian: ''Pemuda Rakyat'') was the youth wing of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). The organisation was formed as the Socialist Youth of Indonesia (''Pemuda Sosialis Indonesia'' or ''Pesindo''). Initially the organisati ...

* -

Italian Communist Youth Federation The Italian Communist Youth Federation ( it, Federazione Giovanile Comunista Italiana, FGCI) was the youth wing of the Italian Communist Party (''Partito Comunista Italiano''; PCI), and the direct heir of the Federazione Giovanile Comunista d'Ita ...

* - Young Communist League of the Workers' Party ( Workers Party of Jamaica) * - Democratic Youth League of Japan * - Jeunesse Communiste Luxembourgoise * - Union de la Jeunesse Communiste Martinique * - Frente Juvenil Revolucionario * - Juventud Socialista de los Trabajadores * - Revolutionary Youth League (REVSOMOL) * - Istiqlal Party Youth * - Algemeen Nederlands Jeugd Verbond * - Kommunista Ifjúsági Szövetség * - Juventud del PRD * - Juventud Popular Revolucionaria * - Federación Juvenil Comunista de Paraguay * - CGTP Sección Juvenil * -

Juventud Aprista Peruana Juventud Aprista Peruana is the youth organization of Partido Aprista Peruano in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State ...

* - Juventud Mariateguista * - Związek Socjalistycznej Młodzieży Polskiej * - Federación Universitaria para la Indpendencia * - Juventud Comunista de Puerto Rico * - Juventud Socialista de Puerto Rico * - Federazione Giovanile Comunista San Marino * - Union of Democratic Youth in Saudi * - Congress of Sama Samaja Youth Leagues * - Federation of Communist and Progressive Youth * - Vanguard Youth Organization * - National Youth Movement * -

Ung Vänster Young Left ( sv, Ung Vänster ) is a socialist, Marxist, and feminist youth organisation. It is the official youth wing of the Swedish Left Party. The organisation calls themselves a "revolutionary youth organisation with roots in the commu ...

(1975–1992) * - Jeunesse Communiste Suisse * - Destourian Youth * - İlerici Gençler Derneği * -

Komsomol of Ukraine The Komsomol of Ukraine, officially the Leninist Communist League of Youth of Ukraine ( uk, Ле́нінська Комуністи́чна Спі́лка Мо́лоді Украї́ни; russian: Ленинская Коммунистическа ...

* -

Young Socialist Alliance The Young Socialist Alliance (YSA) was a Trotskyist youth group of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in the United States of America. It was founded in 1960, although it had roots going back several years earlier. It was dissolved in 1992. The ...

* - Juventud Socialista del Uruguay * - Committee of Youth Organizations of the USSR * - All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (Komsomol) * - Juventud Socialista-MEP

Observers

* Youth for Communist Rebirth In France (Youth of the Pole of Communist Rebirth in France) * Communist Youth of Luxemburg (Refounded youth organisation of the

Communist Party of Luxembourg The Communist Party of Luxembourg ( lb, Kommunistesch Partei vu Lëtzebuerg; french: Parti Communiste Luxembourgeois; german: Kommunistische Partei Luxemburgs; abbr. KPL or PCL) is a communist party in Luxembourg. is the current chairman of the ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

* Revolutionary Communist Youth (Youth organization of the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:World Federation Of Democratic Youth Youth wings of political parties Youth wings of communist parties Foreign relations of the Soviet Union Propaganda in the Soviet Union Cold War espionage Communist front organizations Youth organizations established in 1945 International Socialist Organisations