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. WFDY was founded in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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 o ...

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, Cr ...

. 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 ev ...

. 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 i ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, 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 during the Second World War, and again from ...

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 ...

speech, the organization was accused by the US State Department 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 (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 foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

espionage as well as part of

active measures Active measures (russian: активные мероприятия, translit=aktivnye meropriyatiya) is political warfare conducted by the Soviet or Russian government since the 1920s. It includes offensive programs such as espionage, propagand ...

conducted by the Soviet state security.The cultural Cold War in Western Europe, 1945-1960. Giles Scott-Smith, Hans Krabbendam. p. 169 The WFDY's first General Secretary, Alexander Shelepin, was a former leader of the Young Communist International 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 in eastern Europe. They opposed the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. 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 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 coun ...

, or militant youth from Vietnam, Palestine, Cuba and other nations. Famous people who participated in festivals included Angela Davis, Yuri Gagarin, Yasser Arafat,

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 20 ...

, Ruth First, Jan Myrdal and

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

. 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 nationa ...

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 Mesaori ...

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, 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 k ...

* - 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 ...

* -

Graffiti Jeugendsdienst Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

* -

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 The Dimitrov Communist Youth Union (DKMS) was the state-sanctioned youth movement in the People's Republic of Bulgaria and an important organ of the Bulgarian Communist Party, which utilized the organization to educate the Bulgarian youth in Marxi ...

* -

Leninist Communist Youth Union of Belarus Leninism is a political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin that proposes the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party as the political prelude to the establis ...

* -

People's Revolutionary Youth Union of Kampuchea The People's Revolutionary Youth Union of Kampuchea was the youth organization of the Khmer People's Revolutionary Party (which governed Kampuchea/Cambodia during the 1980s). The organization was internationally known by its French name, ''Unio ...

* - Juventud de la Izquierda Cristiana de Chile * -

Juventud del MIR 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 kn ...

* - 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 * - Federación Juvenil Obrera * - Juventud de la Alianza Nacional Popular * -

Juventud del Poder Popular Juventud del Poder Popular was the youth organization of the Colombian political movement Poder Popular during the 1980s. JPP was a member of the World Federation of Democratic Youth The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) is an int ...

* - Unión Nacional de los Estudiantes Secundarios * - Unión de Jóvenes Patriotas * -

Union de la jeunesse congolaise The Congolese Youth Union (french: Union de la jeunesse congolaise, abbreviated U.J.C.) was a youth organization in Congo-Brazzaville. The U.J.C. was initially merely a local branch of the Republican Youth Union of France (U.J.R.F.), the youth w ...

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

* -

Juventud del Pueblo Costarriquense 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 kn ...

* - Juventudes Patrióticas * -

Juventud Vanguardista Costarriquense 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 ...

* -

Union of Czech Youth The Union of Czech Youth ( cs, Svaz české mládeže, abbreviated SČM) was a youth organization in post-war Czechoslovakia. The organization was founded on Radhošť in July 1945. Originally it functioned as a unified left-wing youth organizat ...

* -

Union of Slovak Youth 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 ...

* -

Czechoslovak Youth Union 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 Rep ...

* -

Czechoslovak Socialist Youth Union sk, Socialistický zväz mládeže , colorcode = red , logo = Emblem of Socialist Youth Union of Czechoslovakia.svg , caption = Emblem , logo2 = , caption2 = , preceded by = Czechoslovak Youth Union , founded = 19 ...

* -

Juventud Revolucionaria Dominicana 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 ...

* - Unión Democrática Orlando Martínez * -

Departamento Juvenil del Central de Trabajadores de Ecuador A ' () is a country subdivision in several Latin American countries, mostly as top-level subnational divisions (except in Argentina). It is usually simply translated as "department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a l ...

* -

Juventud Comunista de Ecuador 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 k ...

* - Asociación General de Estudiantes Universitarios de El Salvador * - Føroyskir Sosialistar * -

Democratic Youth League of Finland The Left Youth (''Vasemmistonuoret'' in Finnish, ''Vänsterunga'' in Swedish) is a political youth organization in Finland. It is considered the youth wing of the Left Alliance, but it is not officially affiliated with the party - members of th ...

* -

Finnish Union of Democratic Pioneers Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

* -

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 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 ...

* -

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 ** '' ...

-Solidarité Etudiante * - Juventud Patriótica del Trabajo * - Young Socialist Movement * -

Jeunesse Communiste de Haiti ''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 ...

* - 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 organisation ...

* - Italian Communist Youth Federation * - Young Communist League of the Workers' Party (

Workers Party of Jamaica The Workers Party of Jamaica (WPJ) was a Marxist-Leninist political party in Jamaica. WPJ was founded on 17 December 1978 by Trevor Munroe, along with Elean Thomas and others. Trevor Munroe, a Rhodes scholar from Oxford University, served as its ...

) * -

Democratic Youth League of Japan The , abbreviated DYLJ or , is a political youth organisation in Japan. It is the youth wing of the Japanese Communist Party, as well as an organisational body of Zengakuren. Minsei describes itself as a "voluntary youth organisation in respon ...

* - Jeunesse Communiste Luxembourgoise * -

Union de la Jeunesse Communiste Martinique 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 ** ''U ...

* -

Frente Juvenil Revolucionario Frente Juvenil Revolucionario (FJR) is the youth organization of the Mexican Partido Revolucionario Institucional The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, ; abbr. PRI) is a political party in Mexico tha ...

* -

Juventud Socialista de los Trabajadores 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 ...

* -

Revolutionary Youth League (REVSOMOL) A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

* -

Istiqlal Party Youth Istiqlal ( ar, اِسْتِقْلال, istiqlāl) means ''independence'' and may refer to: Political parties *Azərbaycan Milli İstiqlal Partiyası or Azerbaijan National Independence Party, political party in Azerbaijan *Harakat Al-Istiqlal or In ...

* -

Algemeen Nederlands Jeugd Verbond (ANJV) was a political youth movement in the Netherlands. ANJV was founded on 15 June 1945, in Concert building, Amsterdam. The ANJV was an independent youth organisation inspired by, and with links to, the (Communist Party of the Netherlands). ...

* - Kommunista Ifjúsági Szövetség * -

Juventud del PRD 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 kn ...

Juventud Socialista de Puerto Rico 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 kn ...

* -

Federazione Giovanile Comunista San Marino The Sammarinese Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Sammarinese, abbreviated PCS) was a Marxist political party in the small European republic of San Marino. It was founded in 1921 as a section of the Communist Party of Italy (PCI). The organi ...

* - Union of Democratic Youth in Saudi * -

Congress of Sama Samaja Youth Leagues A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

* -

Federation of Communist and Progressive Youth A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing ...

* -

Vanguard Youth Organization The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives f ...

* -

National Youth Movement National Youth Movement was established in 1971, by Reverend Al Sharpton at the age of 16 years. After Jesse Jackson left the Southern Christian Leadership Conference over his administrative suspension, and Sharpton—who was mentored by Jackson� ...

* -

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 The Constitutional Liberal Party ( ar, الحزب الحر الدستوري, '), most commonly known as Destour, was a Tunisian political party, founded in 1920, which had as its goal to liberate Tunisia from French colonial control. History ...

* - İlerici Gençler Derneği * - Komsomol of Ukraine * -

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 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 ...

* - 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 is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as b ...

(Youth of the Pole of Communist Rebirth in France) *

Communist Youth of Luxemburg Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...

(Refounded youth organisation of the Communist Party of Luxembourg),

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 Revolutionary Communist Youth may refer to: * Revolutionary Communist Youth (Argentina) * Revolutionary Communist Youth (Norway) *Revolutionary Communist Youth (Sweden) * ''Jeunesse communiste révolutionnaire ''Youth'' (French: ''Jeunesse'') is ...

(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 Engel ...

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 countries, Nordic c ...

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