Red Falcons was the name of various

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

children's organizations, popular in Europe and the United States which emerged during the First and Second World Wars. The first such group was founded in the early 20th century by Anton Tesarek, a socialist educator from

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, under the name "Rote Falken." The origin of the name is unclear; one possible explanation is that the Falcon is a bird of prey with no imperial links (the eagle was the symbol of the German empire, adopted later by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

.) It is red to symbolise socialism.

Red Falcons of America

Establishment

The Red Falcons of America was established by the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...

(SPA) in July 1932."The Red Falcons Appear," ''The New Leader,'' vol. 15, no. 11 (March 18, 1933), pg. 6. The group was targeted at children who might otherwise be swept up by the

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts or Boy Scout may refer to: * Members, sections or organisations in the Scouting Movement ** Scout (Scouting), a boy or a girl participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America ...

and

Girl Scouts Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of The Girl Guides ...

movement, which was seen as a training organization for the military, or the

Sunday schools ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are used to provide ...

, which were seen as a source of passivity and

fatalism Fatalism is a belief and philosophical doctrine which considers the entire universe as a deterministic system and stresses the subjugation of all events, actions, and behaviors to fate or destiny, which is commonly associated with the cons ...

."Red Falcons: By This Sign You Will Know Them," ''The Challenge'' hicago vol. 1, no. 2 (May 1933), pg. 3. An age gap was seen in the American socialist youth movement, with the

Socialist Sunday School Socialist Sunday Schools (SSS) were set up to replace or augment Christian Sunday Schools in the United Kingdom, and later the United States. They arose in response to the perceived inadequacy of orthodox Sunday schools as a training ground for ...

s only accepting children up to the age of 10 while the Young People's Socialist League (YPSL) began taking members only at the age of 14. The new organization was seen as a means of filling this unserved age gap. Boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 15 were eligible for membership in the Red Falcons. The organization's stated purposes included training its young members "for service in the class struggle" and developing them for future membership in the YPSL.

Divisions

The American Red Falcons had two divisions, the "Young Falcons" (sometimes called "Red Sparks"), ages 8–11; and the "Red Falcons" proper, ages 11–15. These groups were led by older mentors recruited from the ranks of the Young People's Socialist League (YPSL).Julie Tatlock
"Red Falcons: Children and the Socialist Party in Milwaukee,"
''Children in Urban America Project,'' Marquette University, www.mu.edu/

Structure

The Red Falcons were structured in a manner analogous to scouts and participating children wore distinct uniforms. The basic unit of the Red Falcons was known as a "flight.""Parents Asked to Help Build the Falcons," ''Socialist Action,'' vol. 2, no. 7 (June 30, 1936), pg. 4. An

auxiliary organization Within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), an organization is a secondary body of church government that is "established for moral, educational, and benevolent purposes." Prior to October 2019, the church's organizations ...

of the SPA was established to organize and financially support these local flights, known as Friends of Workers Children (FWC). These FWC "clubs" were intended to gather supportive parents, community trade unionists, teachers, and interested adults in order to "bolster up the work of the local Falcon flight" through advice, financial aid, and publicity. The Red Falcons and Friends of Workers Children held a national convention in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

in the spring of 1936 to better coordinate national activities. It was at this time that the American organization joined the International Falcon Movement, headquartered in Europe and associated with the

Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism, consisting mostly of Social democracy, social democratic political parties and Labour mov ...

."Our History: 90 years of Falcon history,"
International Falcon Movement – Socialist Education International, www.ifm-sei.org/ National Secretary of the Red Falcons and Friends of Workers Children in that year was Harry Fleischman. The group maintained a headquarters office in the Moxley Building in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The Red Falcons issued a monthly publication for its members called ''The Falcon Call.'' In addition, some of the local Falcon flights issued their own

mimeograph A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator or stencil machine) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a co ...

ed bulletins."The Red Falcons of America," ''The Challenge'' hicago vol. 1, no. 5 (Aug.-Sept. 1933), pg. 7. The Falcon organization attempted to emulate the Scouting movement by stressing outdoor and athletic activities rather than structured lectures.

Membership size

About seven months after the launch of the Red Falcons in America about 25 Red Falcon flights had been organized with an estimated total membership of between 250 and 350. The organization apparently grew considerably during its first year, with a membership of "around 900" divided into 45 local groups claimed in the summer of 1933.

International Falcon Movement

The various national Red Falcon organizations are generally members of the

International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

Footnotes

{{reflist, 2

External links

Website of International Falcon Movement – Socialist Education International
www.ifm-sei.org/ International Falcon Movement – Socialist Educational International Youth wings of social democratic parties