Free German Youth
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Free German Youth Freie Deutsche Jugend FDJ |
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Emblem of the Free German Youth
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Flag of the Free German Youth
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| Chairman | Ringo Ehlert (2002–2007) |
| Founded | January 1936 |
| Merger of | Young Communist League of Germany, Socialist Youth League of Germany, Socialist Workers Youth |
| Headquarters | Karl-Liebknecht-Haus, Berlin |
| Ideology |
Communism Marxism–Leninism |
| Mother party | Currently none, formerly Socialist Unity Party of Germany |
| International affiliation | World Federation of Democratic Youth |
| National affiliation | Formerly National Front of the German Democratic Republic |
| Newspaper | Formerly Junge Welt |
| Website | |
| www |
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The Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ (German: Freie Deutsche Jugend), is a socialist youth movement in Germany. Formerly it was the official youth movement of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.
The organization was meant for young people, both male and female, between the ages of 14 and 25 and comprised about 75% of the young population of former East Germany. In 1981-1982, this meant 2.3 million members. After being a member of the Thälmann Pioneers, which was for schoolchildren ages 6 to 14, East German youths would usually join the FDJ.
The FDJ was intended to be the "reliable assistant and fighting reserve of the Worker's Party", or Socialist Unity Party of Germany, was a member of the National Front and had representatives in the People's Chamber. The political and ideological goal of the FDJ was to influence every aspect of life of young people in the GDR, distribution of Marxism–Leninism and the promotion of communist behavior. Membership in the FDJ was nominally voluntary. However, those who did not join lost access to organized holidays, and found it difficult (if not impossible) to be admitted to universities, pursue chosen careers etc. The majority of youths who refused to join did so for religious reasons.
While the movement was intended to promote Marxist–Leninist ideology among East Germany's young people, it did not concentrate on this to the exclusion of other activities. It arranged thousands of holidays for young people through its Jugendtourist agency, and ran discos and open-air rock concerts. The Festival of Political Songs was an officially sponsored event from 1970 to 1990.
The FDJ was founded in January 1936 through the merger of the Young Communist League of Germany, Socialist Youth League of Germany and the Socialist Workers Youth as an underground anti-fascist movement to oppose Hitler and the Nazi Party's rule. However, the Gestapo of the Third Reich effectively prevented pro-communist groups such as the FDJ from operating within the country and the group was subsequently pushed out of Nazi Germany. During the same year, the organization moved its headquarters to Paris, to Prague in 1938 and later to London. In the United Kingdom the organization eventually succeeded in building a stable network of groups that also extended to Scotland and other regions and operated there until 1946.
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Wikipedia