After reading chapter two, American educators’ visitation of the Soviet school system differed from previous perceptions. Besides being ?less robotic,’ what else startled Amer

Module 5: The 'Other' Child: Stereotypes and Identities of Soviet and American Children

Module Description:

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States conjured up images of one another. The money grabbed imperialists out for the mighty dollar or the atheist communists trying to conform to society. While some of these pictures and others may be partly right, the concept of the 'other' child also held tremendous value in chapter one of Peacock, and how the Russian and American political activist portrays the image of the 'child' in the effort to push their ideological objectives during the Cold War. The 'happy child's ever-soothing image was used to garnish critical support during the 1950s and 1960s. Pictures of Young Pioneers (Russian) and the Boy and Girl Scouts as loyal participants in civil defense drills illustrate both governments' willingness to use the child's image as a tool for ideological propaganda. The chapter investigates how the Soviet Union and the United States envisioned each other's children and how both cultures were shaped. Chapter four of Peacock discusses how the Soviet Union and the United States used youth organizations to further their political and social causes. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, domestic policy paralleled American and Soviet leaders' foreign policies. It was important for both sides to contain their populations from internal and international threats. The best way to provide for each country's youth was through youth organizations. In the Soviet Union, the Young Pioneers were the premier youth organization controlled by the government. As with the Boy Scouts and the United States, such organizations' goals were to 'portray' strength to their allies' perspective. Which group was better organized and contributed more to the ideological cause? That is for you to decide.

Module Goals and Objectives: Given the opportunity, students will be able to:

1. Compare and contrast different views of American and Soviet educational systems.

2. Describe issues and fears of Soviet hooliganism.

3. Identify steps the Soviet Union and the United States enacted to intervene in social problems.

4. Define the progressive evolution after World War II

5. Identify characteristics of Life Adjustment Education.

6. Explain how education evolved with the needs of society.

Readings and Guiding Questions:

Peacock – Chapter Three: Victims, Hooligans, and the Importance of Threat

(Please use the following brief notes as a reference as you read Chapter Three

· Chapter three begins with the image of a Soviet girl standing before her peers at the Eleventh Komsomol (Communist Youth Congress) to discuss the American Imperialist threats to the Soviet Union. Ironically, one will find in chapter three that Soviet leaders and children viewed American Imperialism much like Americans saw communism. Both sides played on the fear of each other.

· The United States and the Soviet Union provided instruction on what was needed to form the populace to defend themselves, their children, and their countries. Soviet and American consensus builders use the image of the threatened Cold War child to solidify control over the Cold War language.

· For Americans, the most commonly cited locus for suspected communist infiltration among the country's children was schools.

· In the Soviet Union and the United States, internal issues not necessarily associated with political ideology caused ordeals within society. In Russia, the crisis for young adults was childhood delinquency and criminality. Hooliganism (not to be confused with British soccer club fans) emerged as a crisis in the years following WWII. For example, Suppose students fail to attend communist youth organizations and activities, maintain their spiritless disinterest towards school, and instead disturb the rules of social order. In that case, they would become hooligans threatening the Soviet Union's battle with the communist world.

· Internal Russian documents suggest that many children lack the desire to attend university or work. It is implied that some students would fail to defend the nation, and life is often 'gifted to them.' It is also documented and suggested that Russian children are spoiled by their parents; in return, they become lazy and have little discipline.

· Chapter three also identifies American concerns with its youth. American leaders, scholars, and parents were busy worried about the impact of rock music, alternative clothing, and cursing.

· Both sides expressed anxiety about the effects of such prosperity upon a generation that did not experience the trials and scarcities of the Great Depression and World War II.

When reading Chapter Three of Peacock, please reflect on the following questions.

1. Compare and contrast Russian' hooliganism' to internal issues with American youth. Which do you believe was most pressing?

2. Why did the American youth movement experience decay?

Peacock – Chapter Four: Mobilized Childhood Responds to the Threat

Building a Better Activist: Soviet Pioneers and American Boy Scouts

Furthering the American and Russian Agendas via the Child: The Soviet Union

· In the 1950s and 1960s, domestic policy often aligned with the Soviet Union's and the United States' leadership. Both sides wanted to contain each other, but the Cold War's importance usually resided at home. Both sides recognized the importance of domestic containment of the population. The Soviet Union and the United States placed a concerted effort to build a better activist through youth organizations. For the Soviet Union, the Young Pioneers dominated all aspects of Russian youth. The semi-private Boy Scouts were popular among young males in the United States.

· The Soviet Union had an image problem after the death of Stalin. The Soviet Union wanted a new vision of the Soviet child. This unique image would portray the Soviet child as an international participant in the Cold War effort, committed to creativity and personal responsibility to work and engage in peaceful competition with the West.

· With Stalin's death in 1953, the image of the Soviet child required change. One of the first images to disappear was the youngster grateful to Stalin (page 23) for their joyous childhood. Instead, the new Soviet leader, Khrushchev, was depicted as an active participant in their lives rather than an almost superhero persona of Stalin.

· The new image of the Soviet child was an individual who was a responsible worker who could provide a blueprint for the love of labor that had slowly disappeared under Stalin's rule.

· Many Young Pioneers leaders expressed concern that personal indebtedness (devotion in almost every aspect) would hinder generations of Soviet youth and encourage a sense of compliance, conformity, and know-nothing-do-nothing-ism.'

· The response was a series of Pioneer Camps (socialist youth organizations) in the mid-late 1950s. To combat the idea of laziness or reliance solely on the state, students collected recyclables and did community service projects for national and international causes.

· Pioneer summer camps' idea was to 'connect' students with workers, collective farmers, teachers, etc., and learn practical skills.

· Summer camp (Artek) was open to foreign nations as well. Artek presented itself as the flagship for international cooperation. However, political motives were present. The goals of summer camps were to 1) educate in the spirit of socialism and nationalism, 2) political education and indoctrination of policy, and 3) the concept of producing children who loved peace abroad and not solely in the Soviet Union.

Furthering the American and Russian Agendas via the Child: The United States

· Like the Soviet Union, the United States promoted its plan to build a better youth. Unlike the Soviet Union's Young Pioneers, which was state-run, America's Boy Scouts was a private subsidized organization.

· The new child's vision in the United States could defend the nation against communism. The significant shift from the early 1950s, the child, was that the new vision included a thorough knowledge of science. Additional qualities had the masculine, well-supervised, nonracist, committed to preserving the domestic order and portraying a positive image of the United States.

· The Scouts promoted science education through 'badges’ outreach projects and comics.

· Like its Pioneer counterpart, the Scouts attempted to address the delinquency problems by infusing the core values it believed all children should value. They targeted ‘hotbeds’ marked by substandard housing, overcrowded housing—low-income and single-parent homes, etc.

· By positioning itself as a solution to delinquency, the Boy Scout organization pursued its larger mandate to create orderly and patriotic citizens while opening its door to increased membership and revenue.

1. Why were leaders of the Young Pioneers worried about the personal indebtedness Stalin portrayed?

2. How did the Soviet summer camps depict the growing images of racism in the United States?

3. Why did the Scouts move into ‘hot beds’ for growth?

Why was the World Brotherhood created?

Pioneer Movement in the USSR (Video): Soviet Pioneers are the mysterious twin brothers of the familiar scouts to the Western World. Who are they? Who do they wear red ties and proclaim their devotion to Lenin? Moreover, why do most people born in the USSR think being a Pioneer was one of the best things in their lives? Let us find out! On May 19, 1922, at the 2nd All-Russian Komsomol conference, it was decided to create Young Pioneer units in every Soviet city. In October of the same year, the 5th All-Russian Congress of the Russian Communist Youth Union resolved to unite all pioneer units of different Russian cities and towns into the Youth Communist Organization ‘Young Pioneers n. a. Spartacus.’ In March of 1926, it was given the official name: the All-Union Lenin Pioneer Organization (which remained until the end). What official Soviet history will not tell you is that the pioneer organization has its roots in a pre-revolutionary scouting organization, which was very popular in Russia. As a pillar of the old regime, many scouts fought against the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War. Nevertheless, once the Soviet system was established, some decided it was better to join it, and this helped create the pioneer system, which borrowed much from the scouts. The motto “Be Prepared” remained. So did most of the other activities. Outdoor exercise, hiking and adventure trips, arts and crafts, and music and sports were all core activities of the Pioneers, as were most such organizations. However, the Pioneers were changed by Soviet ideals about society and the young person’s role. Also, like many other youth organizations, the Pioneers were militaristic in style, with many symbols of hierarchy and the state. Flags, bugles, and drums all helped instill a sense of belonging to a cause, and young pioneers wore uniforms with rank badges. It had its songs as well. The Pioneers was disbanded as an organization in 1990. However, its spirit and songs live in Russian society and popular culture. So remember – Young Pioneer, be prepared to fight for the CPSU cause! – And be – always prepared!

Required Assignment

1. Online Web Discussion – Read each of the questions below.  After doing so, select all questions to focus your discussion.  Please make one thoughtful, original posting (a direct response to your chosen question) and at least one thoughtful response to a classmate's posting. 

Original Student Response is due by Thursday, February 15, at 11:59 p.m.

Response to a peer(s) is due by Monday, February 19, no later than 7:00 a.m.

Discussion Question 1: After reading chapter two, American educators’ visitation of the Soviet school system differed from previous perceptions. Besides being ‘less robotic,’ what else startled American educators? Why do you believe this was so impactful?

Discussion Question 2: The Peacock chapter, pages 84-87, provides examples of the American Youth’s decay. Of these areas, which do you find most plausible?

Discussion Question 3: Why were girls more frequently used in Russian and American publications than males? Do you believe this is true today?

Discussion Question 4: Compare the ‘new image of the late 1950s child found on pages 106-110 to the idea of the American child discussed in previous modules. Is there a noticeable difference? If so, what? Does this perceived image provide a more meaningful stand against world communism?

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