Komsomol, Nashi, and the Informals
The Mobilisation of Russian Youth
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
“Youth” is an important key word for political awakening during crises. During Perestroika, the leaders of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union tried to win over young people in order to gain support for reforms. But it lost complete control over the country’s youth. During the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the Kremlin was concerned precisely with preventing demands for reform from spreading to Russia. In addition, the presidential administration set up the youth organisation Nashi, which it finances and controls. At the same time, there is a heterogeneous milieu of young people who are politically engaged and elude any kind of official control.
(Osteuropa 11-12/2013, pp. 137–150)