Communist International of Youth KIM

an international youth organization that existed from 1919 to 1943. It was a section of the Comintern, under whose direction it operated. The idea for the creation of KIM was that of V. I. Lenin, under whose leadership the Bolsheviks began the struggle to rally leftist forces in the international youth movement as early as World War I.

The founding congress of KIM was held Nov. 20–26, 1919, in Berlin. It was attended by 29 delegates from 13 countries (Soviet Russia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Hungary Rumania, Italy, Spain, and Czechoslovakia) representing 219,000 members of youth organizations. The participants in the congress included active figures in the left wing of the Socialist International of Youth. The congress adopted resolutions on the establishment of KIM and its entry into the Comintern and ratified its Rules and Program. KIM set as its tasks the creation of a broad mass movement of young people to defend their economic, political, and cultural interests and the encouragement of study of the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism. KIM devoted special attention to the struggle against militarism, war, and fascism in support of the USSR. The ways and means of realizing these goals were examined in the 1920’s at the Second (July 9–23, 1921), Third (Dec. 4–16, 1922), Fourth (June 15–25, 1924), and Fifth (Aug. 20 to Sept. 18, 1928) Congresses of KIM.

During the 1920’s and 1930’s, sections of KIM actively participated in the revolutionary actions of the working class and the mass movements in defense of the economic and political interests of youth, purging themselves of opportunist elements in the course of the revolutionary struggle. In August 1928 organizations belonging to KIM (more than 40) had 2,157,000 members (of whom 2,030,000 were Komsomol members); in October 1935, there were 3,773,000 members (including 3.5 million Komsomol members) in 56 sections of KIM.

In accordance with the resolutions of the Seventh Congress of the Comintern (July 25 to Aug. 20, 1935), the Sixth Congress of KIM (Sept. 25 to Oct. 11, 1935) set forth the task of creating a broad united front of young people for the struggle against the offensive of fascism and the threat of war. The new directives of the Sixth Congress aided in the elimination of sectarian elements in the communist youth movement and contributed to the expansion of the movement’s influence among working youth. Shortly after the congress, the split in the youth movements in Spain, Belgium, Argentina, and China was overcome. KIM’s line of unity of action among young people made it possible to convene international youth congresses in Geneva (1936) and the USA (1938). At these congresses, representatives of KIM strove for united action in the struggle of young people against the intervention in Spain by fascist Germany and Italy and against other aggressive actions of the imperialist powers (for example, Japanese aggression against China). About 40 million boys and girls in almost all countries became involved in the movement for peace. In the context of World War II the activity of KIM furthered the organization of the antifascist struggle of young people.

KIM played a large role in organizing and rallying the ranks of the international youth movement. With its support, the communist youth organizations of various countries grew in number, were consolidated, and became capable, under the guidance of the Communist parties, of fulfilling independently the tasks confronting them. In May 1943, after the dissolution of the Comintern, KIM was disbanded.

The highest bodies of KIM were it congresses; between congresses, the highest body was the executive committee of KIM, which elected a presidium and secretariat.