UC Santa Barbara

Political socialisation is the process through which citizens acquire a sense of national identity and learn the basic political values of their society.  The foundations of national identity develop in early childhood and are acquired differently in each country or culture.  In the Soviet Union, the primary venues for political socialisation were the schools and the official youth organisations of the Communist Party.  As part of the socialisation process, Soviet children learned the primary symbols of the USSR.  These symbols were key elements in their daily activities and served to give them a direct connection to the Communist Party and the Soviet state.  What flags and symbols were used to socialise Soviet children?  How did symbols help children learn the principles of Marxism and Leninism, the goals of Communism, and how to work as a collective? In what ways did children use flags and symbols to demonstrate their Soviet identity?  This paper will examine how Soviet children were introduced to the symbols of the Soviet Union, will discuss symbols created exclusively for use by children, and will describe how children interacted with flags and other symbols throughout their childhood.