Soviet Latvian Periodicals for Youth. 1920s - 1930s

The author analyses materials of the youth periodicals in Latvian "Jaunais komunists", "Jauni celi", "Mazais kolektivists", "Darba berni" published in 1920s-1930s. These periodicals are very interesting as sources on the history of the Latvian Diaspora in the USSR between two world wars, being an indicator of ideological education and of the specific fetchers of school education of young Latvians. These periodicals were intended for young people of different ages and were published in different years. "Jaunais komunists", published in 1919-1921, was the periodical for Latvian members of the Young communist league, who took part in the Civil war, they intended to continue the world proletarian revolution and to establish Soviet power in Latvia. Periodical "Jauni celi" was published in 1925-1928, its readers were mainly schoolchildren - young communists and pioneers. Its content included materials that formed young people's public and political views within the framework of Marxist-Leninist ideology and urged teenagers to participate in the construction of socialism as helping communists to sovietize different layers of the Latvian population in the USSR. Besides, this periodical aimed young people to preserve their national identity, although focusing mainly on the proletarian culture. "Darba berni" and "Mazais kolektivists" were published in 1930s. These periodicals were firstly intended as educational literature for Latvian schools and contained materials on various school subjects. Still, at the forefront was put Communist education of the schoolchildren, who had to be ready to participate in the "struggle" for building socialism. Besides, Soviet Latvian children had to be sure in the indispensable victory of the proletarian revolution in Latvia. The publication of youth periodicals in Latvian in the conditions of the natural process of assimilation of a part of Latvians living among Russian people, was carried out in the context of the Soviet national policy of preservation Latvians as a nation in the USSR, as they were considered by Communist leaders as the advance party of builders of socialism in Latvia after the victory of the proletarian revolution there. The beginning of Stalin's repressions and the change of national policy in the country were accompanied by the closure of all periodicals in Latvian in the USSR, including Latvian youth periodicals.