1932-1942 - Youth Under Stalin

• The Education Law of 1935 reasserted discipline in schools and government direction over the curriculum.
• Uniforms and exams were reintroduced and girls even had to wear their hair in pigtails.
• The government controlled the content of textbooks and teaching of Communist Ideology became a compulsory subject.
• The 70% quota system of entry to higher education, which had been introduced in 1929, was abolished in 1935.
• By 1940, Komsomol had grown into an organisation of 10.2 million members.
• Komsomol provided significant support for the government's economic policies in the Five Year Plans and was now a more disciplined and structured organisation.
• The Young Pioneers had community centres and free holiday camps.
• Being a Komsomol member meant that greater educational opportunities were available as well as the prospect of full Party membership in the future and all the privileges that entailed it.
• There were also young people who did not want to join Komsomol or live their lives according to Communist values and were interested in western culture such as jazz music.
• Due to the power of the regime through terror and propaganda, there was rarely any open opposition.
• The improvements in education since 1918 led to a significant increase in literacy rates.
• Opportunities for the children of working class and peasant families were much improved and there were many examples of talented children from humble backgrounds forging successful careers.
• The improvement to the education system in the 1930s began to produce high quality engineering and science graduates.