Slezin, A.A. Shall we take hooligans and militia offi cers into Communism? Involving the youth in the protection of public order at the verge of 1950s – 1960s: the regional experience

Abstract: The article addresses its reader to the second half of 1950s – early 1960s, when the general public (most of all, the youth) had the priority in guaranteeing the public security in the state. Based upon the materials of the State Archive of Social and Political History of the Tambov region, central and local Komsomol youth periodicals, the author studied the regional experience in the activities of the brigades for the assistance to militia (brigadmiltsy), voluntary vigilante groups (DND), as well as the groups of young friends of militia (YFM), and comrades’ courts. Much attention is paid to the role of the Communist Union of the Youth in the organization of legal protection. The theory of Komsomol statehood was key to the studies of historical Komsomol issues. Komsomol was regarded as a type of Soviet “Youth Ministry”, a connecting link between the state and the youth. In order to provide an objective evaluation of implementation of an educating function of these law-enforcement bodies supervised by the Komsomol the concept of education of viable generations of I.M. Ilyinskiy was employed. The author notes numerous defects in the regional practice of social law-enforcement associations. Nevertheless, the author draws a conclusion that the said activities had mostly a positive role in two aspects: towards the offenders, and towards the young fighters with the crime. The author points out the topicality of issue of involving the representatives of the general public in the protection of public order in the modern situation.

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