Inside the Cold War

INSIDE THE COLD WAR
“Ghosts” of the past, they were usually not welcome because
they represented a further burden to the community.
Always unpopular in Russia, military service became even
more unpopular under Soviet rule. Men and boys eligible for
conscription often fled their homes and hid until they were
found—or were turned in by a neighbor for a reward. Selfmutila
tion found its way into the twentieth century as potential
conscripts cut off fingers, damaged eyes, or severely damaged
a foot. After conscription, desertion was a persistent problem—
until the later years, when the KGB and the border guards
allowed few to escape. And deserters were subjected to brutal
punishment, which was almost always carried out in front of
the deserter’s assembled organization.
Lenin attempted to motivate service in the Red Army by
imposing military pedagogy , “the science of communist education,
training, and indoctrination of the Soviet soldier and the
preparation of sub-units and ships for successful operations
under the conditions of modern warfare.” The purpose of
military pedagogy was to quell unrest and dissatisfaction
among the ranks by instilling patriotism and communist
ideology into their drab lives. Therefore, political indoctrination
became an integral part of Soviet military training. The
communists determined that a standing military force would
be necessary to both defend their paranoia and intimidate the
rest of the world.
The Soviets created at least three programs designed to
indoctrinate young men and women. The Young Pioneers
program featured a weekly military indoctrination period in
the public school curriculum. Students were taught the basic
military crafts—map reading, marksmanship, and first aid.
They participated in field trips and exercises conducted to give
them practice in the learned skills. The official Young Pioneer
handbook was the Tovarishch, which contained descriptions of
Soviet military roles and missions along with photographs of
Soviet military equipment, including tanks, aircraft, uniforms,
and insignia. Young Pioneers also learned about Communist
Party policies as well as policies of the Soviet Government, and
were indoctrinated on the requirement for a strong military.
The second youth program created to influence Soviet youth
was the Komsomol, or Young Communist League, which was
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