DOI: 10.47026/2712-9454-2025-6-2-94-104
УДК 94(470.41)”1920/1991″:070(083.74)
ББК Т3(2)Р-72
Ilnur I. SHAIDULLIN, Alexander A. LITVIN
Key words
Soviet propaganda, children’s press, the Tatar ASSR, ideological education, pioneers, “Yash leninchy”.
Abstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of the role played by the Tatar-language newspaper “Yash Leninchy” in the system of children ideological education in the Tatar ASSR in the 1920s and 1930s. In the Soviet state-ideological system, the children’s and youth press was considered as the most important tool for shaping the worldview of the younger generation, serving not only as a means of propaganda, but also as a mechanism for cultural adaptation in a multinational state. The newspaper “Yash Leninchy”, published in the Tatar language, represents a unique source reflecting the processes of adaptation of the all-Union ideological model to the ethnocultural context of the Tatar ASSR. The scientific problem lies in the need to comprehensively analyze the mechanisms of forming the Soviet identity among children through the regional children’s press in a multinational state. Modern transformations of the media space, the crisis of traditional forms of upbringing and the search for models of patriotic and civic education make it relevant to refer to the historical experience of systematic work with children’s audience. The analysis of the Soviet model of the children’s press makes it possible not only to reconstruct the tools of ideological influence, but also to understand how children’s identity was formed in conditions of cultural diversity.
The purpose of the study is to analyze the role of the newspaper “Yash Leninchy” in forming Soviet identity among Tatar children, to identify the mechanisms of ideological influence through the children’s press, as well as to trace the features of the synthesis of the all–Union propaganda model and the ethnocultural context of the region.
Materials and methods. The source base consisted of issues of the newspaper “Yash Leninchy” in the 1920s and 1930s, documents of the Tatar Regional Committee of the Russian Leninist Young Communist League, resolutions of the Bureau of the Children’s Communist Organisation under the Regional Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, as well as modern research on the history of the children’s press. The work uses content analysis, historical-typological and comparative-historical methods, which made it possible to identify the dynamics of the publication’s development, to determine the forms of the children’s audience involvement and to analyze the structure of the ideological message in key headings, literary texts and campaign materials.
Results. The newspaper “Yash Leninchy” acted as the most important tool for ideological education of Tatar children, successfully combining all-Union communist attitudes with national and cultural specifics. Since its foundation in 1924, it passed the way from a handwritten magazine to a mass-circulation edition with a wide network of young correspondents. Ideological and historical topics were actively covered on its pages: the October Revolution, the image of Lenin, the fight against bad habits and illiteracy, as well as anti-capitalist propaganda through the heading “The lives of children in capitalist countries.” Literary reads aimed at forming class consciousness and pioneer activity played an important role. The newspaper involved children in public life, stimulated their creative and organizational activity. Despite the difficulties of distribution, the lack of correspondents and decline in interest during summer months, the editorial staff continued to expand the subject according to the needs of the young audience. “Yash Leninchy” became not only an ideology expresser, but also a means of cultural integration, which formed in children the sense of belonging to a unified Soviet society while preserving national identity.
Conclusions. “Yash Leninchy” became not just a newspaper for children, but a full-fledged tool for shaping Soviet identity in a national republic. Its materials contributed to integration of children into the communist ideology, while supporting the cultural elements of the Tatar people. The combination of propaganda and pedagogical approaches, as well as the focus on children’s active participation in content creation, make this publication a valuable historical source and an example of effective ideological work through the press.
References
Information about the authors
Ilnur I. Shaidullin – Post-Graduate Student, Department of National History and Archival Studies, Senior Lecturer, Department of Altaic Studies, Kazan (Volga region) Federal University, Russia, Kazan (Shaidullin_ilnur1997@mail.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4187-1086).
Alexander A. Litvin – Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of National History and Archival Studies, Kazan (Volga region) Federal University, Russia, Kazan (hist33rus@yandex.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2337-3304).
For citations
Shaidullin I.I., Litvin A.A. Indoctrination through the children’s press: «Yash leninchy» newspaper and formation of a soviet identity in the Tatar ASSR. Historical Search, 2025, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 94–104. DOI: 10.47026/2712-9454-2025-6-2-94-104 (in Russian).
