The first membership cards and certificates confirming one’s membership of unions of workers’ and peasants’ youth appeared in the summer of 1917. Each organization produced them as best they could: there were cards drawn on cardboard, typewritten, or printed. At the beginning of 1921, the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Youth League decided to establish the membership card of the Petrograd branch as a standard card for the entire Komsomol.
In 1924, the Komsomol organization was officially named. The need for standard documentation for all members greatly increased. In October 1924, the Central Committee of the Komsomol decided to carry out a re-registration of Komsomol members by August 1 of the following year and exchange old membership cards for new cards with a brown cardboard cover.
During the first five-year plans, mass housing construction projects were set in motion in the country. Hundreds of thousands of young people moved to new places. When Komsomol members had to register, it turned out that everyone had different membership cards and certificates, the numbers on their cards were arbitrary, and there was no registration card at all.
In February 1929, the Komsomol Central Committee introduced a standard Komsomol card with nationwide numbering system. The exchange was conducted after careful preparations in 1932.
In 1938, another exchange of Komsomol documents took place. Lenin’s portrait was placed on a steel-colored cover, and the title page depicted the Orders of the Red Banner and the Red Banner of Labor, which the Komsomol was awarded in 1931. In 1956, it was decided to carry out another exchange. The card of the new design had a cover made of dark red leatherette, and its inner sheets were made of special light pink paper.
In 1961, the fifth order appeared on the banner of the Komsomol — the Order of Lenin. New Komsomol documents were issued in 1967. Cards with a bas-relief of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin on a bright red cover with a depiction of five orders awarded to the Komsomol entered circulation.
The last card exchange took place in 1975, and there were 40 million Komsomol members at that time. The cover was red, which was a symbol of the revolution and the country’s flag. The cover included a portrait of Vladimir Ilyich and a slogan at the top: “Workers of the world, unite!” But it did not mention the USSR and simply featured the words “Komsomol Membership Card”.
In 1924, the Komsomol organization was officially named. The need for standard documentation for all members greatly increased. In October 1924, the Central Committee of the Komsomol decided to carry out a re-registration of Komsomol members by August 1 of the following year and exchange old membership cards for new cards with a brown cardboard cover.
During the first five-year plans, mass housing construction projects were set in motion in the country. Hundreds of thousands of young people moved to new places. When Komsomol members had to register, it turned out that everyone had different membership cards and certificates, the numbers on their cards were arbitrary, and there was no registration card at all.
In February 1929, the Komsomol Central Committee introduced a standard Komsomol card with nationwide numbering system. The exchange was conducted after careful preparations in 1932.
In 1938, another exchange of Komsomol documents took place. Lenin’s portrait was placed on a steel-colored cover, and the title page depicted the Orders of the Red Banner and the Red Banner of Labor, which the Komsomol was awarded in 1931. In 1956, it was decided to carry out another exchange. The card of the new design had a cover made of dark red leatherette, and its inner sheets were made of special light pink paper.
In 1961, the fifth order appeared on the banner of the Komsomol — the Order of Lenin. New Komsomol documents were issued in 1967. Cards with a bas-relief of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin on a bright red cover with a depiction of five orders awarded to the Komsomol entered circulation.
The last card exchange took place in 1975, and there were 40 million Komsomol members at that time. The cover was red, which was a symbol of the revolution and the country’s flag. The cover included a portrait of Vladimir Ilyich and a slogan at the top: “Workers of the world, unite!” But it did not mention the USSR and simply featured the words “Komsomol Membership Card”.
