Hungary SzIT Youth Organization

[hunyadi]

Here is a nice little addition about a youth organization that I had not known about - but what caught my eye was the whole book is an overview of the organization and then - my favorite part - about the uniforms, badges and medals of the organization. A collectors dream!

[hunyadi]

the organization had twelve points

1) Love of the Fahterland and its People

2) Fight for the Class Struggle

3) Work to help the Socialist Plan

4) Study technical subjects

5) Be politicaly clean by reading Marx and Lennin

6) Be brave and happy, conciencious and sure

7) Stand firm in the building of socialism, never to go back!

8) Fight for a world of democarcy! Just like the Heros of the Soviet youth

9) Build up the Hungarain youth, to strenghten the associaiton of the workers and peasants

10) Ensure a healthy building of the culture

11) Awake the Hungarian Republic so that the people will have joy

12) And the most important: the Hungarian Workers Party

(this is a really quick and dirty translation - but you get the idea)

Edited April 21, 2007 by hunyadi

[hunyadi]

read Lennin and Marx young men and women

[hunyadi]

build uo the Workers Party! For those of you who dont know - the photo is of Matyas Rakosi the "Little Stalin" of Hungary from 1949-1956. For kicks you can listen to what the youth would sing about him... the video is satire as the kids are singing about 'Thank You Comrade Rakosi! You bring us goodies to eat, the railroad, lots of money, flowers bloom wherever you walk, etc..."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MYGhcYJYtzU

[hunyadi]

Uniforms for men and women

[hunyadi]

A diagram of all the badges and regalia and where it goes on the uniform.

[hunyadi]

My favorite part - medals that can be worn on the uniform.

The text speaks of 'many capitalist medals of Hungary' (of which some were still legal to be worn, but obviously not encouraged) the text says that the two main items that can be worn are the Order of Merit of Hungarian Freedom and the Excelent Workers Badge. Other badges could be worn - but only those that recognised the workers struggle for production.

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

A great book. Just what I need in my research on DISZ and KISZ. Gores well with the DISZ book you just bought. Check the flags and you will see they are the same for both organizations. This is probabaly the childrens/youth organization of DISZ and the predecessor to the Young Pioneers under KISZ. Please bring this book with you on Wednesday. I'll really like to see it.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

Here is a picture from the book you found at the antique store we were at last week. It shows what I think are the uniforms illustrated in the line drawing in the book this thread is about. The picture dates from sometime before June, 1950, the date at the front of the book. The caption reads ?M?t? Margit ?s Petrő M?ria a Lillaf?redi Palotasz?ll?ban". There is more, but it is anti-Horthy propaganda so I left it out.

For the rest of the forum-Palota is a hotel/resort that both Charles and I have stayed at, although at different times. It was originally built as a luxury hotel but being somewhat out of the way was unsuccessful. After that it was used as a guest house by the owners until it was taken over by the Communist government and used as a resort for the workers. The furniture is very much like that I have seen in other communist countries in Europe before the wall fell. Very spartan and utilitarian.

Cheers,

Gordon

[hunyadi]

Got a couple of items from the organization now - a cap badge

[hunyadi]

and a belt buckle - well - half of one... the seller had 'fixed' the other half out of a Pioneers (KISZ) belt buckle. Shaved off the flag and glued on a SZIT badge. Not till I got it home did I recognise the 'extra' work...

[hunyadi]

top shot of the belt

[Gordon Craig]

Time for me to add my bit to this thread. Here is one of the medals issued by SZIT. Charles has the same medal named to the same town. Here is the obverse.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

The reverse.

[Gordon Craig]

Here is the same medal, sans ribbon unfortunately, but there are differences to the reverse of this one. Here is the obverse.

[Gordon Craig]

The first medal I posted sems to have the name of the town and the date 1948 on the banner on the reverse as part of the medal when it was made. This medal is named to a different town, TATA, and there is no date on the banner. This leads me to beleieve that at some point, these medals were made without anything on the wreath on the reverse and you could engrave what you wished there.