Youth League

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Youth League - Mandatory youth organisation formed and controlled by Ingsoc. This organisation is for youths, whereas the Spies is for children. The age when youths move up from the Spies to the Youth League is never mentioned in the book; in real totalitarian youth organisations, it was usually around the age of 14.

Contrary to popular belief, the Youth League is mentioned very scarcely and not described in detail in the novel. It is, however, reasonable to assume that it resembles the Spies, but with a more psychologically mature and elaborately ideological approach.

It should be noted that Comrade Parsons was able to remain in the Youth League a year past the standard maximum age limit.


[edit] Background

All totalitarian states have been eager to indoctrinate the youth and have formed official youth organisations. Orwell's main sources of inspiration were most probably two, though: The Soviet communist Kommunisticheskiy Soyuz Molodiozhi and the Nazi German Hitlerjugend respective Bund Deutscher Mädel. Kommunisticheskiy Soyuz Molodiozhi, better known as Komsomol, probably resembles the Youth League the most: Whereas Hitlerjugend's main goal was to produce fearless front soldiers and Bund Deutscher Mädel's goal to produce obedient housewives, Komsomol's main goal was to produce loyal party members. There are many indications in the novel that it would be directly against Ingsoc's goals to give citizens military training and strengthen traditional family life.

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