Creation of Komsomol Cafés in 1960s

Abstract

This article, using extensive archival material, examines the history of the emergence of youth cafés, provides an analysis of the preconditions and historical conditions in which they were created, and highlights the problems that they had to overcome on their way. During the 1960s youth cafés was created throughout the country on the initiative of Komsomol members. There were places where one could have an interesting and fun time listening to jazz over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, dancing a popular twist, meeting poets and musicians and artists, or just going an impromptu stage to read poems. The youth café became a symbol of the 1960s. The feeling of freedom was first felt by young people who began to actively explore Western culture and lifestyle. Harsh administrative measures and punishments proved to be ineffective. This is how the idea of creating the first youth club, corresponding to the interests and demands of young people, arose, but under the supervision of an “elder brother” in the form of the Komsomol. Urban young boys and girls were attracted by the democratic atmosphere of the café, which the sixtiers would later write about more than once. In the mid-1960s this interesting experience was relocated to the countryside, but this was less successful. Even in large cities, not many cafés survived until the mid-1970s, faced with enough problems.