| This study focuses on one aspect of the Soviet military-patriotic program: the treatment of military-patriotic themes in Soviet textbooks, children's literature, and children's press. Because Soviet patriotic education is linked to instilling a hatred of the class enemy and a willingness to defend the homeland, the work begins with a discussion on Soviet perceptions of war. The military-patriotic program as a whole is also examined in terms of the tasks assigned to it and the methods used. The bulk of this work involves demonstrating how military-patriotic themes found in textbooks and children's literature and developed and how they complement the overall military-patriotic program. The main themes traced in this study are love of homeland, the Party and youth organizations, Lenin, the Revolution and Civil War, The Great Patriotic War, internationalism (the Soviet view of the world order), and the Soviet Army today.;If nothing else, this study suggests the seriousness with which Soviet authorities approach the military-patriotic program and the value they place on it. Overall, the Soviet military-patriotic program can be considered effective in the sense that it addresses the major concerns of the Soviet regime. It is organized and functions according to the tasks assigned to it. Given ideal circumstances, the ideal youth would be fully indoctrinated. However, there are references to problems in this area--in both Soviet military and pedagogical literature. These problems range from a lack of proper organization and equipment to disrespectful attitudes among Soviet young people. The frequency with which these articles appear suggests that Soviet authorities are still finding serious deficiencies in the program. |
