FDJ
FDJ stands for Freie Deutsche Jugend and was the youth movement of the German Democratic Republic (DDR).
Although membership was voluntary, non-members often suffered pressure and discrimination and so around 80% of people between the ages of 14 and 25 were members.
Although closely associated with East Germany, the FDJ originally had branches in the western zones
, before it was outlawed in the Federal German Republic (West Germany) in 1951. In fact, its earlier roots were not in Germany at all, rather in Prague
, Paris
and London
in the 1930s.
Today there are still FDJ groups in Germany, although membership numbers are much lower than they were before reunification.
To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:
(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)
Tags: FDJ, Freie Deutsche Jugend