The Free German Youth was founded in 1936. Although it was banned in West Germany in 1954, it developed into the youth organisation of the GDR. After the peaceful revolution, membership numbers declined steadily. Today, the FDJ has around 50–60 members, all of whom live in West Germany. The FDJ can now be seen as a communist youth organisation with a strong anti-militarist stance. Through provocative demonstrations, poster campaigns and clandestine camps in East Germany, they strive to fight for their vision of a fairer society: socialism.
Their rituals and beliefs, and the singing of partisan songs, seem anachronistic – but they ask frequently asked questions: How do we want to live? Who has power over our future? How are young people dealing with militarisation in Europe?
