International Youth Day

an international holiday for progressive youth celebrated in the period between 1915 and 1945. Established by a resolution of the Bern International Socialist Conference of Youth in 1915 to mobilize youth for the struggle for peace and against imperialist war, it was first held on Oct. 3, 1915, in Switzerland, the Netherlands, the USA, Italy, Rumania, and a number of other countries. From 1916 to 1931 it was observed on the first Sunday of September; in 1932, by a resolution of certain sections of the Communist International of Youth, it began to be observed on September 1.

In Russia the day was first celebrated in September 1917. International Youth Day was marked by mass demonstrations and youth meetings. In the USSR, it was a day for observing international solidarity and the working successes of youth in socialist construction. The World Federation of Democratic Youth was founded in London in 1945, and the day of its creation, November 10, has been observed each year since 1945 as World Youth Day.