After the 1948 takeover of power, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSC) formed two Soviet-style youth organizations: the Pionyr (Pioneers) for youngsters eight to fifteen years old and the Czechoslovak Union of Youth (CSM) for ages fifteen to twenty-five. Both organizations were geared toward grooming their members for Communist party membership.
The Pionyrs were very much like the boy scouts, but the CSM were more politically focused.
CSM membership was considered necessary for entrance to university or a professional career, so people often joined up regardless of their political leanings.
