ABSTRACT
Calling for “peaceful coexistence” in 1956, Nikita Khrushchev put an end to the Soviet Union’s longtime isolation. His turn in foreign policy did not go unnoticed in the famous Soviet pioneer camp Artek. Artek began to hold annual international summer weeks and from the late 1950s onwards, the camp invited children’s delegations from both socialist and capitalist states. Consisting of diverse events aimed at propagating internationalism, fostering friendship and solidarity, these weeks sought to create a peaceful and open-minded image of the Soviet Union. This chapter analyses how pioneers established informal contacts with peers from all over the world, sometimes running counter to the camp’s official objectives and challenging the staged celebration of socialist internationalism.
