ABSTRACT
Anxiety over the state of the minds, hearts and souls of the youngest Soviet citizens was a fairly consistent feature of both public and behindthe-scenes discussions over childhood matters throughout the Soviet era. After all, the future of the Soviet project hinged on the moral purity of the youngest generation. Certainly, concerns about children were voiced even in the ‘lacquered’ world of post-war Stalinism. Most of the issues associated with the Khrushchev period – concerns about the quality of literature, juvenile delinquency, educational reforms and labour education – had already been noticed and acknowledged in previous years. But because most of the problems were direct consequences of Stalinist legislation or spending priorities, there was little possibility that any reversal could take place as long as Stalin was alive.
