ABSTRACT
The Socialist Youth League (SYL) was founded in Shanghai in 1920 under the close supervision of the Comintern. The Youth League was a requirement under international communism, modeled after the Soviet Komsomol. Early on, the SYL served as a front organization for the Chinese Communist Party, participated in the Communist Youth International (CYI) and focused on educating the masses in Marxist theory, in line with CYI dictates. Although its early members were highly dedicated, membership expanded slowly from 1920–3. Ideology alone was insufficient to attract large numbers and the SYL remained small until the launching of the First United Front.
