4th World Festival of Youth and Students
Encyclopedia
The Fourth World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) was held in 1953, in Bucharest
, the capital of Romania
.
The World Federation of Democratic Youth
organized this festival against a background of what it described as persecution of communists
, such as in West Germany
, where Philipp Müller, a delegate to the 3rd WFYS had been killed during a demonstration, and in the United States
, where Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
had been convicted of espionage
on behalf of the Soviet Union
, and executed. Other stated goals of the festival were to protest against the Korean War
and to support the anti-colonial movements in the French
colonies of Algeria
and Vietnam
. With this background, the festival and its preparation became anti-war demonstrations.
It was held 2–14 August 1953, at the newly-built 23 August Stadium (now called the Lia Manoliu Stadium). More than 30,000 young people from 111 countries participated in the Festival.
The motto of the festival was No! Our generation will not serve death and destruction!.
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, the capital of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
The World Federation of Democratic Youth
World Federation of Democratic Youth
The World Federation of Democratic Youth is a progressive youth organization, recognized by the United Nations as an international youth non-governmental organization. WFDY describes itself as an "anti-imperialist, left-wing" organisation...
organized this festival against a background of what it described as persecution of communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, such as in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, where Philipp Müller, a delegate to the 3rd WFYS had been killed during a demonstration, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg and Julius Rosenberg were American communists who were convicted and executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. The charges related to their passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union...
had been convicted of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
on behalf of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and executed. Other stated goals of the festival were to protest against the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and to support the anti-colonial movements in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
colonies of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. With this background, the festival and its preparation became anti-war demonstrations.
It was held 2–14 August 1953, at the newly-built 23 August Stadium (now called the Lia Manoliu Stadium). More than 30,000 young people from 111 countries participated in the Festival.
The motto of the festival was No! Our generation will not serve death and destruction!.