Little Killers or Victims of the System? Soviet Schoolchildren in Campaigns for the Extermination of Ground Squirrels

Abstract

This article examines the role of Soviet children in ground squirrels’ extermination campaigns in the 1930s–1950s, influenced by state propaganda. It contextualizes the practice of using children in pest control efforts as part of a wider Soviet agricultural modernization, where nature was perceived as an adversary to be subdued. The article examines Soviet debates on the messages children’s literature about nature should convey and explores how these practices shaped values such as kindness, compassion, and cruelty. It also addresses the ethical implications of child labor, the normalization of violence against nature, and the impact of these experiences on children’s moral development.