Scouting has been banned in certain nations and remains banned in
some of them. Scouting was changed into a regime loyal Scoutlike organization or banned in nearly all
communist countries, most
fascist countries, and some other countries with
authoritarian regimes such as
Afghanistan under the Taliban,
Malawi, and
Iran. Banning has caused Scouting to go underground in countries such as
communist Poland,
Francoist Spain, and
socialist Myanmar. The
USSR banned Scouting in 1922, creating a separate
Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union, which gave birth to the
Pioneer Movement, still existing in some fashion in
China,
Cuba,
Laos,
North Korea, and
Vietnam, Scouting in
Hungary was banned at the beginning of the second world war. Prior to
World War II,
Germany,
Italy, and
Romania disbanded Scouting. Instead, Germany created the
Hitler Youth organization; Mussolini had a fascist youth organization, the
Balilla; and Romania under King
Carol II had the
Străjeria. Currently, there are no externally recognized Scouting organizations in
Cuba,
North Korea,
Laos,
Vietnam and
China except for the
special administrative regions of
Hong Kong and
Macau).
Cuba In 1914, the first Scout groups in
Cuba were founded. In the following years more local groups emerged, but they were not connected through a national association until 1927 when the Asociación de Scouts de Cuba (ASC) was founded. In the same year the association became a member of the
World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). During its first years, Cuban Scouting followed mainly the model of the
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting existed in Cuba itself until the 1960s, when Cuban Scouting ceased operations after the
Cuban revolution of 1959. Cuban Scouts rendered service during those times, directing traffic, collecting rations, helping in hospitals and establishing first aid stations. In 1961, the
World Scout Conference terminated the WOSM membership of ASC claiming that they had ceased to exist. Communist leaders replaced the association with the
José Martí Pioneer Organization. There is a Cubans-in-exile Association. Cuba is now one of only six of the world's independent countries that do not have
Scouting. Cuba was also a former member of the
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, with the
Asociación de Guías de Cuba last mentioned in 1969.
Russia In 1908, Baden-Powell's book
Scouting for Boys came out in
Russia by the order of
Tsar Nicholas II. In 1909, the first Russian Scout troop was organized and in 1914, a
society called
Russian Scout, was established. Scouting spread rapidly across Russia and into
Siberia. After the
October Revolution of 1917 and during the
Russian Civil War from 1917 to 1921, most of the
Scoutmasters and many Scouts fought in the ranks of the
White Army and
interventionists against the
Red Army. Some
Scouts took the
Bolsheviks' side, which would lead to the establishment of ideologically-altered Scoutlike organizations, such as
ЮК (
Юные Коммунисты, or
young communists; pronounced as
yuk) and others. Between 1918 and 1920, the second, third, and fourth All-Russian Congresses of the Russian Union of the Communist Youth decided to eradicate the Scout movement and create an organization of the communist type that would take youth under its umbrella. In 1922, the second All-Russian Komsomol Conference decided to create
Pioneer units all over the country; these units were united later that year as the
Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union. The
Soviet Union (USSR), which included Russia, was established in 1922 and dissolved in 1991. In 1990, the Russian Congress of People's Deputies with
Boris Yeltsin as its chairman declared Russia's sovereignty over its territory. The Young Pioneer organization was broken up in 1990 and the same year the
Scout Movement began to reemerge when relaxation of government restrictions allowed youth organizations to be formed to fill the void left by the Pioneers, with various factions competing for recognition. Some former Pioneer leaders have formed Scout groups and there is some controversy as to their motivations in doing so (see
Eurasian Scout Region controversies). The
Russian Association of Scouts/Navigators is now a member of the
World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). It is co-educational and has 13,920 members as of 2004.
Germany German Scouting first started in 1909. In Germany, Scouting later became involved with the
German Youth Movement, of which the
Wandervogel was a part. Scouting flourished until 1934–35, when nearly all associations were closed and their members had to join the
Hitler Youth. In 1940, during
World War II, the Nazis placed
Robert Baden-Powell the founder of Scouting on their "
Black Book", a list of people who were to be arrested in the event of a
Nazi invasion of Britain planned to begin that year but was cancelled. This list was not publicly known until 1945, shortly after the Nazis were defeated. In
West Germany and
West Berlin, Scouting was reestablished after 1945, but it was banned in
East Germany until 1990 in favor of the
Thälmann Pioneers and the
Free German Youth (FDJ). Currently, Scouting is present in all parts of the unified
Federal Republic of Germany and consists of about 150 different associations and federations with about 260,000 Scouts and
Girl Guides. ==Exclusion of Scouting associations from international organizations==