Table of contents:
- Foreign travel during the NEP and freedom of movement
- Popularization of the USSR abroad and a motorcycle rally to London
- American motorcycles on Soviet tires
- Red motorcyclists in Berlin and the return home through the GPU
Video: How did bikers live in the Land of the Soviets and why they arranged throws on "motors" to the West
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
In 1885, the famous German design engineer Daimler created the first motorcycle. This fact replenished the conveyor of the transport industry, provoked the emergence of a motorcycle culture and, in particular, motor sports. In Russian society, motorsport took its first shoots back in imperial times. And even in spite of the fact that there was no production of motorcycles inside the country, competitions with the participation of "motors", as they were called then, were regularly held until the very beginning of the First World War. The October Revolution, coupled with the war, seriously crippled the only gaining momentum in motorsport and seriously slowed down development in this direction against the background of European countries and the United States. But history went down to single marches of Soviet motorcyclists who traveled thousands of kilometers for lofty goals.
Foreign travel during the NEP and freedom of movement
The young Soviet state of the NEP period needed to improve relations with the European community. In addition to the official government line, informal channels were also used. The new economic policy, which its authors saw as capitalism in a proletarian country, was intended to support the Soviets before the arrival of the world revolution. Professional athletes volunteered to fraternize with the workers of Europe, traveling thousands of kilometers to carry soft Soviet power to the masses.
The semi-legal diplomatic mission on motorcycles took place in different ways. In 1919, the procedure for issuing passports for travel outside the state was approved. The design was now handled by the NKID (People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs). True, after 3 years, the bureaucratic machine corrected the ideological component of this process. This is how the first diplomatic missions of the young state appeared. Exit-entry until the second half of the 20s remained fairly free. There were isolated cases of legal obstacles to foreign travel. Difficulties came with the start of industrialization with collectivization, when the first people appeared who wanted to change their native land. The temporary loophole at the transparent borders was taken advantage of by Soviet motorcyclists who traveled on two wheels to Paris and back.
Popularization of the USSR abroad and a motorcycle rally to London
France officially recognized the USSR only in 1924. Wanting to face the allies and at the same time carrying their name to the international masses, the public organized the first motorcycle race. The message was something like this: motorcyclists-enthusiasts travel around Europe, debunking the anti-Soviet myths of the White Guard emigrants and sharing stories about socialist benefits.
The trip to London was organized by the Moscow Automobile Club. Four volunteers from professional athletes went to the Indian Royal-Enfield and the American Harley-Davidson to win the hearts of the British. Russian was at that time in its infancy, so it was safer to go to foreigners on foreign equipment. On the roads of Finland, Norway, Sweden, England, Belgium, Germany, the motor-four covered up to 8 thousand kilometers. For a unique run at that time, the participants were awarded diplomas for establishing international relations in the 20s.
American motorcycles on Soviet tires
The next foreign motocross-1927 went from Moscow to Paris. This time there were already 12 participants. The team was made up of representatives of the auto-motorcycle clubs in Moscow, Tula, Leningrad, Odessa, Baku. Six motorcycles of American brands with sidecars started from the capital, but they were "shod" in Soviet rubber, and motor chains were used from Tula and Leningrad. Based on the tasks, the participants were instructed to contact the working European sports organizations. The second goal, of course, was to test Soviet units - chains and rubber. One of the team members combined the roles of translator, physician and press attaché. The move was made across the Soviet-Polish border. Ordinary Poles greeted the motorcyclists without alertness. Young people who did not speak Russian found ways to establish contact with travelers. And local Belarusian peasants even complained to foreigners about bias and “polonization”.
The police behaved differently. Soviet travelers were forbidden to communicate with the townspeople. Law enforcement officers "led" the Soviet group even during visits to public catering. And the motorcyclists were seriously worried that some kind of provocation would happen in order to disrupt the motocross. During the stop for repairs in Warsaw, the citizens of the USSR were given special attention, once again checking documents and interrogating about the reasons for visiting the country. But the athletes did not give up, telling the local people about the Soviet trade unions, clubs and the high organization of recreation of workers in the Soviet Union on every occasion.
Red motorcyclists in Berlin and the return home through the GPU
The Germans, unlike the Poles, greeted the Russians cordially. True, a misunderstanding arose here as well. The locals who met the motorcyclists raised their fists symbolically. It is now well known that such a gesture contains a sign of solidarity between the working people and the leftist movements "Rot Front". At that time, travelers perceived such a reaction as aggression. But soon they managed to figure it out, and the embarrassment was eliminated. In Berlin, in honor of the red minders, a workers' meeting was even organized, pompously and good-naturedly seeing off the foreigners on their next journey. They were met in the same way in Leipzig and Erfurt.
In Ozfenbach, the rally participants had fruitful conversations with members of a similar organization, Solidaritet, which united German motorcyclists and cyclists. Despite the unfamiliar territories and the language barrier, Soviet citizens felt comfortable here. As they told later, they managed to feel the international atmosphere for which they were traveling.
This was followed by France, where the delegation was met on a motorcycle by the Soviet envoy. The French Transport Organization organized a sumptuous dinner for the occasion. The event was attended by local unions of public transport drivers, metro employees. The meeting turned out to be warm, the necessary contacts were established.
Upon returning home, the motorcyclists faced another test - an NKVD check. After a six-hour conversation, the participants of the race were dismissed to their homes, and at the international races they gave up.
T. N. biker culture has penetrated all corners of the world. And in There were even women's sukeban gangs in Japan, which all Japanese feared.
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