Influenced by Lenin, Fritz Brupbacher, and Leonhard Ragaz, responsible for the panic that gripped the bourgeoisie at the end of the World War, was the socialist youth, initially known as Young Men, later as Free Youth, and finally as the Social Democratic Youth Organization of Switzerland. It was the main organizational bearer of the revolutionary spirit during the general strike of 1918 and a fervent supporter of the Moscow International, as well as a core component of the new Communist Party of Switzerland.

The youth movement offered its members community, identity, and even a sense of purpose, often shaping them for life. Many later became important party and Comintern officials, such as Willy Münzenberg. The author thoroughly presents the different facets of this youth movement and explores the fascination of the movement for its members. He systematically examines the process of radicalization and creates a differentiated catalog of factors that can be used to study radicalization phenomena in youth groups.

To address the question of whether youth radicalism is a generational issue, the sociological discussion on generational theory is comprehensively reviewed, and the most important youth groups of that time are compared with the socialist youth, which is analyzed in depth for the first time.