How accurate is it to say that the Soviet leadership to religion remained remarkable constant in
1917-85
Criteria:
-objection to religion, persecution of religoius leaders, practioner, severity of consequences
Intro – define remarkable constant and criteria
Objection – hatetred – stalin. OST extreme – kruschrv not
Conceruence - Serve =difference
Consultancy=. Stalin. Not – other are
P1 Lenin-stalin
While Stalin took a more tolerant approach to religion then Lenin, overall, there was a remarkable
degree of constituency in the Soviet leadership;s hostility to religion 1917-53
Lenin
-1918 the degree on freedom of conscience separated the Orthodox Church from the state
-churches destroyed and during the civil war attacks on church increased and valuable objects were
seized to pay for food
-during civil war priests denied rations and the vote
-by 1923,28 bishops and more then 1000 priest had been killed (concerquence)
-by 1929, the league of the militant godless was established by the Bolshevik’s as part of a
propaganda campaign against religion it launched events to disprove the existence of god
-religious rituals were attached and there was a campaign to replace baptism with ‘Octoberings’
mid 1920s survey of peasants revealed 55% still active Christians despite measures
Lenin- Stalin (Islam)
-dealing with Islam was more difficult talk as it was more engrained into a distinct way of life and
integrated within its community
-not until mid 1920s government felt confident enough to attack Islamic institutions and rituals
-religious endowments of land were prohibited, making the upkeep of mosques more difficult
-most mosques were close down , sharia courts phased out and mullahs were removed
by the end f 1930 4/5ths of village churches destroyed or inactive
-campaign against the veiling of women was launched on international womens day 197 when hinge
gatherings of women took place part in the ceremony. They cast off their veils and threw them into
bonfire – was that cos they felt they had to ?
-polygamy was prohibited on the grounds of its subjugation of women
-resulted in a series of revolts 1928-9- unrest was only crushed through use of soviet armed forces
-many Muslims attempted to observe obedinaces to the state in public while retaining Islamic
customs in private
-other joined underground brotherhoods – tariqat, to continue to fight for Islamic rights
1929 league of the militant godless- campaign to disprove existence of god, involved taking
peasants in planes to show there was no heaven. propaganda against religion
Stalin
Persecution = same
But Stalin more flexible in ww2
-a campaign of religious repression accompanied Stalin policy of collectivisation
-more churches were down and village protests were labelled as kulaks and deported
-further attacks followed the great purge of 1936-39, and by 1939 only 12 out of 163 bishops were
still free
-this changed with the German invasion as the church supported the war effort and gave moral to
population
-Stalin took a more liberal approach to the church with churches re-opening
1917-85
Criteria:
-objection to religion, persecution of religoius leaders, practioner, severity of consequences
Intro – define remarkable constant and criteria
Objection – hatetred – stalin. OST extreme – kruschrv not
Conceruence - Serve =difference
Consultancy=. Stalin. Not – other are
P1 Lenin-stalin
While Stalin took a more tolerant approach to religion then Lenin, overall, there was a remarkable
degree of constituency in the Soviet leadership;s hostility to religion 1917-53
Lenin
-1918 the degree on freedom of conscience separated the Orthodox Church from the state
-churches destroyed and during the civil war attacks on church increased and valuable objects were
seized to pay for food
-during civil war priests denied rations and the vote
-by 1923,28 bishops and more then 1000 priest had been killed (concerquence)
-by 1929, the league of the militant godless was established by the Bolshevik’s as part of a
propaganda campaign against religion it launched events to disprove the existence of god
-religious rituals were attached and there was a campaign to replace baptism with ‘Octoberings’
mid 1920s survey of peasants revealed 55% still active Christians despite measures
Lenin- Stalin (Islam)
-dealing with Islam was more difficult talk as it was more engrained into a distinct way of life and
integrated within its community
-not until mid 1920s government felt confident enough to attack Islamic institutions and rituals
-religious endowments of land were prohibited, making the upkeep of mosques more difficult
-most mosques were close down , sharia courts phased out and mullahs were removed
by the end f 1930 4/5ths of village churches destroyed or inactive
-campaign against the veiling of women was launched on international womens day 197 when hinge
gatherings of women took place part in the ceremony. They cast off their veils and threw them into
bonfire – was that cos they felt they had to ?
-polygamy was prohibited on the grounds of its subjugation of women
-resulted in a series of revolts 1928-9- unrest was only crushed through use of soviet armed forces
-many Muslims attempted to observe obedinaces to the state in public while retaining Islamic
customs in private
-other joined underground brotherhoods – tariqat, to continue to fight for Islamic rights
1929 league of the militant godless- campaign to disprove existence of god, involved taking
peasants in planes to show there was no heaven. propaganda against religion
Stalin
Persecution = same
But Stalin more flexible in ww2
-a campaign of religious repression accompanied Stalin policy of collectivisation
-more churches were down and village protests were labelled as kulaks and deported
-further attacks followed the great purge of 1936-39, and by 1939 only 12 out of 163 bishops were
still free
-this changed with the German invasion as the church supported the war effort and gave moral to
population
-Stalin took a more liberal approach to the church with churches re-opening
