Soviet History Lecture: The Suppression of the Church in Russia

Soviet History Lecture: The Suppression of the Church in Russia

This is part of a series on Soviet History Lectures.

Contents

1. Soviet History Lecture: The Suppression of the Church in Russia
   1. I. Introduction
   2. II. Religion and the Russian Empire
   3. III. Marxism and Religion
   4. IV. The Bolshevik Assault on Religion
   5. V. Key Figures
   6. VI. Major Campaigns against Religion
   7. VII. The New Martyrs and Resistance
   8. VIII. World War II and the Temporary Revival
   9. IX. Khrushchev's Anti-Religious Campaign
   10. X. Religion under Brezhnev
   11. XI. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Fall of the Soviet Union
   12. XII. Legacy
   13. XIII. Conclusion
   14. XIV. Key Reading
   15. XV. Further Reading
   16. XVI. Relevant Videos of Merit

I. Introduction

Objective:

Examine the Soviet Union's campaign against organized religion and the Russian Orthodox Church from the Bolshevik Revolution through the collapse of the USSR.

Themes:

• Marxist hostility toward religion.
• Political repression and state atheism.
• Religious resistance and martyrdom.
• The survival and revival of faith.

II. Religion and the Russian Empire

A. Orthodoxy and the Romanovs

• The Russian Orthodox Church occupied a central role in Imperial Russia.
• The emperor was regarded as protector of the faith.
• Monasteries and churches exercised enormous cultural and social influence.

B. Religious Diversity

The Russian Empire was home to:

• Orthodox Christians.
• Roman Catholics.
• Protestants.
• Jews.
• Muslims.
• Buddhists.

C. Criticism of the Church

Many revolutionaries viewed the Church as an ally of the monarchy and an obstacle to modernization.

III. Marxism and Religion

A. Karl Marx and Religion

Karl Marx famously described religion as "the opium of the people."

He believed religious belief reflected economic and social alienation and would disappear under communism.

B. Lenin and Militant Atheism

Vladimir Lenin regarded religion as a tool of oppression and advocated aggressive secularization.

C. Dialectical Materialism

Soviet ideology promoted atheism and materialism as scientific truths.

Religion was considered a relic of the past.

IV. The Bolshevik Assault on Religion

A. Separation of Church and State (1918)

• Church property was confiscated.
• Religious schools were abolished.
• Clergy lost legal privileges.

B. Confiscation of Church Valuables (1922)

The Soviet government seized church treasures during the famine crisis.

Patriarch Tikhon opposed the campaign.

Thousands of clergy and believers were arrested.

C. Closure of Monasteries

Hundreds of monasteries and seminaries were shut down.

Many buildings were converted into museums, warehouses, or prisons.

V. Key Figures

A. Patriarch Tikhon (1865–1925)

Head of the Russian Orthodox Church during the Revolution and Civil War.

He condemned violence and resisted state interference.

He was placed under house arrest by Soviet authorities.

B. Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924)

Lenin regarded religion as a weapon used by the ruling classes.

He authorized measures aimed at weakening religious institutions.

C. Joseph Stalin (1878–1953)

Although educated in a seminary, Stalin presided over some of the most severe anti-religious persecutions in Russian history.

Thousands of clergy were executed or imprisoned.

D. Patriarch Sergius (1867–1944)

Attempted accommodation with Soviet authorities.

His 1927 declaration of loyalty remains controversial.

E. Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971)

Initiated a major anti-religious campaign after Stalin's death.

Thousands of churches were closed.

VI. Major Campaigns against Religion

A. The League of Militant Atheists

Founded in 1925.

Promoted atheism through:

• Propaganda.
• Lectures.
• Publications.
• Anti-religious demonstrations.

B. The Destruction of Churches

Thousands of churches were demolished.

Among the most famous losses was Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

C. The Great Terror (1937–1938)

Large numbers of bishops, priests, monks, and nuns were arrested or executed.

Many churches ceased functioning.

D. Persecution of Other Religions

Soviet authorities targeted:

• Roman Catholics.
• Protestants.
• Jews.
• Muslims.
• Buddhists.

VII. The New Martyrs and Resistance

A. Underground Worship

Believers continued to meet secretly.

Religious literature circulated privately.

B. The Catacomb Church

Some Orthodox Christians rejected cooperation with Soviet authorities and operated underground.

C. New Martyrs

Thousands of clergy and lay believers died during the persecutions.

Many were canonized after the fall of communism.

VIII. World War II and the Temporary Revival

A. Stalin's Reversal

The German invasion transformed Soviet policy.

Stalin permitted a limited revival of religious life.

B. Restoration of the Patriarchate

Patriarch Sergius was elected in 1943.

Some churches reopened.

C. Patriotic Mobilization

Religious leaders encouraged resistance against Nazi Germany.

IX. Khrushchev's Anti-Religious Campaign

A. Renewed Suppression

Thousands of churches were closed.

Monasteries were dissolved.

B. Scientific Atheism

Schools and media promoted atheism.

Religious belief was portrayed as backward and irrational.

C. Failure of the Campaign

Despite official predictions, religion survived.

X. Religion under Brezhnev

A. Relative Stability

Open terror largely disappeared.

Restrictions and surveillance continued.

B. Dissidents and Believers

Religious activists documented persecution.

Samizdat publications circulated accounts of abuses.

C. International Criticism

Human rights groups increasingly highlighted Soviet restrictions on religious freedom.

XI. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Fall of the Soviet Union

A. Glasnost

Restrictions gradually eased.

B. Millennium of the Baptism of Rus' (1988)

Marked a turning point in church-state relations.

C. Collapse of the USSR

Churches, monasteries, and seminaries reopened.

A religious revival followed.

XII. Legacy

A. Demographic Impact

Generations grew up under state atheism.

Religious practice declined sharply.

B. Revival after 1991

The Russian Orthodox Church experienced dramatic growth.

C. Historical Debate

Historians continue to debate:

• The extent of collaboration between church leaders and Soviet authorities.
• The number of victims.
• The relationship between communism and militant atheism.

D. Canonization of the New Martyrs

Thousands of victims of Soviet persecution have been recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

E. Comparison with Earlier Persecutions

Some historians have compared Soviet anti-religious campaigns to those carried out during the French Revolution and under the Roman Empire.

XIII. Conclusion

Summary of Key Points

• Soviet ideology viewed religion as incompatible with Marxism.
• Churches and clergy faced decades of repression.
• Millions of believers continued to practice their faith.
• World War II brought temporary relaxation.
• Religion survived the Soviet experiment and experienced revival after 1991.

Discussion Questions

1. Why did Marxists view religion as a threat?
2. Why did Stalin partially reverse anti-religious policies during World War II?
3. Why did religion survive despite decades of persecution?
4. How should historians evaluate the relationship between religion and communism?

XIV. Key Reading

• Dimitry Pospielovsky, The Russian Church under the Soviet Regime.
• Alexander Yakovlev, A Century of Violence in Soviet Russia.
• Michael Bourdeaux, Land of Crosses.
• Richard Pipes, Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime.

XV. Further Reading

• Alexander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago.
• Nicolas Werth, The Black Book of Communism.
• Jane Ellis, The Russian Orthodox Church: A Contemporary History.
• John Curtiss, The Russian Church and the Soviet State.
• Walter Kolarz, Religion in the Soviet Union.