(f) Attacks on Religious Beliefs and Practices

The Russian Orthodox Church: Why did the Bolsheviks see religion as a threat?

Religion offered an alternative ideology to Marxism, promoted individual rights over collective socialism, and competed with communism as a source of authority.

The Russian Orthodox Church: Why was the Russian Orthodox Church particularly targeted?

It was closely tied to the tsarist regime, acted as a powerful tool of social control, and was trusted by the majority of the population.

The Russian Orthodox Church: What role did Lenin’s views play in anti-religious policy?

Lenin was a committed atheist with a strong hatred of priests, which influenced the harsh pace and tone of Bolshevik attacks on religion.

The Russian Orthodox Church: What was the Bolshevik ultimate aim regarding religion?

To destroy religious influence entirely so that communism would be the only guiding belief — rejecting religion as the “opium of the masses.”

Early Bolshevik measures against the Church (1918–22): How did the Bolsheviks weaken the Orthodox Church after 1917?

The 1918 Decree on Freedom of Conscience separated Church and state, removed privileges, confiscated Church land, banned religious education and publications, closed monasteries, destroyed or repurposed churches, and placed Patriarch Tikhon under house arrest. Priests lost voting rights, rations, and many were killed during the Red Terror (28 bishops and over 1,000 priests by 1923).

Civil War and repression: Why did attacks on the Church intensify during the civil war?

The Bolsheviks seized Church valuables during the famine to fund food supplies and viewed the Church as a counter-revolutionary threat, leading to arrests, executions, and repression.

Propaganda and cultural attacks (1920s): How did the Bolsheviks attempt to undermine religious belief?

Through propaganda by the League of the Militant Godless (from 1929), ridicule of religious practices, staged “proofs” that God did not exist, attacks on rituals, and replacement ceremonies such as “Octoberings” instead of baptisms.

Church response and limits of Bolshevik success: How did the Church respond, and how effective were Bolshevik policies?

After Tikhon’s death (1925), Metropolitan Sergei urged cooperation, leading to less aggressive attacks. Despite this, by 1930 four-fifths of village churches were closed or destroyed. However, religion survived: surveys in the mid-1920s showed about 55% of peasants remained practising Christians.

Stalin and religious repression (collectivisation to war): How did Stalin’s policies affect the Church, and why did this change in 1941?

Religious repression intensified during collectivisation: churches were closed, priests were labelled “kulaks” and deported, and during the Great Purge (1936–39) almost all bishops were imprisoned or executed (only 12 of 163 free by 1939). Policy shifted after the German invasion in 1941, when the Church supported the war effort. Stalin responded by restoring the patriarchate, reopening some churches, and allowing seminaries, recognising religion’s value in sustaining wartime morale.

Khrushchev and religion: How did Khrushchev’s policies affect religion in the USSR?

Khrushchev was strongly anti-religious and launched a major repression campaign in 1958–59. Parish councils were placed under Party control, priests were reduced to purely spiritual roles and often dismissed, and the secret police harassed clergy. Around 10,000 churches were closed within four years, and religious minorities such as Baptists and Jews faced severe restrictions on worship.

Religion under Brezhnev: How did Brezhnev’s policies affect religion in the USSR after 1964?

Active persecution declined after Khrushchev. Brezhnev tolerated the Orthodox Church within strict limits to avoid damaging relations with the West. The Church was monitored by the Council of Religious Affairs and expected to support Soviet policies while limiting itself to formal worship and social work. Dissenting clergy were punished, such as Father Yakunin, imprisoned in 1979. More critical religious groups (e.g. Jews and Baptists) faced greater repression, though unregistered congregations continued to operate illegally.

Bolshevik attitudes to Islam: Why did the Bolsheviks initially tolerate Islam in the USSR?

Islam was deeply embedded in daily life in Central Asia and closely linked to national identity. The Bolsheviks feared that attacking it too early would provoke unrest and threaten state cohesion, so they initially tolerated sharia courts, Islamic schools and mullahs.

Repression of Islam and its impact: How and why did the Bolsheviks repress Islam from the mid-1920s?

Once more secure, the regime attacked Islamic institutions: mosques were closed, sharia courts abolished, religious land endowments banned, mullahs removed during collectivisation, veiling discouraged, Ramadan condemned, and polygamy outlawed. These measures provoked violent revolts in 1928–29, especially in Chechnya, crushed by force. Many Muslims practised Islam privately or joined underground brotherhoods (tarigat).

Impact of Communist repression on religion: What was the long-term impact of Communist repression on religious belief and practice?

State repression significantly reduced active worship and weakened formal religious institutions. By the 1980s only about 25% of the population believed in God, and far fewer practised religion openly. However, for committed believers repression often strengthened faith, leading to underground religious networks that provided spiritual and practical support where the state failed.