religion under stalin

persecution of orthodox church

• religious schools shut down

• teaching of religious creeds was forbiddem

• churches destroyed

• worship restricted to “registered congregations” only

• 1929-40: holy day of sunday abolished

• 1936:stalin constitution criminalised publication of organisation of religious propaganda

• priests regained vite to vote

• priests victims of purges: accused of political involvement

• priests supported by voluntary donations

persecution of muslims

• land, schools, mosques abolished

• sharia courts abolished

• “new mosque” taking a pro-soviet line

• 1935: pilgrimages forbiidem

• veil forbidden

• muslims clerics imprisoned or executed

closure of buildings (1941)

christian churches: 40,000

muslims mosques: 25,000

impact of war WW2

• attacks during period of collectivisation and the purges

• 1937 census: pver half a million soviet religious belived

abolition of the godless (1943)

• permitted restricted publication of church literature within the USSR

• publication of statements by orthodoxy clergy in the russian language soviet press

how did ww2 change stalind religious policies

• wanted to use orthodox church to help re-established soviet power in non-russian areas

• church could help kremlin by taming or removing rebellious clerics

national minorities

• stalin wanted to create a single “soviet identity”

• 1938: learning russian became compulsory

• russian only language used in “red army”

• many rabbis and religious leaders arrested

• opposed to racial discrimination and inter-marriage welcomed