Leninist Religion Flashcards
How did Lenin see religion at beginning of power?
-didn’t see church as threat
-allowed freedom of religions
-B’vik minority v orthodox majority
How did Marx described religion?
-‘the opium of the people’
-used to justify power of upper class over the people
-but Lenin disagreed
But despite this what was used against religion?
-propaganda to applaud secular society
-changes took place in the position of church within the state
What was the decree against the church 1917?
-church lands seized when priv ownership land declared illegal
-church schools + seminaries taken over by state
How did the decrees on civil marriage impact the church?
-took marriage + divorce out of church hands
-church officially separated from state 1918
What happened from 1921?
-teaching religion in schools forbidden
-churched became property of this who worshipped in them
What happened to monasteries?
-became state property
-were turned into schools, prisons, hospitals + barracks
How did war communism impact religion in Russia?
-increased antagonism against church
-many priests died in famine + although peasants still deeply religious they remained unconcerned at this
-100,000 priests died of starvation
What happened to churched during the civil war?
-members komsomal ransacked churches to show commitment to socialism
-church bells seized + melted down so metal be sold for funds for famine relief
-communist officials exposed church relics as fake
What happened with the newspaper ‘the godless’?
-founded 1923
-1925 founded League of the Godless - coordinate anti-religious propaganda
-tested bible stories against scientific knowledge + spread atheistic lit
How did this impact the gov?
-gov remained wary of activities
-preferred weaken hold of religion by less explicit means
