Religion under Khrushchev Flashcards
What was Khrushchev’s approach to religion like?
Khrushchev’s approach to religion was more hard line than that of Stalin
What was the initial mission of Khrushchev regarding religion?
Khrushchev saw it as part of his mission to revive the anti-religious campaign of the 1920s in order to liberate Soviet society from the vestiges of religion
What was the initial mission of Khrushchev regarding religion?
Khrushchev saw it as part of his mission to revive the anti-religious campaign of the 1920s in order to liberate Soviet society from the vestiges of religion
When did Khrushchev’s major anti-religious campaign start?
It started in 1958
What measures did Khrushchev introduce as part of his anti-religious campaign?
Churches re-opened during and after the Second World War were closed
Anti-religious propaganda was reintroduced
Anti-religious magazines were reintroduced, for example Science and Religion was published regularly from 1960
Roman Catholic monasteries were closed in 1959
Orthodox convents were placed under surveillance
Patrols refused to let believers have access to holy sites
How did Khrushchev use the Soviet space programme to attack religion?
Yuri Gagarin famously commented that having travelled up to the heavens he had found no God
Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, also argued that her trip into space had led to the victory of atheism over “the mysterious heavens that used to mystify the imagination”
Who did Khrushchev’s campaigns particularly target?
Khrushchev’s campaigns particularly targeted female believers
Why did Khrushchev’s campaigns particularly target female believers?
Government figures showed that two-thirds of Orthodox churchgoers were women and over 80 per cent of Protestant Christians were women
He was concerned that women were passing on religious beliefs to their children. Therefore from 1960 a propaganda campaign encouraged men to take the leading role in the education of their children. There were also campaigns against nuns, which accused them of being “unnatural women” for refusing to do their “natural duty” by becoming wives and mothers
Churches and Islamic groups were banned from running special events for women, such as women-only prayer meetings
School teachers were also expected to deliver an anti-religious message
In what aspect did Khrushchev’s campaign succeed?
The KGB successfully closed thousands of churches
How much did the KGB reduce the number of Orthodox Church buildings by?
Reducing the number of Orthodox Church buildings from 8000 in 1958 to 5000 in 1964
In what aspect did Khrushchev’s anti-religious campaign fail?
Khrushchev failed to win the battle for the “soul of the Soviet people”
How did Khrushchev fail to win the battle for the “soul of the Soviet people”?
Khrushchev’s anti-religious campaign led to the birth of a new dissent campaign that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s
How did Khrushchev’s anti-religious campaign lead to the birth of a new dissent campaign that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s?
Women organised their own campaigns to protect their religious freedoms. Some marched, others circulated pamphlets defending Christianity or Islam, while others took their children out of schools in order to counter the anti-religious propaganda
