КОМИНТЕРН В БОРЬБЕ ПРОТИВ РЕЛИГИИ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ РЕЛИГИОЗНОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ В УРСР)
THE COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE RELIGION (EXAMPLE OF THE RELIGIOUS POLICY IN THE SOVIET RUSSIA)

Summary/Abstract: Although the religious issues were not a priority for the Communist International, it did cooperate with the International of proletarian freethinking structures as a tool in the fight against the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church, which included the effort to get this organisation under control. In the Soviet Union Russia, a Union of atheists was established in April 1925, renamed in 1929 to Union of militant atheists. A corresponding structure was put in place also in Ukraine, the second largest Soviet Union republic. In the first years of the Soviet state, the political life in Ukraine differed from the rest of the Union, especially in the effort to preserve the Ukrainian nationality. On the other hand, the newly established Soviet regime proclaimed the freedom of faith which, in turn, tied its hands in stepping out openly and violently against the churches. This attitude naturally changed in time. The authors focus on detailed analysis of selected areas from the perspective of main religious holidays and of the way they were celebrated as well as the introduction of atheistic holidays including new symbols. This anti-Church propaganda was managed by the Ministry of the National Education (example of the New Years’ Red Tree). Since mid-1920s, the atheistic politics in all Soviet Union was getting under systematic and goal-directed management. Apart from the fight against the Catholic Church, the steps taken against other churches of national minorities and against Jews intensified. This process may be well observed in the southern Ukraine since the Jews represented the second biggest minority (13 % of population) there. The authors follow the confiscation of the church property, transformation of churches and synagogues into civil facilities. In the course of several years the fight against the religion changed into repression directed against the believers and especially against the clergy.

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