TO THE QUESTION OF V. I. LENIN’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE ORTHODOX CLERGY AFTER 1917

Abstract

Aim. To analyze the main sources of the concept pursued by individual domestic researchers about the mass destruction of the clergy in the first years of Soviet power. Methodology. The article considers three most frequently cited sources, presents the results of checking their authenticity and analyzes the historical context of their occurrence, as well as the events that followed. The findings are subsequently compared with other sources, and a conclusion is drawn about the position of the clergy and its relationship with V.I. Lenin in the period from 1917 to the middle of the 1920s. Results. The study shows the inconsistency of the point of view on the mass annihilation of the clergy in the first post-revolutionary years and provides illustrations of the quite benevolent attitude of V.I. Lenin to the clergy and the positive nature of the transformations that affected the religious life of the people. Research implications. The results of the study increase the rigor of the historical and political understanding and description of Church-state relations in the first post-revolutionary years.