ANTI-RELIGIOUS EVENTS IN THE MOSCOW PRJVINCE IN THE EARLY YEARS OF SOVIET POWER

Abstract

Aim. The purpose of the article is to review and analyze the anti-religious propaganda work carried out by the authorities in the first post-revolutionary years on the territory of the Moscow province. Methodology. The article is a publication and analysis of archival sources identified, processed and interpreted by the author in the course of study on the topic of relations between the state and the Church in the USSR. Results. The analysis of archival materials allows us to conclude that the anti-religious events organized in the early years of Soviet power and widespread in the counties of the Moscow province should include the following: the arrangement of numerous meetings with agitators and distributors of political literature; the appointment of mandatory agitation and propaganda events on Sundays; the organization of blasphemous performances mocking church sacraments and rituals, as well as some demonstrative and repressive measures, such as the imposition of penalties and exclusion from the ranks of the RCP(b) for participation in religious rites, public discussion of family affairs, etc. It is shown that the efforts aimed at turning believers away from the Church, as a rule, did not achieve their goal, but found support only from the lumpenized part of the population, which was not a carrier of Orthodox traditions and foundations. Research implications. The results obtained during the work on the article can be used in teaching activities in disciplines related to the study of the history of the Church and the Moscow region.