Slezin, A.A., Belyaev, A. A. Provincial Komsomol in the System of Relations between the Soviet State and Russian Orthodox Church (1940th — early 1960th)

Abstract: Having analyzed the normative documents of state, party and Komsomol bodies as well as archive records of the State Archive of Social and Political History of Tombov region, the authors concluded there was a religious spirit rising among youth during the Great Patriotic War and the first two decades after the War. Komsomol officially fought it but was more tolerant to such spirits than in 1920-1930. Factually, Komsomol faced the two options: be with God or against God. Numerous objective and subjective factors predetermined contradiction nature of its following actions. However, all those actions were only certain stages of atheistic activity of different intensity. Under new historical conditions, Komsomol didn’t even try to come back to bellicose atheism.

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