Alexandrov, A. P., Gabdulkhakov, R. B. Legal Status of Religious Organizations in the 30s of the XX century in Bashkiria (the Case Study of Evangelical Christians and Baptists)

Abstract: The article is devoted to the legal status of communities of Evangelical Christians and Baptists in Bashkiria during the period of the totalitarianism domination in the USSR. The author describes methods used by the government to fight against churches such as: restrictions of activities, de-registration, anti-religious propaganda, increase in taxes, arrests of priests and so on. As a result of that policy, churches became absolutely illegal by the end of the 30s. The period of the New Economic Policy can be regarded as the period of temporary balance of forces when the government had to at least pretend to reckon with the fact of religious beliefs of the USSR citizens. By 1928 that delicate balance was ruined and religion was prohibited. Russia embarked on their grandiose plans to build the socialistic republic. Not only traditional economic relations, but also the style of life and thinking and the peasant’s religious ideology were meant to be eliminated. Religious ideology was quite a serious threat to the new faith, communism. Thus, the period since 1929 till 1943 was the time of the most intensive repressions of the communities of Evangelical Christians and Baptists in Bashkiria. The governmental tried to eliminate religious communicated by creating negative legal conditions for them. As a result of that policy, all activities performed by religious communities became illegal and the number of such communities was reduced to a minimum. Only the Great Patriotic War stopped the process.

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