Counteraction to the anti-church policy of the soviet government in Ukraine in the 20–30-s of the 20th century: causes, course and consequences

Abstract

In the article research the resistance of Ukrainians to the anti-religious policy of the Bolsheviks, the first years of their stay in power. The article notes that one of the main characteristic features of the development of Ukrainian historiography at the current stage is the increasing attention of scientists to problems related to the history of church life in Ukraine. This especially applies to the Soviet period of history, when the traditional church, which used to be one of the determining factors in the development of Ukrainian society, suffered a significant blow as a result of the implementation of the anti-church policy of the Soviet government. At the same time, especially in the first decades of the existence of the Bolshevik regime, opposition to the anti-religious policy of the Bolsheviks on the part of the Ukrainian population was quite noticeable. This aspect, in our opinion, needs a more detailed scientific rethinking, which is aimed at this scientific article. Are shown the main directions and types of resistance, its results and consequences for the further implementation of the church policy by the Soviet authorities. It also depicts a complex of punitive repressive measures against the religious communities of Ukraine during the period under study. As a result of the conducted research, the author comes to the conclusion that from the moment the Bolsheviks came to power, their anti-church company encountered spontaneous protests from various religious communities. The protest took various forms – from ignoring and sabotaging the anti-religious initiatives of the Bolshevik government, to active armed resistance against its representatives. This, in turn, led to the intensification of the terror of the Soviet authorities against the church, which, in the end, was forced to recognize the politics and power of the Bolsheviks.