Komsomol Participation in the Soviet Antireligious Campaign, 1918-1932
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC 271
Start Date
16-5-2013
End Date
16-5-2013
Abstract
The antireligious campaign in the Soviet Union was a particularly contentious issue in the immediate post-revolutionary period. Different interpretations of the revolution led to a variety of approaches to antireligious campaigning, including the aggressive tactics employed by the Komsomol (Communist Youth League). The Komsomol’s attempt to make this the officially sanctioned approach indicates that members felt that there was room for the voices of revolutionary groups other than the Communist Party. Ultimately the Komsomol’s method was judged a failure by Party elites, who decided that moderation, rather than aggression, was most effective. By the late 1920s the Party, well on its way to solidifying its position as the sole policy-making authority for the Soviet Union, could enforce this decision. The disarray and spontaneity of the immediate post-revolutionary period was stifled as the Party gradually eliminated the independence of competing organizations.
Recommended Citation
Hastings, Rebecca, "Komsomol Participation in the Soviet Antireligious Campaign, 1918-1932" (2013). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 41.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2013/oralpresentations/41
Additional Mentoring Department
History
Komsomol Participation in the Soviet Antireligious Campaign, 1918-1932
SURC 271
The antireligious campaign in the Soviet Union was a particularly contentious issue in the immediate post-revolutionary period. Different interpretations of the revolution led to a variety of approaches to antireligious campaigning, including the aggressive tactics employed by the Komsomol (Communist Youth League). The Komsomol’s attempt to make this the officially sanctioned approach indicates that members felt that there was room for the voices of revolutionary groups other than the Communist Party. Ultimately the Komsomol’s method was judged a failure by Party elites, who decided that moderation, rather than aggression, was most effective. By the late 1920s the Party, well on its way to solidifying its position as the sole policy-making authority for the Soviet Union, could enforce this decision. The disarray and spontaneity of the immediate post-revolutionary period was stifled as the Party gradually eliminated the independence of competing organizations.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Roxanne Easley