THE FORMATION OF LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF THE ANTIRELIGIOUS POLICY OF THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT IN 1917–1918


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Abstract

The legislative regulation of the relations between the state and various social life institutes during the fledging years of the Soviet government is definitely attractive for the improvement of legal policy at the present time as well. In this paper, the author carries out the analysis of the first laws and regulations of the Soviet government regulating the role of religion and church institutes in the new state. The paper includes the problematic-chronological analysis of literature covering this problem. The author highlights the not adequately investigated spheres concerning the legislation of the Soviet government on the religion issues. In particular, the author notes the necessity to study more thoroughly the development of mechanisms of regulatory pressure on the church institutes during the fledging years of the Soviet government. The paper uncovers successively the steps undertaken by the Soviet state to limit the role of the church in the life of the society. It is noted that under the first principal law of the new state, that became a part of history as the Decree on Land, the church loses the major part of its property. It is the beginning of dismantlement of its economic status. The paper reveals the manner in which under the first legislative acts, the church loses all sources of its financial prosperity and then actually loses the right of property for personal and real property. The author specifies as well the laws and regulations depriving the church of its influence on the society, removing from its supervision the education and civil registration. The paper speaks on the limitation of the rights of clergy and their family members including the deprivation of the right to vote and the right to social insurance. The author tells about the gradual increase of pressure on the church, clergy and the believers with the help of the legislative policy and identifies the role of legislation in the successive following the course on the formation of an atheistic state where there is no place for the religious worldview.

About the authors

Irina Anatolievna Prokhorenko

Togliatti State University, Togliatti

Author for correspondence.
Email: Irina.A.Pr@mail.ru

PhD (History), Associate Professor

Russian Federation

References

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