Soviet Religious Law in 1917–1922: Ideological and Legal Foundations

Abstract

The article presents the ideological and legal foundations of the Soviet religious policy in 1917–1922, when the theoretical assumptions that formed the basis of the new government’s attitude to religion as such were transformed into its practical approach to religious associations present in the space of the functioning of the Bolshevik state. Attention was drawn to two basic issues: (1) the attitude towards religion in the theoretical considerations of Russian Marxists both before and after the Bolsheviks took power in Russia, and (2) the legal acts issued by the new power regarding the place of religion in the slowly emerging reality in the first five years of its existence. Both the ideology and the law itself were to serve the realization of one idea – the creation of a communist society, fully atheistic and recognizing only dialectical materialism. As it turned out from the perspective of later events, the years 1917–1922 were crucial for this intention. The legislation adopted at that time became the juridical basis of the Soviet religious law, implemented until the end of the existence of the USSR. The reference basis for the article is the relevant legislation and literature on the subject.

Keywords

• bolszewickie państwo
• polityka wyznaniowa
• społeczeństwo komunistyczne
• materializm dialektyczny