Year of 1948 in the confessional policy of the state and the life of religious organizations of the USSR

The purpose of this article was to clarify the reasons of the changes of the Soviet state policy in relation to religious organizations in the end of 1948 and its impact on their position in Soviet society. The research was based on the analysis of documents of the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History, which were not previously included in historical publications. The study applied traditional methods and approaches, both general scientific (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, a systematic approach, etc.), and general historical (historical-genetic, comparative, problematic-chronological, typological, etc.). The author describes the religious situation in the country during the war and post-war period. In addition, the author emphasizes that the Bolshevik leadership, which from the first years of Soviet power was engaged in uncompromising struggle against religion, church and believers, was forced to suspend the onslaught in wartime conditions. The main reasons are determined, that required some changes in politics in the religious sphere during the years of World War II. This is the need to consolidate society in the fight against the enemy, take into account the patriotic position of religious associations and create a positive image in the eyes of the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition and the population of new territories attached in the beginning of the war. Since 1943, a period of a certain revival of religious life in the country began: the leading structures of churches were re-established, religious groups began to be officially registered, which allowed their legal existence in the USSR. The author explains that the registration procedure was long and multi-stage, there were a lot of applications from believers to recognize their association, but the authorities initially embarked on a limited issue of permits. Nevertheless, Orthodox churches and houses of worship of a number of other faiths (Muslims, Baptists, Old Believers, Catholics) began to open throughout the country in 1943. Some religions remained unrecognized as they were before. The author believes that it was obvious that the regime did not plan a full-scale revival of religious life. It turns out that from 1946-1947 the number of issued registration permits sharply decreased, and since 1948 this process ceased at all. Since that time, all the applications of believers for the opening of a temple were categorically rejected. Moreover, there were cases when, the prayer houses opened during the war and the first post-war years were closed under various pretexts. The author emphasizes that the Soviet leadership came to the decision to close the “liberal” course in relation to religious organizations, returning to the old methods of anti-religious direction. Based on the studied archival documents of the Soviet and party leaders, the author concludes that it the year of 1948 completed that short period, which was marked by some warming in the confessional policy of the Soviet state. According to the article, firstly, this is due to the fact that a part of the tasks of the new course in religious politics was solved, and secondly, the Bolshevik party never abandoned its plans to destroy religion in the country as an alien ideology and eliminate religious institutions as vehicles of this ideology and atheistic reeducation of believers.

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