Господи, спаси землю русскую! Церковь и пропаганда в годы Великой Отечественной войны

Abstract

The Soviet state viewed the Orthodox Church not just as an ideological competitor, but also as a force that could restore the old order. Church and religion were perceived not as an anachronism, but as a serious ideological adversary and class enemy. However, the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR showed that in the face of the threat of an external enemy, the consolidation of all forces was required. Under these conditions, in July 1941, the newspaper Bezbozhnik [Antitheist] ceased to exist having published its last issue. Atheistic propaganda went into decline. It was replaced by national patriotism. In many works of art (feature and documentary films) and newspaper articles a positive image of an Orthodox priest or a godly man appeared. For Nazi propagandists, this was a very dangerous sign: from the very beginning of hostilities, they presented themselves exclusively as defenders of the Church and religion. In fact, Nazism was alien to the ideas of Christianity.