Population, and its social and religious composition in Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions on the eve of the Axis aggression against the USSR (according to the censuses of the USSR in 1937 and 1939)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the results of population censuses conducted in the USSR in 1937 and 1939, in relation to Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions. The research is based on census materials that had been classified for a long time and published only in the 1990s. Of all the various aspects of the censuses, the author's attention was focused on only three – population, its social structure, and religious composition. Based on the results of the censuses, conclusions are drawn about the prevalence of women in the region, both in rural areas and in cities. It was women who, in the conditions of World War II, became the strong rear, on whose shoulders the front was supported by food, uniforms, and weapons. The urban population was greater in Ivanovo Region, which was explained by its characteristic high rates of industrialisation. The 1937 census recorded a fairly high level of religiosity, despite the largely anti-religious policy that had been carried out for almost 20 years. The war led to an increase in religiosity, probably because often only faith could become the core around which daily life was built, full of deprivation, anxiety and fear for loved ones.