Scientific atheistic propaganda in the framework of the work of the Stalingrad (Volgograd) branch of the All-Union Society "Knowledge" in the 1940s and 60s.

Abstract

The subject of the study is the activity of the Volgograd (Stalingrad) branch of the All-Union Society for the dissemination of political and scientific knowledge. The object of the research is the scientific atheistic propaganda carried out by the regional branch of the society in the 1940s and 60s. Special attention is paid to the methods used by the society (Q&A evenings, film screenings, literature printing, seminars, etc.). The author pays attention to statistical data (the number of lectures, brochures, etc.) for a deeper analysis of the results of scientific atheistic propaganda. The article indicates the problems that the society faced in the process of propaganda (many believers remained, lectures were sometimes poorly prepared, insufficient pamphlets were printed, etc.). The author also discusses ways to solve the problems presented above. The source base for this study was the archival documents of the Center for Documentation of the Modern History of the Volgograd Region (CDNIVO) and archival documents of the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF). Many regional archival documents have been introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The principles of historicism, subjectivism, and systematic analysis of archival documents were applied in the methodology of the work. The main conclusions of the study are as follows: the regional office, like the entire Znanie society, actively worked to spread scientific atheism, the work was carried out from the first years of the organization's existence. The forms of work with the population were modern and diverse, such as film screenings, individual meetings, question and answer evenings, etc. But despite all the above factors, there were many believers, houses of worship and churches were closed reluctantly and infrequently. In the protocols, you can often see complaints about the quality of the lectures. It can be concluded that scientific atheistic propaganda remained one of the most difficult areas within the work of society. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that such a study has not been conducted before, today, when the religious worldview is actively developing and spreading, it is possible to analyze the reverse process - the spread of scientific atheism, how this work went and why it turned out to be unsuccessful.