The State and Confessional Life in Kharkiv Region on the Eve of the Great Terror (1934 – the Middle of 1937)

Abstract

The article is dedicated to religious life in Kharkiv region on the eve of The Great Terror and the influence of the Soviet state on it. The article analyzes the historiography of the issue under study, and concludes that despite the emergence of recent scientific works, which address various aspects of the functioning of individual religious denominations in Kharkiv region in the 1930s, the issue of reviving religious life in the region on the eve of The Great Terror unleashed by the totalitarian regime is still virtually out of sight of modern scientists and has not become an object of special study. Such processes as the believers’ reaction to the state’s activity, their resistance against the state’s oppression, the influence of the Constitution of 1936 on the religious circumstances, as well as the factors of religious life in Kharkiv province on the eve of the Great Terror have not been sufficiently studied yet. The article analyzes the conditions of religious denominations’ activity on the eve of the Great Terror. The influence of various factors on the revival of religious life is revealed. The different forms of manifestation of religious activity in Kharkiv region are elucidated. The article shows that the public discussion and adoption of the Constitution of 1936, which formally abolished the restrictions on the political rights of the clergy and proclaimed the freedom of conscience, resulted in increased activity of different groups of clergy and believers. The latter hoped for rapid normalization and liberalization of state-confessional relations. However, the revival took place in the situation when the previous practice of repression against members of various religious denominations and the closure of temples and prayer houses still continued. In these circumstances there were the different form of believers’ resistance and the defense of the religious rights which were decelerated by the laws. This activity of "the religious" did not go beyond the limits set by the current Soviet legislation and was generally aimed at ensuring freedom of conscience for citizens as proclaimed in the Constitution. In particular, this manifested itself in believers’ attempts to collect signatures to open churches closed (contrary to the existing law) by local authorities, and in numerous petitions and delegations to local and higher authorities, demanding that the prayer houses be returned to the religious communities. Religious communities actively also created various circles (choral singing, chess, etc.) in order to attract young people. There were appeals from the representatives of religious communities to consular offices of foreign countries for support against anti-religious harassment, etc. At the same time, the participation of believers (especially young people) in public worship and mass attendance of religious services, especially during church festivals, etc. intensified. The 1937 census revealed a high level of religiosity among the population (including the younger generation) which was conclusive proof of the failure of Stalin's “Godless Five-Year Plan.” Another important factor in stirring up religious life was the preparation and holding of elections to the Supreme Council of the USSR according to the new electoral laws, during which a fairly high level of self-organization of the clergy and believers were shown to the authorities, as well as their attempts to participate in the electoral race. It seriously frightened the nomenclature of the Soviet Communist Party, which perceived religion and the church as the institutions of the class enemies (according to their ideological paradigm). So they were regarding the state terror as the most effective method of struggle against the religion.