Godless Communists: Atheism and Society in Soviet Russia, 1917-1932

By William B. Husband

Book Overview

"Godless Communists" offers a fresh interpretation of early Soviet efforts to create an atheistic, scientific society. Husband shows that religion, contrary to Bolshevik assertions, was not merely an expression of gullibility and ignorance but a firmly entrenched system for ordering family and community relationships. The Bolsheviks' efforts to abolish the Church failed because they underestimated how tightly religious beliefs were woven into the fabric of the Russians' daily lives.

Exploring the confrontation between secularism and the lower classes' traditional beliefs, "Godless Communists" illustrates how developments between 1917 and 1932 shaped the attitudes toward religion and atheism that endure in Russia today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0875805957
• ISBN13: 9780875805955
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.4" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher