League of Militant Atheists
The League of Militant Atheists (Russian: Сою́з Вои́нствующих Безбо́жников, romanized: Soyúz Voínstvuyushchikh Bezbózhnikov, lit. ‘The League of Militant Godless’), also Society of the Godless (Russian: О́бщество безбо́жников, romanized: Óbshchestvo Bezbózhnikov) or Union of the Godless (Russian: Сою́з Безбо́жников, romanized: Soyúz Bezbózhnikov), was an atheistic and antireligious organization of workers and intelligentsia that developed in Soviet Russia under the influence of the ideological and cultural views and policies of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1947. It consisted of party members, members of the Komsomol youth movement, those without specific political affiliation, workers, and military veterans.
The league embraced workers, peasants, students, and intelligentsia. It had its first affiliates at factories, plants, collective farms (kolkhozy), and educational institutions. By the beginning of 1941 it had about 3.5 million members from 100 ethnicities. It had about 96,000 offices across the country. Guided by Bolshevik principles of communist propaganda and by the Party’s orders with regards to religion, the League aimed at exterminating religion in all its manifestations and forming an anti-religious scientific mindset among the workers. It propagated atheism and scientific achievements, conducted so-called “individual work” (a method of sending atheist tutors to meet with individual believers to attempt to make them renounce their faith); most of the peasantry was unimpressed, and even the party apparatus regarded the League as meddling and inefficient. The League’s slogan was “Struggle against religion is struggle for socialism”, which was meant to tie in their atheist views with the Communist drive to ‘build Socialism’. One of the slogans adopted at the 2nd congress proclaimed: “Struggle against religion is struggle for the five-year plan!” The League had international connections; it was part of the International of Proletarian Freethinkers and later of the Worldwide Freethinkers Union. By the mid-1930s, the Communist regime considered socialism to have been ‘built’, and the League adopted a new slogan: “Struggle against religion is struggle for communism”, communism being the next stage after socialism according to Marxist ideology.
The league was a “nominally independent organization established by the Communist Party to promote atheism”.
It published newspapers, journals, and other materials that lampooned religion; it sponsored lectures and films; it organized demonstrations and parades; it set up antireligious museums; and it led a concerted effort telling Soviet citizens that religious beliefs and practices were wrong and harmful, and that good citizens ought to embrace a scientific, atheistic worldview.
The League of Militant Godless (also known as the [League of Militant Atheists] or [Society of the Godless]) was a Soviet organization that aimed to promote atheism and combat religion within the USSR. It was a key part of the Soviet Union’s broader anti-religious campaign, which was rooted in Marxist-Leninist ideology.
- Establishment and Goals: Founded in 1925, the League was a “mass organization” associated with the Communist Party. Its primary goal was to eliminate religious belief and practice in the Soviet Union, which was considered incompatible with communist ideology.
- Methods: The League employed various tactics, including propaganda, educational programs, and public demonstrations, to discourage religious belief and promote atheism. They published newspapers, magazines, and other materials to disseminate their message.
- The League’s activities included:
- Organizing anti-religious exhibitions and museums.
- Establishing “Godless Corners” in workplaces and schools.
- Creating atheist clubs and societies.
- Promoting atheism in schools and youth organizations.
- Impact: While the League claimed significant membership numbers and success in some areas, its overall effectiveness is debated. Some scholars argue that its efforts were largely superficial and that it often relied on exaggeration and fabricated statistics. Others point to the League’s role in shaping Soviet culture and contributing to the broader anti-religious climate.
- End of the League: The League of Militant Godless was formally dissolved in 1947. However, the Soviet Union’s anti-religious campaign continued in various forms for decades afterward.