Soviet state policy towards the Russian Orthodox Church: from confrontation to wartime cooperation (1917–1947)

This article examines the historical trajectory of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the Soviet state during the formative decades of Soviet power (1917-1937), and specifically the period of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). The primary focus rests on the amelioration of Church-state relations during the war years. The conducted research indicates that the legalization of church activities during the war years, the restoration of the patriarchate, and the cessation of anti-religious propaganda were one of the state’s tools in mobilizing the population and resources. This compromise between the Russian Orthodox Church and the state was of a temporary tactical nature. The article analyzes official regulatory legal acts, opinions of researchers, archival and other materials testifying to the changes taking place at that time in the sphere of ideological, spiritual, and religious life of Soviet society.