The secularization policy towards monasteries as a factor of the economic weakening of the Russian Orthodox Church in the early years of Soviet power (based on materials from the Middle Volga region)

Introduction. Monasteries have always played a special role in the structure of the Russian Orthodox Church. Although they live outside the “world”, they are still affected by all the changes taking place in society. Often, it is the monasteries that are the first to feel the mood of those in power. The history of the struggle against monasteries during Soviet Russia is an important part of the process of creating a new social order in this country. It is one of the most tragic periods of the late 1910s and early 1920s.