The destruction of the old peasant foundations

On August 30, 1918, an attempt was made on Lenin, he barely survived. This has greatly undermined his health. In May 1922, Lenin had his first stroke. As soon as he recovered from his illness, he returned to work. The high load provoked a second stroke on December 16, 1922. As a result, Lenin’s right arm and right leg were paralyzed. Having partially recovered, Lenin returned to the Kremlin and began work on the latest articles. On March 9, 1923, he suffered a third stroke, the consequence of which was speech impairment. Lenin was decided to be treated by international forces, and doctors from different countries were invited. The leader was transported to Gorki, where his health periodically improved, but the disease progressed. On January 21, 1924, the fourth cerebral hemorrhage occurred and at 6:50 p.m. Lenin died.

They decided not to bury the body, but to embalm it and save it for posterity. Immediately after the death of the leader, the first wooden mausoleum was erected on Red Square on January 27, 1924 (architect V.A. Shchuchev), the second wooden one was built in May 1924 (again the work of Shchuchev). By October 1930, a stone mausoleum was erected (architects V.A. Shchuchev, I.A. Frenchman).

The cult of the deceased leader has strengthened throughout the country. The main street in all cities of the USSR is Lenin Street. A portrait of Lenin was necessarily hung in all schools and kindergartens. Factories, steamships, schools and even cities were named after Lenin. Petrograd was renamed Leningrad.

The construction of monuments to Lenin has begun all over the country. There were various events and anniversaries in honor of Lenin. For example, children were admitted to the Octobrists on November 7 (October Revolution day), and to the pioneers on April 22 (Lenin's birthday). A visit to the mausoleum became mandatory when traveling to Moscow.

New, ideologically correct holidays have appeared. January 9 is the anniversary of "bloody Sunday", January 21 is Lenin’s death day, February 23 is Red Army Day, March 8 is International Women’s Day, April 22 is Lenin’s birthday, May 1 is Workers' Day, November 7 is October Revolution Day.

The Soviet government replaced the church with a registry office (civil registration), abolished the age limit for marriage at 80 years, and allowed marriages between cousins.

The most difficult new family relationships took root in the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Central Asia and Siberia. Here we had to fight against kalym and polygamy.

New, ideologically correct names have appeared:

Avangard, Algebraina, Barricade, Battle, Bolshevik, Struggle, Velior (The Great October Revolution), Vil (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin), Vladlen (Vladimir Lenin), Voltaire, Vulcanida (in memory of the volcanic eruption in Kamchatka), Hero, Giant, Hypothesis, Gopriod (warmly welcome and approve), Democrat, Diesel, Diesel engine, Blast furnace, Donera (child of the new era), Dotnara (child of the working people), Trolley, Isthmus (historical materialism), Kammira (Communism and peace), Kina (Communist international), Button, Sledgehammer, Lenizh (Lenin is alive), Lenore, Lenore (Lenin is our weapon), Lenstal (Lenin, Stalin), Leonard (Lenin — teacher of peoples), Medera (international day of the worker), Miroctabr (world October), Hammer, Continuity, Bond, October, Olor (11 years of the October Revolution), Persostratus (the first Soviet stratostat), Prolya (proletarian revolution), Pyativlechet (five-year plan in four years), Roar (revolution), Romina (mother's native hope), Rem (revolution, Engels, Marx), Tractor, Tractor, Tribunal, Yunkom (young communist). And, perhaps, the most exotic name is Dazdraperma (long live May 1st!).

Most of all, the innovations harmed the patriarchal peasant family, in which there were no traditions and subordination of the younger to the elders.

The establishment of a new, Soviet culture began with public education. On January 20, 1918, the Decree of the Council of People’s Commissars "On Freedom of Conscience, Church and religious societies" was issued. By this decree, the school was separated from the Church. In accordance with the "Regulations on the Unified Labor School" (September 30, 1918), private educational institutions were closed. Parish schools ceased to exist — unified labor schools were opened on their basis. The basis of the new school system was a seven-year school, consisting of two stages: I stage — grades 1−4, II stage — grades 5−7.

In 1919, new principles of the Soviet school were announced:

1. The introduction of free and compulsory education for all children of both sexes under the age of 16;
2. The implementation of a close link between education and child social work.

Since 1920, the transition to universal education began. In 1923−1924, there was an increase in the number of schools. In 1925−1926, more than 10 million children studied in the country.

The work of the section of the educational program (elimination of illiteracy) has begun. The task of educational programs is to teach the most necessary things within 2−3 months. At least read 80 words per minute and write 5−7 letters. Learn to count to ten.

On May 19, 1922, the All-Union Pioneer Organization named after V.I. Lenin (pioneria) was established. In 1923, the Octobrists appeared. Schoolchildren of grades 1−3 (7−9 years old) were grouped under the guidance of counselors (pioneers). In these groups, children were preparing to join the pioneer organization.

In 1917, there were about 78 thousand temples and churches in Russia. There were 568 churches and 42 chapels in Moscow alone.

After the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne in 1917, the ROC became disillusioned with the Provisional Government, some priests even began to raise money for the restoration of the Romanov House.

October 28, 1917 The Holy Synod decided to restore the patriarchate. The eleventh Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) He tried to stop the persecution of the ROC. One of the first victims of the new government was Bishop Hermogenes of Tobolsk (Dolganov).

In 1918, Patriarch Tikhon blessed processions throughout Russia. The authorities banned the procession, but the bishop nevertheless held it in Tobolsk, for which he was arrested on the night of Good Friday. And he was sent to Yekaterinburg prison. Then Hermogenes was secretly transported to Tyumen, and from there on the steamer Petrograd they took him to Tobolsk, where he never got there. On July 16, 1918, Bishop Hermogenes and several prisoners were taken on deck and thrown into a Tobol with 2-pound stones around their necks. In August 1918 Bishop Hermogenes was identified. His body was taken to Tobolsk and buried in the chapel of the St. Sophia Assumption Cathedral.

On the night of January 26 (February 7), 1918, in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the Bolsheviks committed the brutal murder of Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and Galicia (Bogoyavlensky). In total, over 20 stab wounds and over 30 gunshot wounds were counted on the metropolitan’s body.

On the night of July 17, 1918, in Yekaterinburg, in the house of engineer Ipatiev, the royal family was shot.

On May 30, 1919, Lenin wrote a note to the Central Committee on the expulsion of communist believers from the party. In the same year, by order of Lenin, the relics of saints were opened in churches and monasteries.

In 1921, the anti-religious commission began its work. She worked until 1929. In 1922, the Atheist newspaper began to be published.

In 1921−1922, a terrible famine struck the Volga region. Under the pretext of helping the hungry, the seizure of church valuables began. Lenin’s associate L.D. Trotsky was very active in this. At the end of May 1922, an astronomical amount of valuables was seized throughout the country, which was 100 times higher than the annual budget of the country. But this money did not go to help the hungry, and the famine continued.

On May 6, 1922, Patriarch Tikhon was placed under house arrest, he was interrogated in the Cheka, then put in Lubyanka prison, from where he was transferred to the Donskoy Monastery.

By the middle of 1922, 231 trials had taken place in connection with the "concealment of valuables". There were 732 people in the dock, many of whom were sentenced to death.

Patriarch Tikhon died on April 7, 1925. The patriarch was buried in the Donskoy Monastery. After the death of the patriarch, Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky) became his locum tenens. Since December 1925 The ROC was governed by Metropolitan Sergius of Nizhny Novgorod (in 1943 he became the 12th patriarch of the ROC). By 1929, only 4 ruling bishops remained at large, headed by Metropolitan Sergius.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, there were mass repressions against the clergy under the slogan: "Kill the priest like a dog!". About 8,100 priests and monks were shot, and at least 20,000 people were in camps and prisons.

There was a massive closure of churches, destruction or their transformation into dormitories, warehouses, clubs, etc. In 1931, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was destroyed in Moscow. Instead of religion, the Soviet government offered ideology. For example, the cult of the deceased Lenin.