Religious Persecution In Joseph Stalin's Reign In Power

Russian Atheist with an Iron Fist

Joseph Stalin shows a harsh example of religious persecution during his reign in power. It can be shown through the history of the laws, Atheist propaganda, and it’s ever so lasting effects after his death.
On December 18, 1879 a boy named Joseph Stalin is born. He is born to an abusive, alcoholic cobbler and a religious washerwoman. In his early years he contracted smallpox at age seven. Though the illness did go away, it resulted in a scarred face and a deformed arm. Because of this, Stalin didn’t have the happiest childhood. He was beaten up by the kids at school. He felt he needed to prove himself. He describes his childhood as felt he lived in a poor priest-ridden household.
This may have what fueled his fire for power. When his mother sent him off to the Russian Orthodox church seminary. Late at night Stalin would read the works of Karl Marx’s. He often spent most of his time rebelling against the Russian monarchy, by not reading the scriptures. He disobeyed his mother’s wishes and became an atheist. He argued enough with the priests to get him kicked

Children were taught to teach atheism to family members and learn anti-religious songs also rhymes. To add anti-religious carnivals were held to mock what was sacred to them. Church was completely separated from state under Soviet Union policies. Being christian was often treated the same way as murder. Two laws were created when you were prosecuted, first it was for religious involvement by breaking any of the anti-religion laws, second included civil or political crimes such as “anti-Soviet propaganda.”, “hooliganism”, “slandering the USSR”. Christians were fined and harassed constantly. It resulted in them being fired, , mediocre jobs, and even banished or exiled to North Eastern Russia. The ones who sat in filthy, lice and rat infested cells had to wait until some evidence was found in the