Written: Written May 18, 1921
Published:
First published in 1965 in the Fifth Russian Edition of the Collected Works, Vol. 54.
Printed from the manuscript.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
3nd English Printing,
Progress Publishers,
1977,
Moscow,
Volume 42,
pages 302c-303a.
Translated: Bernard Isaacs
Transcription\Markup:
D. Walters
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive
(2003).
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Yaroslavsky and Bukharin to be instructed to revise the draft so as not to over-emphasise the question of combating religion (by throwing out § 7, for instance[2]) and to allow, under definite restrictive conditions, for religious, but honest and devoted Communists, to remain in the Party.
The fight against religion to be put on a more scientific footing.
Get it endorsed by the Politbureau.
Start the campaign after thorough preparation.
[1] This document was written by Lenin in connection with the discussion on May 18, 1921, by the CC. plenum of the question of implementing Clause 13 of the Party Programme dealing with measures in the sphere of religious relations. Lenin’s motion was adopted by the plenum.
[2] Point 7 of the plenum’s original draft resolution, required that the question of the Party’s attitude to religion “be put before all Party cells and committees. The Agitation and Propaganda Department shall draft and send out preliminary theses of a report. The minutes of meetings arid generally all material dealing with this question nra to be collected locally, forwarded to the Central Committee, and worked up for a report to the Eleventh Congress of the R.C.P.” (Central Party Archives, Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the C.C. of the C.P.S.U.).
[3] Point 10 of the original draft resolution spoke of the necessity of the Party conducting a most decisive struggle against attempts on the part of “some of the clergy to set up anew church organisation” accommodated to the state organisation. During the 1930s, sections of the Orthodox Church were co-opted into the State as a way of legitimizing actions of the government during the collectivization of agriculture and the purge trials that took place against the old leadership of the Communist Party.
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