Critical notes on the religious factor during the Civil War in Russia: On the theoretical and methodological aspect of the problem

The article examines the influence of the religious factor on the events of the Russian Revolution and the Civil War in Russia. Based on the analysis of modern literature and a number of historical sources, theoretical judgments are proposed that substantiate the fundamental methodological aspects of studying the problem. The study is based on an institutional approach that allows considering the state of institutions of religious confessions in Russia in the context of an era of social cataclysms. The comparative-historical method is used in the work. With its help, the manifestations of the religious factor in various regions of the former Russian Empire are compared. Five judgments are formulated as conclusions. The first is the religious factor during the years of the Civil War in Russia - these are the processes of the influence of religion on the beginning, course and outcome of the war, on the activities of the opposing forces, political institutions and public opinion, as well as the reverse effect of the corresponding political processes and the course of the armed confrontation on confessions. Secondly, the religious factor was of significant importance precisely during the Civil War (1917-1922), since at that time religious organizations were not only objects, but also active subjects of politics. Thirdly, the institutions of Russia's traditional religions (Orthodoxy, Islam) did not act as unified national subjects of politics. The clergy were divided according to their political views and failed to unite the faithful on a religious basis. Religion was closely intertwined with the national question and became a "war factor" that intensified the armed confrontation in society. This is how the disintegrating part of the integrating-disintegrating function of religion manifested itself. Fourthly, Bolshevism actively used elements of religious teachings, Orthodoxy and Islam, to win over the masses. The ideology of the Bolsheviks successfully conquered the population without distinction of nationality and religion, in the long run becoming a "factor of peace". This is how the integrating part of the integrating-disintegrating function of religion manifested itself. Fifthly, the largest Russian confessions (Orthodoxy and Islam) during the years of the Civil War failed to consolidate properly, and their institutions on a national scale did not have a serious impact on the course of the armed struggle; therefore, for the study of the religious factor in that period, regional specificity is decisive. The results of the study will be useful to specialists studying the history of religious confessions, as well as the formation of Soviet statehood.