Stalin's Holy War
Religion, Nationalism, and Alliance Politics, 1941-1945
Steven Merritt Miner
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 10/2003
Pages: 432
Subject: History, Religion, Political Science
| University of North Carolina
Print ISBN: 9.78E+12
eBook ISBN: 9780807862124
DESCRIPTION
Miner demonstrates that Stalin decided to restore the Church to prominence not primarily as a means to stoke the fires of Russian nationalism but as a tool for restoring Soviet power to areas that the Red Army recovered from German occupation. The Kremlin also harnessed the Church for propaganda campaigns aimed at convincing the Western Allies that the USSR, far from being a source of religious repression, was a bastion of religious freedom. In his conclusion, Miner explores how Stalin's religious policy helped shape the postwar history of the USSR.