Books by Brights
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And God Created Lenin:
Marxism vs. Religion in Russia, 1917-1929
Author : Paul Gabel
ISBN : 1-59102-306-8
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Description
This book is the history of the Bolshevik attempt to destroy the institution and the idea of religion in Russia during the 1920s. It should interest my fellow Brights, as it investigates the world's only attempt to rid a society of well-entrenched religion, analyzing along the way why the Bolsheviks failed to accomplish their goal.
And God Created Lenin, based on three years of work and over 200 sources, is a narrative that digs deep into the conflict between Lenin's overly logical drive to stamp out religion and the Christian churches' passionate attempts to save themselves from obliteration. This work of both history and religion looks at both sides objectively and admits that both sides presented a strong case. Lenin's worst fear was a highly developed and culturally sophisticated religion, but what he faced was an Orthodox peasantry riddled with pagan superstition and mechanistic obedience to ritual. Still, spirituality seemed necessary to the people, and it wasn't going to easily fade away.
About the Author
Paul Gabel is 63 years old and has lived in either Berkeley or Santa Cruz, California all his life. He graduated with a history major from the University of California at Berkeley and has been teaching history ever since. He is married with three children.