The Issue of Women in Adjara in the Prism of Soviet Antireligious Policy (1920s)

Abstract

The purpose of the article to present the problem of women in the prism of the Soviet atheistic policy in Ajara in 1920s. Soviet religious policy from the very beginning was characterized by heterogeneity, bias, and one-sidedness, with communism and atheism considered as the mainstays of ideology. The Bolsheviks seemed to preach the inviolability of the religious feelings of the believers, but in fact fought with fire and sword against any manifestation of religiosity. The Soviet government encouraged controversy among believers. A clear confirmation of this was the so-called ‘The chador taking’ campaign, which has been met with serious controversy in the region. Examining the problems related to the wearing of the chador, presenting the issue of women in the context of anti-religious policies is the main task of our research.

The scientific novelty of the research is the discussion of the factors that collectively led to the 1929 mass protests in mountainous Adjara (Georgia). At the same time, a number of unpublished archival documents, which are kept in the Adjara State Archive, enter the scientific circulation. The factual materials presented in the article and the analysis of the documents kept in the Adjara Archives Division clearly show the Soviet policy of neglecting and insulting the religious feelings of believers, which led to the 1929 large-scale anti-Soviet protests in mountainous Adjara.

The methodological basis of the research is the universal scientific principles of objectivity, comprehensiveness and systematics, historical-comparative and historical-typological methods.

Conclusions. As a result of the research, the determining factors of the mass demonstrations of 1929 were identified, in particular: the anti-religious policy of the Soviet government, which included the implementation of various measures by the government, in particular: The formation of the League of Militant Atheists and other anti-religious bodies, the mass destruction of religious institutions, theatrics against religion, the introduction of various awards to reward activists who fight against religion, the creation of women’s committees and ‘Muslim women’s sections’ to separate women from the religion. Added to this was the rudeness and arbitrariness of the party officials in all spheres of public and social life, the imposition of various restrictions on religious services and other factors, the combination of which led to the mass uprising of 1929. The results of the research proved once again that despite the various methods used to intimidate the believers, the government was powerless to suppress the religious feelings of the people.