Саратовское Поволжье

The article exploresthe dailylife of peasants of the Saratov Volga region on the eve of collectivization, associated with the implementation of the policy of the Soviet leadership on a large-scale “pumping out” food resources and “fighting the kulak” from the village. on the one hand, they were caused by a shortage of food for the cities and the army, on the other, they were the consequence of a ripening in the central government of the USSR decisions on accelerated collectivization.

The author of the article, based on archival materials, examines the anti-religious campaign against the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox on the territory of the Saratov Volga region in the late 1920s – early 1940s. The anti-religious campaign was carried out in the form of repressions against worshipers and believers, the seizure of temples and houses of worship, anti-religious agitation and propaganda, and other anti-religious events.

Based on the population census and archival materials, the article examines the confessional diversity of the Saratov Volga region in the late 1920s – early 1940s. Orthodoxy prevailed in this territory, however, a characteristic feature of regional life has always been polyconfessionalism, due to historical and geopolitical factors. In the article, the author characterizes the confessional space of the Saratov Volga region and gives a quantitative ratio of various confessions.

 The article examines the features of the life of individual peasants in the Saratov Volga region in the conditions of the dominance of collective farms. On the basis of archival documents, the direction and content of state policy in relation to individuals is revealed. Having survived the nightmare of the first years of collectivization, individual farmers began to gradually adapt to new conditions and show their resilience in an unfavorable environment. As a result, instead of joining the collective system, they discredited it by their example.