In the turbulent waters of 20th-century Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church charted a course as best it could. Weak and ineffective, it was continually prevented from debating and adopting long-needed reform and modernizing measures. The maniacal Rasputin, a favorite of Tsar Nicholas II, further tarnished its image. Then came the overthrow of the Romanov aristocracy. Under the Provisional Government of 1917, a Regional Council was finally called. But even as the delegates were voting on measures defining their relation to ...
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In the turbulent waters of 20th-century Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church charted a course as best it could. Weak and ineffective, it was continually prevented from debating and adopting long-needed reform and modernizing measures. The maniacal Rasputin, a favorite of Tsar Nicholas II, further tarnished its image. Then came the overthrow of the Romanov aristocracy. Under the Provisional Government of 1917, a Regional Council was finally called. But even as the delegates were voting on measures defining their relation to the new state, the Bolshevik Revolution changed the terms of the discussion. The advent of the Soviet atheistic state, with its plans to liquidate the Church, meant that more and more Church property was confiscated and monasteries were closed. Agents-provocateurs further destabilized the Church by instigating dissension and schisms. Assassinations and threats forced the remaining Church leaders to make profound compromises just to keep any remnant of the ROC in tact. Such capitulations were sometimes met by superficial compromises offered when the regime needed support, but the Church as an institution had dwindled to little more than a public relations presence to be used for international propaganda purposes. Under the Gorbachev administration and the movement to reform the Soviet regime in the late 1980s, Russian Orthodoxy gradually regained its freedoms, culminating with the legislation of the Edict of Freedom of Conscience in 1990. * Daniel H. Shubin has written two books on the topic of Christian religion, Christian Pacifism, and The History of Monasteries of Russia. He has also translated five books from Russian into English, all dealing with Christianity inRussia. Shubin has traveled extensively throughout Russia, studying the various sectarian movements.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine. 0875864430. Large paperback in excellent condition, no remarkable flaws to this clean, attractive copy, this is Volume 4 and covers the years 1894 to 1990; 185 pages.
