00:00the most powerful belief system in 20th century russia did not come from a church it came
00:06from the communist party the soviet union did not just control politics it replaced religion
00:14it had its own gospel its own saints and martyrs and its own sacred mission to save humanity for
00:22revolution lenin was the messiah marx was the prophet the apocalypse was coming and it was
00:32called the world revolution my name is elvira barry i was born in the ussr raised on this
00:39mythology and only much later realized what it really was a full-blown faith masquerading as
00:48ideology today i want to take you deep into one of the strangest chapters of modern history
00:54how the soviet regime reimagined christianity stripped it of god and built a new religion
01:02around power sacrifice and control once you see it you won't be able to unsee it
01:13the foundation of communist ideology was borrowed directly from christianity especially the concept
01:21of the apocalypse according to this worldview people had lived in sin and darkness for centuries
01:28but then came a special person vladimir lenin who sacrificed himself so that his followers could be
01:37saved and enter paradise which in this case was the realm of communism but before that could happen
01:45the apocalypse had to occur the world revolution in which the forces of darkness the bourgeoisie
01:52would be overthrown and the forces of good would triumph at the beginning of the 20th century
01:59the bolsheviks were convinced that the end of the world the collapse of capitalism was inevitable
02:06and because of this any normal person should help facilitate this natural historical movement
02:12namely the destruction of capitalism this led to a strange paradox the goal of communism was
02:20a bright future yet people were not allowed to be happy in the present a good person was supposed
02:27to suffer to prove their loyalty to the communist cause this is why the soviet government was so willing
02:34to spend the resources preparing for the world revolution while its own people were starving
02:40the suffering of gulag prisoners was also justified because it was all for the greater good the bright future
02:54bolshevik faithful went to the ends of the earth and put their lives in danger just like christian
03:01missionaries once did in africa or asia seeking to save their souls of savages they were absolutely
03:09convinced that they are doing the right thing their lives were governed by strict rituals songs sermons and
03:17festive ceremonies in traditional russian homes icons hang in the corner these were replaced by portraits of the
03:25party leaders religious processions were swapped for demonstrations where portraits of the leaders and slogans
03:33written on fabric replaced religious icons and banners religious school lessons became lessons in propaganda
03:40this cult had everything that was needed to establish a new religion the story about the creation of the world
03:47the coming of the savior martyrs saints and prophecies about the future it had its own sacred texts the old
03:57testament of karl marx and the new testament of vladimir lenin the truth had already been established and there
04:06was no need to search for anything new only to interpret the holy scriptures heretics who harbored rebellious thoughts
04:14had to answer before the people meaning they had to publicly rebound at party meetings
04:20ironically the bolsheviks called extreme conservatism and adherence to dogma revolutionary consciousness
04:29while any deviation from it was labeled reactionary the theme of guilt and redemption was central to bolshevik life
04:38they constantly unleashed the wrath of proletarian criticism on each other and then as if nothing
04:46happened they would visit one another this pattern clearly echoes the beliefs of the hlisli a cult centered
04:54on self-regulation you hit me i hit you pain will redeem our sins and we will be saved together
05:02the stalinist purges in essence were a battle against heretics in the spirit of the
05:08holy inquisition the party played the role of the church with clear hierarchies rituals and rules
05:16high-ranking party officials technically owned nothing but they controlled vast resources the sect's power
05:25didn't pass through inheritance common people were excluded from important decisions a single person's life
05:32life was of little value but marty troll particularly for their faith elevated one to almost saintly status
05:42children were fed stories from a young age about heroic young figures who were tortured and executed by
05:49various villains but remained steadfast in their principles neither revealing the great secret
05:57and meeting death with a smile this was a genuine cult of death when i was a child i seriously
06:05regretted that
06:06there was no fascist left in our area from whom i could heroically die and gain glory
06:18any mass religious movement is a result of significant political or economic changes bolshevism arose due to two
06:27crucial trends in the late 19th and early 20th centuries population growth and rapid urbanization
06:36in the 19th century advancement in health care and education significantly reduced infant mortality resulting
06:43in rapid population growth worldwide however this growth had consequences children grew up but rural
06:52communities couldn't offer them jobs as there simply wasn't enough land to farm young men and women moved to
07:01cities in search of employment finding work in factories they labored 12 hours a day often living in appalling
07:09conditions with multiple people crammed into tiny rooms this situation could not last forever as
07:17discontent simmered over the years it ultimately boiled over into world war one soldiers enlisted in large numbers
07:26eager to relieve their frustrations by fighting their neighbors whom they blamed for their wars
07:33millions of enemies were eliminated yet happiness never materialized military defeats during the war
07:41triggered revolutions across many european countries however russia with its large rural population and
07:48numerous unresolved social issues was hit the hardest soldiers returning from the front lines
07:55were eager to follow anyone who promised them peace land and a better future this is how the bolsheviks
08:02came to power in 1917 seizing the opportunity to impose their ideology on the masses their message found
08:11fertile ground as it closely mirrored christian beliefs and many accepted it simply because it felt familiar
08:23for 70 years the bolsheviks attempted to construct a socialist paradise on earth but why exactly did
08:31they fail they unknowingly destroyed their breeding ground communism ideology could only captivate
08:38semi-literate peasants who had recently moved to the cities the ideal communist was a young person blindly
08:46trusting their commanders and never questioning their statements these individuals had little to no
08:53doubts and they were eager to prove themselves willing to give their lives for a noble cause such people
09:01could be inspired to work tirelessly on soviet construction projects for little pay or to fight
09:07another war in the name of the global revolution they could easily bully enemies of the state simply because
09:15they were told to but by the end of the 20th century soviet society had changed drastically most of the
09:22population now lived in cities and had received education population growth had slowed significantly
09:29and their value of human life had risen the government could no longer rely on the promise of a
09:36communist paradise i wrote my novel russian treasures to explore how all of this began
09:42not from the perspective of the bolsheviks or their opposition but from the viewpoint of a neutral observer
09:49who came to revolutionary russia from south america in this sense my main character claim rogov is quite similar to
09:57us
09:58i hope that while immersing yourself in this history you also reflect on what you would do
10:05if you lived through such a time of dramatic change it's an experience that's not only educational
10:14but deeply thought-provoking if you found something useful in today's video please support my channel
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