the relation of the russian orthodox church to the bolsheviks in 1917–1918 in modern historiography

The paper is given the survey of the domestic and foreign historiography, which illuminates the relation of Russian Orthodox Church to the Bolsheviks in the fi rst year after their accession to power as a result of October revolution 1917. Main attention is paid to the work of the well-known contemporary researchers of the church history of the first years of the Soviet power. The purpose of the article — to assess the state of current scientific literature on the topic of research, its factual and conceptual constructs. The largest directions in the historiography are examined in accordance with the problematic-chronological principle: the works of the soviet, religious, emigrant, foreign and russian authors. The contribution to the study of the problem of such well-known contemporary historians as V. A. Alekseyev, O. Yu. Vasil’yeva, A. N. Kashevarov, D. V. Pospelovsky, S. L. Firsov, V. A. Tsypin, M. V. Shkarovsky and G. Schulz, is analyzed. The existing in the historiography marginal works, which are not entered in the main trajectories of the development of historical science, are considered. The already existing historiographical surveys of the Russian and foreign literature about the interrelation of Russian Orthodox Church and Bolsheviks in the first years of the Soviet power are noted. In the historiography of attention continues to focus on resolutions and appeals of the Landed Council, the message of Patriarch Tikhon, anti-religious decrees and activities of Soviet power, the activities of the Church’s Commissions for interaction with the Soviet government, anti-Soviet protests of the clergy and believers, the organization of religious processions, the creation of orthodox brotherhoods and societies protection of the Church. Changes in research approaches of the last two and a half decades can be called a kind of attempt to convergence of domestic and western scientifi c literature into a single modern historiography. Researchers have come to the conclusion that the negative attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Bolsheviks and the first steps of the new government to implement the anti-religious policies and practices.