Kommunismus als Religion

The Bolsheviks were inspired by a belief—a kind of secular religion—in the possibility of a radical transformation of the backward peasant society. From the very beginning, they declared an irreconcilable war on Orthodoxy, established a system of communist rituals, and conducted effective propaganda of the achievements of the new regime. The center of Soviet cult was the Lenin Mausoleum: there lies to this day the embalmed corpse of the deceased party leader. In the 1930s, his deification occurred, the presumption of guilt was introduced in law, a uniform style (Socialist Realism) was mandated in art, and Soviet patriotism was instilled. No secular religion of the 20th century can compare in its appeal to intellectuals with communism.