Public Science and Anti-Religious Propaganda in the Early Soviet Period

Introduction. Public science and the traditions of addressing it began to take shape in Russia back in the pre-revolutionary period. In the early Soviet society, it began to be used to solve those tasks that the new government considered the most urgent and fundamental for building a socialist society. This included anti-religious propaganda, the success of which was seen by most of those responsible for its organization and conduct only if scientific knowledge was disseminated.
Methods and materials. During the preparation of the article, a number of special historical methods were used, in particular, comparative historical, historical-typological and historical-genetic. In addition, attention was drawn to works in the field of the social history of science and the anthropology of technology, for example, one of the founders of actor-network theory, J. Lo, who introduced the concept of «heterogeneous engineering» for a comprehensive understanding of technological systems. The main research materials used were published and archival sources related to the organization of anti-religious work. We are talking about periodicals, work programs of atheist circles and anti-religious universities, reports on holidays, instructions and survey materials for such early Soviet spaces of public science as clubs, red corners, cultural centers, etc.
Results. It is demonstrated that the organizers of anti-religious propaganda actively turned to the practices of public science, organically integrating them into various forms of cultural work. In particular, we are talking about lectures, talks and evenings, organization of excursions, holidays. Atheistic periodicals were filled with popular scientific materials, and publications that focused on technical propaganda and various aspects of building a new way of life, in turn, addressed the anti-religious agenda.
Conclusion. Despite the debatable question of the degree of success of the Bolshevik struggle against religion, it seems permissible to assert that it contributed to the growth of skepticism towards the church and its devaluation in the eyes of a certain part of the population. Political and educational activities carried out through the practices of public science also played a role in this, which helped to make it more effective. She helped shape the image of the church as a relic of a «dark past» dominated by superstition and ignorance. In addition, despite all the fair claims to the methods of conducting anti-religious agitation, thanks to public science as its component, basic knowledge about exact and natural sciences, techno-optimism, and valuable information related to hygiene and health protection were promoted in society.