The Influence of the Soviet Regime on the Religious Beliefs of Ethnic Minorities

Abstract

This article explores the development of religious relations in modern post-Soviet republics with reference to mobility and the imprint of the influence of the Soviet regime. Populations with different religious beliefs in Kazakhstan are reflective of the country’s geographical position and the migrations and deportations during the Soviet regime. This article aims to identify and reveal the processes of transformation of religious thinking and beliefs of ethnic minorities in the USSR, as well as to uncover the notion of transformation of ethnic identity and self-consciousness. The leading approaches to the study of this topic are the descriptive method, the method of historiographical analysis and synthesis, as well as the problem-chronological approach. In addition, the article presents an analysis of various normative acts, examines the development of the Soviet regime’s pressure on religious institutions and organisations of national minorities.