Forum f osteurop鄜sche Ideen- und Zeitgeschichte

Since 1997, FORUM has been an integral part of the landscape of European studies. In addition to contemporary history, it offers insights into the history of ideas and reviews books on Central and Eastern European history. It offers more than just history—for instance, interdisciplinary discussions by political scientists, literary, legal, and economic scholars, and philosophers. FORUM sees itself as a bridge between East and West. Through the translation and publication of texts and contributions from Russian, Polish, and Czech researchers, it offers the Western reader access to the scholarly discourse of Eastern Europe.

This issue examines the fate of organized religion under state socialism. While totalitarianism means a rupture in the traditional idea of man, the church stands for continuity. That is why totalitarian rulers quest to expel the church from public perception and, at the same time, try to usurp the church from within. This volume is dedicated to investigating how this process took place in the countries of the former Soviet bloc.