Born Minei Izrailevich Gubelman in 1878, Yemelyan Yaroslavsky transitioned from a Chita-born bookbinder to a prominent Soviet revolutionary and politician. Operating within the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union, he became a central figure in party organization, state discipline, and the systematic promotion of atheism through his leadership of the League of the Militant Godless.
Early Revolutionary Activity
Joining the Russian Social Democratic Workers Party in 1898, Yaroslavsky organized cells on the Trans-Baikal Railroad. His adoption of the pseudonym Yaroslavsky followed the organization of a textile workers' strike in the city of Yaroslavl. His political trajectory included arrests in 1903, 1904, and 1905, followed by periods of imprisonment in Odessa and St. Petersburg.
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Yaroslavsky attended party conferences in Tampere, Stockholm, and London. Following an eighteen-month detention and a sentence of five years of hard labour at Gorny Zerentu Prison, he spent time in exile in Eastern Siberia. After the 1917 revolutions, he returned to Moscow to edit a Bolshevik newspaper. In 1919, he became a candidate member of the Central Committee. By 1921, he held the position of Central Committee secretary, though his influence within the central hierarchy diminished after 1922.
Anti-Religious Propaganda
Starting in late 1922, Yaroslavsky directed state-sponsored anti-religious campaigns. He chaired the League of the Militant Godless and served as editor of the journal Bezbozhnik. His literary contributions included the 1923 book How Gods and Goddesses Are Born, Live, and Die. He led the Anti-Religious Commission of the Central Committee, which held authority over policy regarding the separation of church and state.
Final Years and Recognition
In his later career, Yaroslavsky served as secretary of the Central Control Commission and worked with the Higher Party School at the Central Committee of the CPSU. He held roles as a member of the Russian Constituent Assembly and as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. In 1943, the year of his death in Moscow, he received the Order of Lenin and the State Stalin Prize, 1st degree. He is buried at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.
Fast facts
- Born: 1878, Chita
- Died: 1943, Moscow
- Original name: Minei Izrailevich Gubelman
- Political affiliation: Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Religious stance: Atheism
- Key award: Order of Lenin (1943)
- Burial site: Kremlin Wall Necropolis
Questions readers ask
What was Yaroslavsky's role in the Soviet government?
He served as a secretary of the Central Committee, a member of the Russian Constituent Assembly, and a deputy of the Supreme Soviet.
What was the League of the Militant Godless?
It was an organization led by Yaroslavsky to promote state atheism and conduct anti-religious propaganda through publications like Bezbozhnik.
Achievements
- deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
- Member of the Russian Constituent Assembly
- State Stalin Prize, 1st degree — 1943
- Order of Lenin — 1943
