World War I was especially destructive to the Russian economy, destroying cities and leaving the people in hopeless poverty. This situation did much to cause the Russian Revolution of 1917. Inspired by the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and led by Vladimir Lenin, the Communist revolution was especially destructive to the Russian Orthodox churches since it was feared that the Church was the one institution that could divide the loyalties of the people.
Impact: Within a few years Communist leaders had executed over 1,000 bishops and priests, had razed hundreds of ancient monasteries, and seized the church’s treasuries and property. Yet totalitarianism could not ultimately extinguish the spirit of the people. After the fall of the Iron Curtain the Orthodox church thrived again.