Based on the analysis of archival materials, published sources and research by historians, an attempt is made to consider the role and place of religion in the activities of the Nazi occupation authorities during the Great Patriotic War in one of the autonomous republics of the North Caucasus Kabardino-Balkaria. At the same time, religion is seen as a kind of political tool aimed at achieving certain goals dictated by the historical moment. The active use of religion by the German occupation authorities in the region under consideration was intended to help achieve loyalty from the local population and their perception of the new government as being in line with their own interests. To succeed in it, the entire propaganda potential available to the fascists was utilized, from posters about relevant subjects and appeals from representatives of the local population who had defected to the enemy's side, to staging colorful spectacular events timed to coincide with key holidays that were celebrated during the occupation period of the republic. The article concludes that, despite all the efforts of the German occupying authorities to gain the loyalty of the residents by appealing to the religion practiced by the majority of the locals in the subregion, the effects were not impressive. This was due to both the obvious miscalculations and mistakes made by German analysts, who downplayed the extent of Sovietization in the Caucasian autonomous regions and ignored the fact that there was pronounced differentiation among the population based on their religiosity, and also to the fact that, despite promoting loyalty, the German administration employed standard fascist techniques in Kabardino-Balkaria and perhaps other regions of a somewhat smaller scale than other regions in the country. They convincingly demonstrated the destructive nature of the new regime and the falseness of the propaganda coming from it.

Key words: Kabardino-Balkaria, the Great Patriotic War, religious policy, occupation regime, society, propaganda, confessional policy

DOI: 10.22250/20728662_2024_1_48

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About the authors

	Aleksandra N. Takova – PhD (History), Senior Research Fellow at the Recent History Sector, Institute of Humanitarian Investigations, Kabardino-Balkarian Research Center RAS; 18 Pushkin str., Nalchik, 360000, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
	Natalya S. Lavrova – PhD (History), Assistant Professor at the Department of General History, Kabardino-Balkarian State University n.a. H.M. Berbekov; 173 Chernyshevsky str., Nalchik, 360004, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.