Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
Leonard G. Friesen - More than Victims: Soviet Mennonites from Stalin to Gorbachev
This lecture is part of a special series hosted by Conrad Grebel University College, celebrating the publication of Mennonites in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union: Through Much Tribulation by Leonard Friesen (University of Toronto Press, 2022).
The Soviet Union is often seen as a totalitarian police state where Mennonites had little agency. However, in this lecture, Dr. Leonard G. Friesen, Professor of History at Wilfrid Laurier University, challenges that assumption. Drawing on scholarship that reveals the USSR never had total control over its people, he explores how Mennonites actively shaped their lives under Soviet rule. From engaging in civil disobedience to navigating moments of unexpected religious freedom—even before Gorbachev’s reforms—Mennonites demonstrated resilience in ways often overlooked in traditional narratives.
Dr. Leonard Friesen specializes in Russian and Soviet history, including the experiences of Mennonites in the USSR. Born into an immigrant Mennonite community in the Niagara Peninsula, his academic journey led him to extensive research in the Soviet Union. He teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University and has authored numerous books and articles on these topics.
Leonard G. Friesen - More than Victims: Soviet Mennonites from Stalin to Gorbachev
This lecture is part of a special series hosted by Conrad Grebel University College, celebrating the publication of Mennonites in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union: Through Much Tribulation by Leonard Friesen (University of Toronto Press, 2022).
The Soviet Union is often seen as a totalitarian police state where Mennonites had little agency. However, in this lecture, Dr. Leonard G. Friesen, Professor of History at Wilfrid Laurier University, challenges that assumption. Drawing on scholarship that reveals the USSR never had total control over its people, he explores how Mennonites actively shaped their lives under Soviet rule. From engaging in civil disobedience to navigating moments of unexpected religious freedom—even before Gorbachev’s reforms—Mennonites demonstrated resilience in ways often overlooked in traditional narratives.
Dr. Leonard Friesen specializes in Russian and Soviet history, including the experiences of Mennonites in the USSR. Born into an immigrant Mennonite community in the Niagara Peninsula, his academic journey led him to extensive research in the Soviet Union. He teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University and has authored numerous books and articles on these topics.
