diff --git a/django/contrib/csrf/tests.py b/django/contrib/csrf/tests.py
index 3c533a01e6..f9b958149d 100644
--- a/django/contrib/csrf/tests.py
+++ b/django/contrib/csrf/tests.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ from django.test import TestCase
 from django.http import HttpRequest, HttpResponse, HttpResponseForbidden
 from django.contrib.csrf.middleware import CsrfMiddleware, _make_token, csrf_exempt
 from django.conf import settings
+from django.template import Template
 
 
 def post_form_response():
@@ -142,3 +143,9 @@ class CsrfMiddlewareTest(TestCase):
         req.META['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH'] = 'XMLHttpRequest'
         req2 = CsrfMiddleware().process_view(req, self.get_view(), (), {})
         self.assertEquals(None, req2)
+
+    def test_template_tag_noop(self):
+        """
+        Check that the {% csrf_token %} works in 1.1.2 and later
+        """
+        self.assertEquals(u"", Template("{% csrf_token %}").render({}))
diff --git a/django/template/defaulttags.py b/django/template/defaulttags.py
index de746997ab..300e249e35 100644
--- a/django/template/defaulttags.py
+++ b/django/template/defaulttags.py
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ class CommentNode(Node):
     def render(self, context):
         return ''
 
+class CsrfTokenNode(Node):
+    # This no-op tag exists to allow 1.1.X code to be compatible with Django 1.2
+    def render(self, context):
+        return u''
+
 class CycleNode(Node):
     def __init__(self, cyclevars, variable_name=None):
         self.cycle_iter = itertools_cycle(cyclevars)
@@ -523,6 +528,11 @@ def cycle(parser, token):
     return node
 cycle = register.tag(cycle)
 
+def csrf_token(parser, token):
+    # This no-op tag exists to allow 1.1.X code to be compatible with Django 1.2
+    return CsrfTokenNode()
+register.tag(csrf_token)
+
 def debug(parser, token):
     """
     Outputs a whole load of debugging information, including the current
diff --git a/docs/ref/templates/builtins.txt b/docs/ref/templates/builtins.txt
index a2f8b9f8b3..d98e5055ed 100644
--- a/docs/ref/templates/builtins.txt
+++ b/docs/ref/templates/builtins.txt
@@ -53,6 +53,15 @@ Ignore everything between ``{% comment %}`` and ``{% endcomment %}``
 
 .. templatetag:: cycle
 
+csrf_token
+~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. versionadded:: 1.1.2
+
+In the Django 1.1.X series, this is a no-op tag that returns an empty string.
+It exists to ease the transition to Django 1.2, in which it is used for CSRF
+protection.
+
 cycle
 ~~~~~