The History of Church-state Relations in the USSR at the Final Stage of its Existence and in the post-Soviet Countries in the First Years of Their Independence

Abstract

The article examines state-church relations in the USSR in the last period of its existence during the Gorbachev perestroika and in the countries of the post-Soviet space in the first years of their state independence. It is shown that religious policy in the USSR in the last period of its existence was an integral part of the general political course pursued by the head of the Communist Party and the Soviet state, M.S. Gorbachev. Thus, in 1985-1987, religious policy mainly followed the line characteristic of the rule of L.I. Brezhnev and subsequent leaders of the USSR, that is, it was aimed at full control of the party and state apparatus over religious life.Since 1988, a change in the priorities of religious policy begins the transition of the Soviet state to the recognition of the religious rights of citizens and a loyal attitude towards the church and other religious organizations.The result of this period was the adoption of the USSR Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” on October 1, 1990, after which a fundamentally new system of state-church relations was formed in the country, since religious organizations received the appropriate legal basis for their activities and acquired the legal capacity of a legal entity. With the adoption of this Law, the total state control over the activities of religious organizations was put to an end in the USSR, and atheism officially ceased to be a state policy.

It is concluded that in the final period of the USSR’s existence, all the necessary conditions were created for the free practice of any religion and the free activity of religious organizations of various denominations without any illegal interference from the state. This state of state-church relations remained in the former Soviet republics at the time of their gaining state independence. Having acquired international legal personality and received international legal recognition from other states of the world, all post-Soviet states adopted new constitutions and brought their domestic legislation, in particular on issues of human rights to freedom of conscience and free practice of any religion, into full compliance with the international obligations assumed.