Abstract
Perestroika and the religious revival following the celebration in 1988 of the arrival of Christianity in Russia led to a fundamental revision of Soviet legislation concerning religious practice. In our article we analyse Soviet law, which had as its objective the complete eradication of religion. We then discuss the ways in which this legislation was reformed. At first Konstantin Kharchev, Chairman of the Council of Religious Affairs in the Council of Ministers of the USSR, suggested a more liberal reading of the legislation, without however challenging its fundamental tenets. Subsequently, a law on freedom of conscience was drafted. After a number of false starts two laws were finally adopted, one for the USSR as a whole, the other specifically for Russia. Following the collapse of the USSR, only the Russian law, which was particularly liberal, entered the statute books. In conclusion, the revision of the law governing religious practice offers an excellent illustration of how reform was undertaken during the perestroika period.
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