Religious Revival and the Political Activity of Religious Communities in Estonia During the Process of Liberation and the Collapse of the Soviet Union 1985–1991

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article examines the activity of Estonian religious communities in the period of perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1991 the Republic of Estonia regained its independence. This coincided with an upsurge in churchgoing and church activity in society, often referred to as a national and religious awakening. This article, based on archival material, focuses on the changes in church–state relations, on the growing influence of religion and the activity of representatives of religious organisations, and on the development of and attitudes towards new religious movements which emerged in Estonian society in the period from 1985 to 1991. We view these developments in a wider context of social changes in the Soviet Union, with a special emphasis on Estonia, to describe the role that religious communities played in the Estonian liberation process.