11. The "Singing Revolution", the regaining of independence, and the return to the West

Question 1

• The crisis and failure of the Soviet society

Answer 1

Vague reform attempts of the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev since 1985, glasnost (openness) and perestroika (reconstruction)

Question 2

• The first changes in Estonia since 1987

Answer 2

Environment-related protests („the phosphorite war“)
 August 1987: the Estonian Group on Publication of the Hitler-Stalin (Molotov-Ribbentrop) Pact, in August 1988 reformed to the Estonian National Independence Party (the first real political party during the Soviet era)
Early summer 1988: a series of concerts with mass audiences, political activation of large parts of the Estonian society, resulting in the formation of various political organizations and movements
The Baltic Way (in English also called the Baltic Chain or the Chain of Freedom), The human chain of ca 2 million people from Tallinn via Riga to Vilnius (ca 675 km), on 23 August 1989 (anniversary of the Hitler-Stalin / Molotov-Ribbentrop pact),
political mass demonstration to demonstrate the Soviet government and the rest of the world the three Baltic nations’ aspiration for freedom

Question 3

• The restoration of the Estonian Republic 1991

Answer 3

on the basis of the legal continuity principle, recognized by all major Western states (the Estonian Republic which exists today was founded in 1918; the unlawful occupation by the Soviet Union did not mean an end of the Estonian Republic, as its legal continuity was formally enforced by international law and the Estonian politicians in exile)
 New constitution in 1992: parliamentary democracy, president with mostly representative tasks

Question 4

• The conservative government 1992–1994,

Answer 4

headed by the prime minister Mart Laar (born 1960)
Rapid and radical free market reforms, privatisation of property
The first European state to introduce a flat rate of income tax (26 per cent)

Question 5

after 1994

Answer 5

• Lennart Meri (1929–2006) President of the Estonian Republic 1992–2001
• Withdrawal of last Russian troops in 1994 – the end of World War II for Estonia
• 2000–2007 the Baltic states – the fastest-growing region in the EU
• Finland and Sweden most important investors in Estonia
• A special relationship between Estonia and Finland, short distance between Tallinn and Helsinki linguistic kinship and close cultural ties
• Special strengths of Estonia Information and communications technologies, for example Skype (voice calls via internet) was developed here
• Since 2007 electronic voting via internet in elections
• The primary objective of Estonian national security policy: to integrate into European and transatlantic political, economic and military alliances
• Fundamental breakthrough in 2004: Estonia in NATO since 29 March 2004
• in the European Union since 1 May 2004
• External threat: the authoritarian Russian Federation Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign democratic state:
  2014: occupation of Crimea and eastern regions
  A fundamental change of international security situation in Europe
• 24 February 2022: full-scale war against Ukraine
  A very large number of atrocities and war crimes carried out by Russia, targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure on massive scale
  A very serious threat to the democratic world order
• Estonia as a member of NATO
  As the direct result of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Sweden and Finland have opted to join the NATO
• The world class achievements of Estonian culture today
  Choir music – a number of different top choirs Classical music – composer Arvo Pärt (born 1935)