6. The "National Awakening", Russification and modernization (1850–1900)

Question 1

cool people

Answer 1

• The emergence of nationalism Johann Gottfried HERDER (1744–1803)
• The Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg [Kalev’s son], published 1857–1861 and 1862 by Friedrich Reinhold KREUTZWALD
• Preconditions for the national movement:
  Relatively liberal rule of tsar Alexander II (1855–1881)
  High level of literacy among the Estonians
  Estonian newspapers Voluntary societies
• 1857 the newspaper in Pärnu the first influential Estonian newspaper, edited by Johann Voldemar JANNSEN (1819–1890)
• 1864 the newspaper in Tartu edited by Johann Voldemar JANNSEN (1819–1890)
• Lydia JANNSEN (1843–1886), pseudonym KOIDULA daughter of Johann Voldemar Jannsen Poet, writer and playwright, de facto co-editor of Jannsen’s newspaper in Tartu, influential figure of the national movement
• Other leaders of the Estonian national movement
  Jakob HURT (1839–1907)
  Carl Robert JAKOBSON (1841–1882)

Question 2

• Societies:

Answer 2

Vanemuine Society in Tartu, 1865 Focus on general cultural and educational achievement, choir singing, later also amateur theatre activities
A number of choral societies
The first all-estonian song festival in 1869 in Tartu
Estonian Students’ Societyfounded in 1870 Adopted the blue-black-white flag in 1884, which later became the Estonian national flag

Question 3

• Alexander School initiative

Answer 3

1870 The network of fund-raising committees, the goal (which did not come true in the 19th century) was the foundation of an Estonian-language secondary school

Question 4

• Society of the Estonian Literati in Tartu

Answer 4

1872 Development of Estonian language, publication of Estonian books and school textbooks

Question 5

• The leading force in the Estonian national movement

Answer 5

school teachers, newspaper editors, a few Lutheran pastors of Estonian nationality (the majority of the pastors were Baltic Germans), well-to-do peasants and the „middle layer“ (civil servants, merchants and artisans)

Question 6

• The main objectives of the national movement

Answer 6

 general emancipation of the Estonians
(national, cultural, economic, social aspect)
No mention of the Estonian national independence yet!
Prevention of Estonians’ Germanization (Germanization via education and town environment)
* The Baltic Germans played an important cultural role for the Estonians until the mid-19th century. However, during the Estonian national awakening period, the Baltic Germans became openly hostile against Estonian national aspirations

Question 7

• One of the major outcomes of the various developments (not just national movement!) in the late 19th century

Answer 7

 Until the end of the Russian Empire, estates (classes) remained the basic legal category of a person’s group belonging, but in everyday life, however, the new main factor was ethnicity (Estonian, Latvian, Baltic German, Russian)

Question 8

• The Russification

Answer 8

 Main causes:
The ambition to turn the numerous, very diverse territories of the Russian Empire into a modern unitary state (following the examples of Great Britain and Germany)
The unification of Germany 1871 – the Kaiserreich perceived as the main military threat to the Russian Empire, German influence in the Baltic provinces to be reduced
* The Russification
 Alexander III (1881–1894)
Under Emperor Alexander III (ruled 1881-94), the state took a more active role in the affairs of the Baltic provinces in what has conventionally been labelled a ‘Russification’ campaign, although this term implies a greater degree of coherence in policy formulation than actually existed
Cultural and administrative Russification
Tartu / Dorpat → Yur’ev
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn
* Despite the Russification efforts, the Baltic provinces remained very different from Russia proper

Question 9

• Nicholas II (1894–1917)

Answer 9

• Industrial modernization in the late 19th century
  Railways
  Tallinn – St. Petersburg (1870)
  Tallinn – Tartu (1876)
  Tartu – Riga (1887)
   Industry
  Textile industry near Narva
  Metal and machine industry in Tallinn
  The emergence of the working class

Question 10

• Estonian society at the turn of the century

Answer 10

The majority of the population
– free peasants in the countryside Increasing urbanization, social differentiation, professionalization Major political trends
– nationalism and socialism
* Jaan Tõnisson (1868–1941?) in Tartu
* Konstantin Päts (1874–1956) in Tallinn
* The first major political breakthrough of the Estonians:
In Tallinn city government, Baltic Germans replaced in the 1904 elections by a joint list of Estonians (majority) and Russians (minority)