Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

96 NORTH EASTERN EUROPE

The 16th century saw Estonia as the

major battleground between Russia

and Sweden in the Livonian Wars

(1558–82). By 1629, the country was

in Swedish hands. The Swedes

achieved much over the next 50 years,

including the introduction of schools

and the establishment of Tartu

University. Later, however, the

Swedish kings seized German-owned

estates, incurring the wrath of the

Germans, who turned to Russia’s Peter

the Great for help. In 1709, Peter

defeated the Swedish King Charles

XII, which consigned the country to

tsarist rule for the next 200 years.

During World War I (1914–18), the

prospect of Estonian inde pendence

seem ed bleak. However, the 1917

Revolution that ended the tsarist

regime in Russia encouraged Estonia

to declare independence in February

1918, in Pärnu. Political stability proved

difficult to establish, however; there

were 20 coalition governments

between 1919 and 1933. In 1934, a

prominent nationalist politician,

Konstantin Päts, staged a coup.

He continued to rule until the Soviet

invasion on 16 June 1940, which

brought a brutal end to independent

Estonia. The German invasion, which

came a year later, was seen by many

in Estonia as a liberation. In September

1944, the Red Army returned to

Estonia, forcing the Nazis to surrender,

and subjecting the country to almost

five decades of Soviet rule.

From the 1960s, Estonia’s link with

the non-Soviet world began to grow.

At the time of the collapse of the

USSR in 1991, Estonians were better

prepared for a capitalist economy

than any of the other Soviet republics.

Thirteen years after independence,

entry into the EU in 2004 and NATO

has further strengthened the economy.

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

In general, Estonians are more strongly

influenced by Scandinavian cul ture

than by that of their Baltic neighbours.

Finns and Estonians also share close

linguistic links through the Finno-Ugric

language family. The most important

aspects of Estonian culture are

distinctly pagan in origin, such as the

Midsummer festival Jaanipaev (John’s

Day), characterized by drink ing,

dancing and revelry. Folk culture is

central to national identity, and the

All Estonian Song Festival, held every

five years since 1869, remains an

iconic occasion for the nation.

Depiction of the Siege of Narva, Livonian Wars

KEY DATES IN ESTONIAN HISTORY

1208 Germans capture Otepää in

southern Estonia

1219 Danes seize Tallinn

1227 Germans conquer all of Estonia

1558–83 Northern Estonia comes under Swedish

rule, southern Estonia under Polish rule

1629 Estonia passes into Swedish hands

1709 Great Northern War between Charles XII

of Sweden and Peter the Great results in

Russian victory

1885 Russification of the Baltics begins

1918 Declaration of Estonian independence

signed; Germany loses World War I

1920 Treaty of Tartu confirms Estonia’s

independence

1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact puts Estonia

under the influence of the USSR

1940 Soviet occupation begins

1944 Return of Soviet forces; Stalinist era begins

1953 Stalin dies

1991 Estonia declares independence

2004 Estonia joins NATO and the EU

2007 World’s first national Internet election held