Estonia Period of Democratic Transition

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Estonia Period of democratic transition: 1990–1991 Pro-democracy civic movement: present Soviet troops occupied Estonia during World War II, following a secret protocol in the 1939 Hitler-Stalin pact that forcibly incorporated Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the USSR. Under Soviet rule, approximately one-tenth of Estonia’s population was deported, executed, or forced to flee abroad. Subsequent Russian immigration substantially altered the country’s ethnic composition, with ethnic Estonians constituting just over 61 percent of the population in 1989. During the late 1980s, a relaxation of rules against free expression led to demands for Estonian self-determination. Mass protests began as early as 1987, including the 1988 “singing revolution,” in which people gathered to sing banned national songs. At the same time, a nonviolent, pro-independence, pro-democracy movement—the Estonian Popular Front— emerged; mass demonstrations and protests routinely attracted hundreds of thousands of participants. Some protests were coordinated among the three Baltic states. Most notable among these was a human chain organized in 1989, consisting of more than two million people who spanned the territories of Latvia and Lithuania. The Congress of Estonia, a democratically elected (though informal) body formed in 1990, served as a parallel legislature to the official Communist-dominated counterpart. The Congress represented a broad array of political, student, civic, women’s, and cultural groups. Estonia took advantage of weakening Soviet control in the wake of the failed Soviet coup attempt against USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev by asserting economic independence before quickly claiming full independence on August 20, 1991. A democratic constitution was adopted in the summer of 1992, and open, multiparty elections were held in September 1992, solidifying the democratic transition. After the first popular vote in 1992, subsequent presidential elections reverted to parliamentary ballot. The prime minister was chosen by the president and confirmed by Parliament. Subsequent parliamentary elections were free and fair, although recently some political infighting has dominated coalition ruling parties. .

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Ajalooline Ajakiri, 2016, 3/4 (157/158), 477–511 Historical consciousness, personal life experiences and the orientation of Estonian foreign policy toward the West, 1988–1991 Kaarel Piirimäe and Pertti Grönholm ABSTRACT The years 1988 to 1991 were a critical juncture in the history of Estonia. Crucial steps were taken during this time to assure that Estonian foreign policy would not be directed toward the East but primarily toward the integration with the West. In times of uncertainty and institutional flux, strong individuals with ideational power matter the most. This article examines the influence of For- eign Minister Lennart Meri’s and Prime Minister Edgar Savisaar’s experienc- es and historical consciousness on their visions of Estonia’s future position in international affairs. Life stories help understand differences in their horizons of expectation, and their choices in conducting Estonian diplomacy. Keywords: historical imagination, critical junctures, foreign policy analysis, So- viet Union, Baltic states, Lennart Meri Much has been written about the Baltic states’ success in breaking away from Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and their decisive “return to the West”1 via radical economic, social and politi- Research for this article was supported by the “Reimagining Futures in the European North at the End of the Cold War” project which was financed by the Academy of Finland. Funding was also obtained from the “Estonia, the Baltic states and the Collapse of the Soviet Union: New Perspectives on the End of the Cold War” project, financed by the Estonian Research Council, and the “Myths, Cultural Tools and Functions – Historical Narratives in Constructing and Consolidating National Identity in 20th and 21st Century Estonia” project, which was financed by the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS, University of Turku).
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