Estonian History: Soviet Era (1940-41/1944-89)



Figure 1.-- Here what look like first graders celebrate Estonia's 1940 annexation by the Soviet Union. The celebration was in 1957. We believe celebration like this took place in bith the Estonian and Russian language schools. The boys wear Soviet Navy caps.

The Red Army smashed back into Estonia as part of the Bagration offensive (1944). For four decadeds the Baltics languished within the Soviet Empire. The United States and other Western countries did not recognize Soviet annexation of the Baltics, but this had little practical affect. The Communist Party of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (ECP) became the dominant political, economic, and social organization in the republic. Stalin ordered more arrests and deportations (1949). Many Russians move into the Baltics. As a result, the ethnic Estonian share ECP membership decreased from 90 percent (1941) to only 48 percent (1952). The Estonian share of the overall population also declined substantially, but not as sharply. Stalin not only wanted to terroize the Estinians into compliance, but to resify the ethnic composution. Khreschev's De-Stalinization Program ended the Stalinist terror. Cultural and economic conditions improved and the Baltics became the most prosperous region of the Soviet Union. Some of the Balts who survived deportation were allowed to return. The Soviet Stagnation Era began under Premier Leonid Brezhnev (1970s). Conditions in the Baltics were better than in much of the rest of the Soviet Union, but still a far cry from the West. There were shortages and shoddy consumer goods and poor living conditions. Historians describe rule by 'jowly, gray-faced men'. One historian writes that it was an era of "faceless bureaucrats playing an endless game of musical chairs,” moving from the directorship of one department or factory to another. [Lieven] Estonia because of its geographic location and lingisitic similarities with the Finns were the corner of the Soviet Union most exposed to the West. Ater Stalin;s death and De-Stlinization, limited contacts abroad were allowed. The Soviet term was re-permission (late-50s). Ties were reactivated with Finland. A ferry connection was opened from Tallinn to Helsinki (1960). As televusion ownership expanded, Estonians began watching Finnish television. This was a kind of electronic 'window on the West' gave Estonians more information on unsensored news and more access to Western culture and political and economic thought than any place in the Soviet Union. This partialy explained the vanguard role in perestroika during the Gorbachev era. As political and cultural represioin declined, Estonian society grew increasingly concerned about the growing Russian population and threat of cultural Russification, especially the loss of the Estonian language and national identity (1970s). Russian was taught in the first grade of Estonian language schools and was even introduced to Estonian pre-schoolers.





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Created: 8:29 AM 3/10/2014
Last updated: 8:29 AM 3/10/2014