Page 41 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

THE HIST OR Y OF EST ONIA , LA T VIA AND LITHU ANIA 39

were equally active in Latvia and Estonia. War Returns
In 1869, the first Estonian Song Festival was Strikes and demonstrations took place in
held, and in the following year, the writer 1905 in many cities throughout Russia, to
Lydia Koidula produced her first play in pressurize the Tsarist regime to grant civil
Estonian, having previously only written in rights and improve social conditions. Given
German. It is significant that both events the size of its industrial workforce at this
took place in Tartu and not in Tallinn, where time, Rīga was an active parti cipant in this
German and Russian influence was still unrest. In the country side, the protests
too strong. The Latvian writer were directed against the German
Krišjānis Valdemārs also caused a landed gentry and manor houses all
stir in Tartu by printing his name- over the region were attacked.
card in Latvian. It was not until These were social rather than
1900, however, that Estonians, nationalistic movements, partly as
Latvians and Lithuanians could the Balts were now able to use their
freely proclaim their nation alities own languages openly and could
in their capital cities. also take part in local administration.
Latvian writer Krišjānis
In the 19th century, as in the Valdemārs (1825–91) National aspirations were, however,
18th, the Russians delegated forcibly dampened at the outbreak
local admin istration to the Germans. It was, of World War I (1914–18). The Russian
there fore, the Germans, and not the Revolution of 1917, which resulted in the
Russians, who gained from the com mercial collapse of Tsarist Russia and brought the
potential of mass production, railways and Bolsheviks to power, played a significant
steamships. Rīga and Tallinn expanded role in changing the course of the region’s
hugely as ports and manufacturing centres. history. The Civil War that followed soon
The pros pect of work drew many people after was seen as an opportunity for the
from rural areas into the larger towns. Baltic States to take control of their destiny.

A turn-of-the-19th-century postcard impression of Rīga, one of Eastern Europe’s most vibrant cities

1854 Crimean War 1870 Tallinn–St
breaks out; British Petersburg 1917 Russian Revolution and
Navy blockades railway opens Civil War stimulate Baltic
Russian Baltic ports independence movements
1825 1850 1875 1900
1832 Russians close 1916
Vilnius University to 1899 First Baltic electric 1905 Urban and Election of
curtail spread of tram line opens in Liepāja rural attacks on first Latvian
nationalist ideas German and mayor
Liepāja tram 1 at Russian businesses of Rīga
Liela iela, Latvia