Page 58 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

56 INTRODUCING EST ONIA

by many in Estonia as a sort of liberation.
Tallinn-born Alfred Rosenberg, who was
appointed by Nazi Germany to run the Baltic
States, treated the gene ral population less
harshly than his counterparts in other
countries subjected to Nazi occupation. In
September 1944, the advancing Red Army
President Konstantin Päts (centre) in 1939 returned to Estonia, forcing the Nazis to
surrender, and Estonia once again became
Freedom and World War II part of the Soviet Union.
Although there were 20 coalition govern-
ments between 1919 and 1933, they all Soviet Estonia
agreed to immediately dis tribute the The 10 years which followed the Soviet
Baltic-German land holdings among the local reoccupation were traumatic for Estonia. The
community. Education and state pension deportation programme, restarted in 1944,
systems were introduced nationwide. People saw its climax in March 1949 with the arrest of
who had been active in the national move- 20,000 Estonians. The Soviets wanted to curb
ment before World War I took senior positions any opposition to the establishment of
in government. The most prominent of collective farms. The deportations were also
these politicians was Konstantin Päts, who meant to sabotage the successful guerrilla
staged a coup in February 1934 and dissolved campaign run by the Forest Brothers, a
Parliament, although he began to restore resistance group active until the early 1950s
democratic institutions in 1938. For most throughout Estonia. Stalin’s death in 1953 led
Estonians day-to-day life was hardly to a slightly less oppressive regime in Estonia,
affected by these develop- as it did throughout the
ments. Industry, agriculture USSR. From the 1960s,
and international trade Estonia’s link with the
continued as before. Päts non-Soviet world began
ruled until the Soviet inva- to grow. A ferry link
sion on 16 June 1940, which between Tallinn and
brought a sudden and Helsinki was started
brutal end to independent twice a week. The 1980
Estonia. The Russians Moscow Olympics turned
executed several pro minent out to be inva luable for
Estonians, including Päts Estonia because it
himself, and many others staged the yachting
were deported to Siberia. events, which brought
The German invasion, which thou sands of foreign visi-
Soviet tanks thwarting the Germans’ landing attempt
came a year later, was seen in Estonia in September 1941 tors to Tallinn. As a result,
1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
1921 Flights puts Estonia under USSR Estonia’s Tallink ferry service
from Tallinn 1934 Bloodless linking Tallinn and Helsinki
to Stockholm coup staged by 1941 Nazi Germany
begin 1965 A ferry linking Tallinn and
Konstantin Päts occupies Estonia
Helsinki begins sailing
1925 1935 1945 1955 1965
1944 Return of 1964 Finnish president
1924 Coup 1937 The navy Soviet forces; visits Estonia
attempted by acquires its Stalinist era begins
Estonian first British- 1940 Soviet 1953 Stalin dies; Soviet oppression
Communists built submarine occupation begins slightly relaxed