The history of Estonia begins with the oldest settlements on its territory, which appeared 10,000 years ago. Stone Age tools were found near Pulli near modern Pärnu. Finno-Ugric tribes from the east (most likely from the Urals) came centuries later (probably in 3500 BC), mixed with the local population and settled in present-day Estonia, Finland and Hungary. They liked the new lands, and they rejected the nomadic life that characterized most other European nations over the next six millennia.
Early history of Estonia (briefly)
In the 9th and 10th centuries of our era, Estonians knew the Vikings very well, who seemed to be more interested in trade routes to Kiev and Constantinople than to conquer the land. The first real threat came from Christian invaders from the west. Fulfilling papal calls for crusades against the northern pagans, Danish troops and German knights invaded Estonia, conquering Otepää castle in 1208. Locals put up fierce resistance, and it took more than 30 years before the entire territory was conquered. By the middle of the 13th century, Estonia was divided between the Danish in the north and the German in the south of the Teutonic orders. The Crusaders, striving east, were stopped by Alexander Nevsky from Novgorod on the frozen Lake Peipsi.
The conquerors settled in new cities, transferring most of the power to bishops. Towards the end of the 13th century, cathedrals rose above Tallinn and Tartu, and Cistercian and Dominican monastic orders built monasteries to preach and baptize the local population. Meanwhile, the Estonians continued to rebel.
The most significant uprising began on the night of St. George (April 23), 1343. It was launched by Denmark-controlled Northern Estonia. The history of the country is marked by the looting by the rebels of the Cistercian monastery of Padise and the murder of all its monks. Then they besieged Tallinn and the episcopal castle in Haapsalu and called for help from the Swedes. Sweden did send naval reinforcements, but it arrived too late and was forced to turn back. Despite the determination of the Estonians, the uprising of 1345 was crushed. The Danes, however, decided that they had enough and sold Estonia to the Livonian Order.
The first craft workshops and merchant guilds appeared in the 14th century, and many cities, such as Tallinn, Tartu, Viljandi and Pärnu, flourished as members of the Hanseatic League. St. John in Tartu with its terracotta sculptures is a testament to wealth and Western trade.
Estonians continued to practice pagan rituals at weddings, funerals and worshiped nature, although by the 15th century these rituals had become interconnected with Catholicism, and they received Christian names. In the 15th century, peasants lost their rights and by the beginning of the 16th became serfs.
Reformation
The reformation that arose in Germany reached Estonia in the 1520s along with Lutheran preachers of the first wave. By the middle of the 16th century, the church was reorganized, and monasteries and churches came under the patronage of the Lutheran church. In Tallinn, authorities closed the Dominican monastery (its impressive ruins have been preserved); Dominican and Cistercian monasteries were closed in Tartu.
Livonian war
In the 16th century, the greatest threat to Livonia (now northern Latvia and southern Estonia) was posed by the east. Ivan the Terrible, who proclaimed himself the first king in 1547, pursued a policy of expansion to the west. Russian troops led by the fierce Tatar cavalry in 1558 attacked in the Tartu area. The battles were very fierce, the invaders left death and destruction in their path. Poland, Denmark and Sweden joined Russia, and periodic military operations were carried out throughout the 17th century. A brief overview of the history of Estonia does not allow us to dwell on this period, but as a result, Sweden won.
The war placed a heavy burden on the local population. For two generations (from 1552 to 1629), half of the rural population died, about three-quarters of all farms were empty, diseases such as plague, crop failure, and the ensuing famine increased the number of victims. In addition to Tallinn, every castle and fortified center of the country was looted or destroyed, including Viljandi Castle, which was one of the strongest fortresses in Northern Europe. Some cities were completely destroyed.
Swedish period
After the war, the history of Estonia was marked by a period of peace and prosperity under the rule of Sweden. Cities, thanks to trade, grew and flourished, helping the economy quickly recover from the horrors of war. Under Swedish rule, Estonia united for the first time in history under a single ruler. By the middle of the 17th century, however, things began to deteriorate. The outbreak of the plague, and later the Great Famine (1695-97), claimed the lives of 80 thousand people - almost 20% of the population. Sweden soon faced a threat from the alliance of Poland, Denmark and Russia, seeking to return the lands lost in the Livonian War. The invasion began in 1700. After some successes, including the defeat of the Russian troops near Narva, the Swedes began to retreat. In 1708, Tartu was destroyed, and all survivors were sent to Russia. Tallinn surrendered in 1710, and Sweden was defeated.
Education
The history of Estonia as part of Russia began. This brought nothing good to the peasants. The war and plague of 1710 claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. Peter I abolished the Swedish reforms and destroyed any hope of freedom for the surviving serfs. Attitudes towards them will not change until the Enlightenment at the end of the 18th century. Catherine II restricted the privileges of the elite and carried out quasi-democratic reforms. But only in 1816 the peasants were finally freed from serfdom. They also received surnames, greater freedom of movement and limited access to self-government. By the second half of the 19th century, the rural population began to buy farms and earn income from crops such as potatoes and flax.
National awakening
The end of the 19th century marked the beginning of national awakening. Led by the new elite, the country moved towards statehood. The first Estonian-language newspaper, Perno Postimees, appeared in 1857. It was published by Johann Waldemar Jansen, one of the first to use the term “Estonians” rather than maarahvas (rural population). Another influential thinker was Karl Robert Jacobson, who fought for equal political rights for Estonians. He also founded the first national political newspaper, Sakala.
Insurrection
The end of the 19th century It was a period of industrialization, the emergence of large factories and an extensive railway network that connected Estonia with Russia. The difficult working conditions caused discontent, and the newly formed workers' parties led demonstrations and strikes. Events in Estonia repeated what was happening in Russia, and in January 1905 an armed uprising broke out. Tension increased until the fall of that year, when 20 thousand workers went on strike. The royal troops acted brutally, killing and injuring 200 people. Thousands of soldiers arrived from Russia to suppress the uprising. 600 Estonians were executed and hundreds sent to Siberia. Trade unions and progressive newspapers and organizations were closed, and political leaders fled the country.
More radical plans to populate Estonia with thousands of Russian peasants thanks to the First World War were never realized. The country paid a high price for participating in the war. 100 thousand people were called up, of which 10 thousand died. Many Estonians went to war because for the victory over Germany, Russia promised to grant the country statehood. Of course, it was a hoax. But by 1917, this was no longer the king’s decision. Nicholas II was forced to abdicate, and the Bolsheviks seized power. Russia was seized by chaos, and Estonia, seizing the initiative, on February 24, 1918 declared its independence.
War for independence
Estonia faced threats from Russia and the Baltic-German reactionaries. War broke out, the Red Army advanced rapidly, by January 1919 capturing half of the country. Estonia stubbornly defended itself, and with the help of British warships and Finnish, Danish and Swedish troops defeated its long-standing enemy. In December, Russia agreed to a truce, and on February 2, 1920, the Tartu Peace Treaty was signed, according to which it forever refused claims to the country. For the first time, a completely independent Estonia appeared on the world map.
The history of the state in this period is characterized by the rapid development of the economy. The country used its natural resources and attracted investments from abroad. The University of Tartu has become a university of Estonians, and the Estonian language has become a language of interethnic communication, creating new opportunities in the professional and academic fields. A huge book industry arose - between 1918 and 1940. 25 thousand titles of books were published.
However, the political sphere was not so rosy. Fear of the subversive activities of the Communists, such as the failed attempted coup of 1924, led to the leadership of the right. In 1934, the leader of the transitional government, Konstantin Päts, together with the Commander-in-Chief of the Estonian Army, Johan Laidoner, violated the Constitution and seized power under the pretext of protecting democracy from extremist groups.
Soviet invasion
The fate of the state was a foregone conclusion when Nazi Germany and the USSR entered into a secret pact of 1939, essentially transferring it to Stalin. Communist Party members organized a fictitious uprising and on behalf of the people demanded that Estonia be included in the USSR. President Päts, General Laidoner and other leaders were arrested and sent to Soviet camps. A puppet government was created, and on August 6, 1940, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR granted the “request” of Estonia for joining the USSR.
Deportations and World War II devastated the country. Tens of thousands were called up and sent to work and death in labor camps in northern Russia. Thousands of women and children shared their fate.
When Soviet troops fled under the onslaught of the enemy, Estonians welcomed the Germans as liberators. 55 thousand people joined the Wehrmacht self-defense units and battalions. However, Germany had no intention of granting Estonia statehood and regarded it as the occupied territory of the Soviet Union. Hopes collapsed after the execution of collaborators. 75 thousand people were shot (of which 5 thousand were ethnic Estonians). Thousands fled to Finland, and those who remained were drafted into the German army (about 40 thousand people).
In early 1944, Soviet troops bombed Tallinn, Narva, Tartu and other cities. The complete destruction of Narva was an act of revenge on the “Estonian traitors”.
German troops retreated in September 1944. Fearing the advance of the Red Army, many Estonians also fled, and about 70 thousand fell to the West. By the end of the war, every 10th Estonian lived abroad. In general, the country lost more than 280 thousand people: in addition to those who emigrated, 30 thousand were killed in battle, the rest were executed, sent to camps or destroyed in concentration camps.
Soviet era
After the war, the state was immediately annexed by the Soviet Union. The history of Estonia is overshadowed by the period of repression, thousands of tortured or sent to prisons and camps. 19,000 Estonians were executed. Farmers were brutally forced into collectivization, and thousands of migrants poured into the country from different regions of the USSR. Between 1939 and 1989 the percentage of indigenous Estonians decreased from 97 to 62%.
In response to repression in 1944, a guerrilla movement was organized. 14 thousand "forest brothers" armed themselves and went underground, working in small groups throughout the country. Unfortunately, their actions did not bring success, and by 1956 the armed resistance was virtually destroyed.
But the dissident movement was gaining momentum, and on the day of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Stalin-Hitler Pact, a large rally was held in Tallinn. Over the next few months, protests grew, Estonians demanded the restoration of statehood. Song festivals have become powerful means of struggle. The most massive of them took place in 1988, when 250 thousand Estonians gathered at the Singing Field in Tallinn. This has attracted great international attention to the situation in the Baltic states.
In November 1989, the Supreme Council of Estonia declared the events of 1940 an act of military aggression and declared them illegal. In 1990, free elections were held in the country. Despite Russia's attempts to prevent this, Estonia in 1991 regained its independence.
Modern Estonia: the history of the country (briefly)
In 1992, the first general elections were held in accordance with the new Constitution, with the participation of new political parties. The Pro Patria Alliance won by a slight margin. Its leader, 32-year-old historian Mart Laar, became prime minister. The newest history of Estonia as an independent state has begun. Laar began to transfer the state to the rails of a free market economy, introduced the Estonian kroon into circulation, and began negotiations on the complete withdrawal of Russian troops. The country breathed a sigh of relief when the last garrisons left the republic in 1994, leaving devastated land in the northeast, polluted groundwater around air bases, and nuclear waste at sea bases.
Estonia became a member of the EU on May 1, 2004, and since 2011 introduced the euro.