2. By Flag_of_Europe.svg: User:Verdy p, User:-xfi-, User:Paddu, User:Nightstallion, User:Funakoshi, User:Jeltz,
User:Dbenbenn, User:Zscout370 Estonia_stub.svg: PavelD derivative work: Fry1989 (talk) 22:14, 7 December 2010
(UTC) (Flag_of_Europe.svg Estonia_stub.svg) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Estonia today
3. Intro
Estonia as a former Soviet country has come a long way: it has joined the
European Union and NATO, is using Euro as national currency and is
continuously moving towards better living standards, more welfare and
freedom.
Our today’s politicians were mainly born in the sixties and today we want to
talk about how the “golden sixties” affected the views of the so-called
“Generation’68” in Estonia.
4. Photograph from the U. S. Department of State in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.
Nikita Khrushchev
5. By Albert Truuväärt (Riigikogu Kantselei / Chancellery of the Riigikogu) [CC-BY-
3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By Tiit Made (Tiit Made) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Ülo Vooglaid
Paul-Eerik Rummo
6. The “Thaw”
The “Khrushchev’s Thaw” refers to the period that started in 1956, when
Joseph Stalin’s successor Nikita Khrushchev denounced his legacy and
initiated a process of de-Stalinization, and the period ended in the early
1960s. During that period, repression and censorship in the Soviet Union
were reversed, the Soviet grip was somewhat loosened, and millions of
Soviet political prisoners were released from Gulag labor camps.
The “thaw” period, and the following years until 1968 are known as the
optimistic period when the Estonian culture, which had been dwindling since
the beginning of the Soviet times, started to recover naturally with
intellectuals and writers gaining more freedom of speech.Now we will point
out some things that happened in the “inertia of the thaw”.
8. By Rene Seeman (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0-ee (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ee/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons
9. Song Festival
In 1960, the 15th song festival took place in Tallinn, on the newly built stage.
Estonian legendary composer Gustav Ernesaks’s “My Fatherland is My Love”
had been taken off the festival’s programme but the choir initiated the
singing on their own. The Soviet guards tried to shut the singing down by
playing a Soviet march from all the loudspeakers but once everybody both
on the stage and in the audience were singing, it couldn’t be stopped.
It was a clear message from the people that they hadn’t forgotten their past
and their freedom.
10. New residential areas
By Guillaume Speurt from Vilnius, Lithuania (Soviet building in Mustamae Uploaded by
russavia) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia
By Dmitry G (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia
Commons
Mustamäe
12. New residential areas
Estonians gained new possibilities to improve their living standards as new
apartment buildings made out of prefabricated concrete elements were built
in Mustamäe and private houses in Merivälja. Both of them seemed as
symbols of new life, progress, light and hope of freedom.
In addition to the apartments, people were now allowed to own additional
land in the countryside, which was given to them free of charge.
14. Estonian Students’ Working Camp (1964)
The Estonian Students’ Working Camp that was founded in 1964 was
another chance for active young people to take part in social activities and
gain work experience.
15. The First Jazzfestival (1964)
Autor автор (NORRISS) [Public domain], Wikimedia Commonsi kaudu
16. First Jazzfestival (1964)
Also, in the same year, the first Jazz Festival was held in Tartu.
Jazz was a new rebellious type of music and totally controversial to the
Soviet “mainstream”.
18. Tallinn-Helsinki seaway opening (1965)
In 1965, Tallinn-Helsinki seaway, which was seen as a window to the West,
was finally opened. Its importance lays in the fact that it was almost the first
connection with the West.
20. Sovkhozes were allowed to self-economize
Starting from 1967 sovkhozes were allowed to self-economize.
This was another example of the Soviet Union’s loosening grip over the
member states.
21. Youth interest for Estonian culture and
history
Photo from private collection
22. Youth interest for Estonian culture and
history
During the sixties the youth was further developing its interest for Estonian
culture and history.
Moreover, poets and writers who made their debut in the sixties are known as
the “Cassette-Generation” as they published their works in thin notebooks
or so-called cassettes.
23. The Views of the Youth
kenfkj
by: Vdegroot. Tartu university - foto zelfgemaakt (VdG)
24. By Ave Maria Mõistlik (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By Ave Maria Mõistlik (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Marju Lauristin Sirje Endre
25. The Views of the Youth
In the second half of the 1960s Tartu University saw a certain communism-critical youth
society being formed and some of its leaders are still active in Estonia’s politics today.
Although the Soviet propaganda had had some victories in the past - like turning the youth
against religion and the United States - it hadn’t succeed on the large scale: the iron curtain
wasn’t thick enough and Estonian youth was aware of the outside world, they took interest
in their background, Estonian culture and history.
None of the young people actually believed in the Communist Party and took it as an
annoying obligatory “state religion”. Young Communist League was seen as a beneficial
starting point for active young Estonians giving them an opportunity to express themselves
and work their way up to a position where they could make a change - that’s also how
many of today’s Estonian politicians gained experience and developed a want to have
impact on the society.
The Communist Party concretely promised people free transport, free apartments, free
clothes and food, 6-hour working days and “pure happiness”. While a few still fell for that in
the beginning of the 60s, it was clear for everyone by the end of that decade that it was
pure bluff.
26. The End of the Optimistic Period
Photo from private collection
27. The End of the Optimistic Period
The quite optimistic period came to an end in 1968 when Prague Spring was
brutally ended by the invasion of the Soviet tanks, and the hope for
“socialism with a human face” disappeared.
Estonians felt empathy towards the Czechoslovakians and disapproved the
actions of the Soviet Union.
Just as it had been in favor of the Soviet Union when Che Guevara became a
“martyr” for the Soviet youth, the Prague Spring victims became “martyrs”
for the growing freedom-oriented youth.
Of course, after ending the Prague Spring, the Soviet leaders began to
eradicate any further signs of relaxation and “thaw”. The Soviet grip was
tightened again.
29. Conclusion
Estonian youth in comparison to some others was significantly calmer and
quite restrained. Only minor protests by university students took place and
dissidence was mainly dealing with nationalism and independence. The
protest also took form in writings.
Estonians’ calm nature might have been why Estonia was later spared from
repressions and why the singing revolution could happen 20 years later.
That generation hadn’t developed such sense of danger, which their parents
acquired from the Stalin reign, so they were much braver to protest than
their parents were.
![By Flag_of_Europe.svg: User:Verdy p, User:-xfi-, User:Paddu, User:Nightstallion, User:Funakoshi, User:Jeltz,
User:Dbenbenn, User:Zscout370 Estonia_stub.svg: PavelD derivative work: Fry1989 (talk) 22:14, 7 December 2010
(UTC) (Flag_of_Europe.svg Estonia_stub.svg) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Estonia today](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)