Estonian nationalism refers to the ideological movement for attaining and maintaining identity, unity, freedom and independence on behalf of the Estonian people, having one Estonian homeland –

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, sharing the common

Estonian culture The culture of Estonia combines an indigenous heritage, represented by the country's Finnic languages, Finnic national language Estonian language, Estonian, with Nordic countries, Nordic and German culture, German cultural aspects. Over the cen ...

, as well as ancestral myths and memories, a common economy and common legal rights and duties for all members.

Emergence of Estonian national identity in the 19th century

Estonian nationalism emerged in the first half of the 19th century, in large part a result of the activities of the Estophile movement of the late 18th to early 19th century, when local Baltic German scholars, influenced by the European Enlightenment, began documenting and promoting the culture and the

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

of Estonian farmers. Early Estonian nationalism grew into a strong popular movement and a distinct Estonian national identity began to emerge in the mid-19th century as a result of the " Estonian national awakening" and the people's rapidly increasing access to Estonian-language newspapers, cultural activities and secondary education. A prominent figure in Estonian nationalism was Carl Robert Jakobson. During the late 19th century, Jakobson made significant financial contributions to the promotion of Estonian-language printed media and education. He was one of the main sponsors of the Estonian Alexander School.Jakobson, Carl Robert
/ref> Politically, however, Jakobson was often misunderstood as well as misrepresented by opponents and, whilst popular among the farmers, he could find only very limited support among other parts of the wider population of Estonia. Another prominent figure in the history of Estonian nationalism was the poet Lydia Koidula, who voiced the ideas for an independent and sovereign Estonia already in the 19th century. Her collection of poetry ''Emajõe ööbik'' became the country's second most widely printed book after the Bible, and in the beginning of 20th century almost every household in Estonia had a copy of it. She became a unique personified symbol of the Estonians' cultural revival and national awareness. The Estonian nationalist movement eventually, after the 1917 collapse of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, led to the

Estonian Declaration of Independence The Estonian Declaration of Independence, formally titled the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia (), is the founding document which established the independent democratic Estonia, Republic of Estonia in 1918. Issued during a period of intense p ...

and the foundation of the independent democratic Republic of Estonia in 1918. On February 24, 1918, the Republic of Estonia was proclaimed and secured its independence in the following

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...

of 1918-1920. In June 1940, Estonia was invaded and occupied by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, introducing a totalitarian state and a terror regime. With the outbreak of war between

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and the Soviet Union in 1941, many nationalists in Estonia thought they would have an opportunity to create an independent country once again, and collaborated with the German occupation administration and military units. However, the German treatment of the local population quickly put an end to this prospect. The " Forest Brethren" was a loose set of Estonian nationalist guerrilla units that first took up arms against the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

and the Soviet occupation authorities in 1941, and followed their armed resistance after the 1944 Soviet reconquest of Estonia. The Estonian anti-Soviet guerrillas were not exclusively ethnic Estonians, but included also Ingrians,

Latvians Latvians () are a Baltic ethnic group and nation native to Latvia and the immediate geographical region, the Baltics. They are occasionally also referred to as Letts, especially in older bibliography. Latvians share a common Latvian language ...

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

, and

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

s. For several years after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Estonian nationalist guerrilla fighters directed their military actions against the Soviet occupation authorities in Estonia. Many members of these nationalist units saw themselves as the armed wing of the Estonian people in its struggle for Estonian independence. Estonian Forest Brethren maintain a prominent and symbolic role in Estonian history and the quest for Estonian independence.Wilson, Andrew. ''Estonian Nationalism in the 1990s: A Minority Faith''. Cambridge University Press. London: 1997. 51. They have been deemed as illegal insurgents or terrorist groups by the former Soviet and current Russian

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

. Ideas of Estonia having a Nordic identity have been part of Estonian nationalist discourse.

Singing Revolution

From 1987, Estonian nationalism emerged in form of many spontaneous non-violent mass demonstrations that ultimately led Estonia to regain its full independence in August 1991. Similar events took place in Latvia and Lithuania.

Estonian nationalism in the 21st century

Currently, parties identifying strictly as nationalist are the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) and the Estonian Independence Party. One of the most significant expressions of Estonian nationalism is still the Estonian Song Festival, one of the largest amateur choral events in the world that is held every five years in July. After the 2019 Estonian parliamentary election the ethnic-nationalist party EKRE entered into a coalition government for the first time.

Emergence of Estonian national identity in the 19th century

Singing Revolution

Estonian nationalism in the 21st century

See also

References

Further reading