ESTONIA in the Catbird Seat - Jan.8, 2016 - Club Finndigo
By Joe Kirkish
Heikinpaiva 2016
What do we know, and should know, about that tiny country, one of three that border the Baltic Sea to the
West and Russia to the East, with friendly Finland directly across the Gulf of Finland to the North – that in
a world of unsettled nations has managed to grow and develop into one that not only holds its own politically, economically and technically, but did it all in a most sensational manner?
Here is a proud sissu-laden country that is developing rapidly into an advanced, high-income economy
with high living standards, and which has been described as one of the most technically wired countries in
all of Europe.
Some facts: Estonia is a democratic parliamentary republic divided into 15 counties; it's capital (and largest city) is Tallinn, on its northernmost border. Estonia is one of the least populous member states of the
European Union, noted as a Finnic people with a language closely related to both Finnish and Sami languages.
At various times in history, the country was ruled by Denmark, Germany, Sweden and – most recently became part of the Russian Empire in the 18th century. It experienced its first period of independence in
1918, following the end of WW1 and the collapse of the Russian Empire. But it never gained full independence until 1991 – and thereby hangs the remarkable tale to be found in the recently made documentary “The Singing Revolution.”
Though fiercely independent, the country underwent periods of both democratic and authoritarian rule, finally forcefully incorporated into Soviet Union in 1940, after a pact between Hitler and Stalin. German
troops occupied Estonia during the Second World War before being driven out by the Soviet army.
Since its 1991 independence, Estonia has politically and economically anchored itself firmly to the West,
joining the EU and Nato in 2004. Russia's recent intervention in the Ukrainian crisis has triggered some
nervousness, making the Estonian government fiercely critical of Russia's behavior and affirming its proNato stance in response to the Ukrainian events.
In a push to become a world leader in technology, it has become – get this! - one of the world's fastest
broadband networks, offering widespread free wireless internet, encouraging technology start-ups and putting government services online. What's more, Estonia was the first country to allow online voting in a
general election.
Culturally, and this is shown most vividly in the movie, the country has unique musical and dance traditions, including a long tradition of choral singing.
Estonia is a barely recognizable country that
has the ability to force astonished recognition
by proving itself the David to Russia's Goliath. See the movie to witness against all odds
the growth of this mighty, tiny nation as it finds
its niche where it happily belongs.