The Politics of History and the “War of Monuments” in Estonia

Abstract

After darkness fell over the provincial town of Lihula on 2 September 2004, youths pelted riot police with stones. Nothing like this had ever happened before in the peaceful and orderly small Baltic State of Estonia. The police were protecting a crane and its driver sent by the Ministry of the Interior to remove a monument honouring those Estonians who fought on the German side against the Red Army during the Second World War. In the evening of 26 April 2007 demonstrators in Tallinn pelted riot police with stones and went on a rampage of smashing windows and looting. The Estonian capital had never experienced anything like this. The police were protecting the site of a monument honouring Soviet soldiers who had fought against Nazi Germany. At night, when the rioting had ceased, a crane ordered by the Ministry of Defence removed the monument.

Identity and Integration of Russian Speakers in the Baltic States: A Framework for Analysis

“…Finally, they define identity integration as focusing on 'ethnic and national self-identifications. ' (2011: 78-79) 5 For detailed accounts see Brüggemann & Kasekamp (2008) and Smith (2008). 6 The wage gap in Estonia was 16% and 9% in Lithuania 7 For a debate on this issue see Hughes (2005b) and Muižnieks (2005).…”

Atminties politika Baltijos šalyse : dvi probleminės sritys

“…Pärnu mieste jau 2002 m. buvo pastatytas paminklas "Estijos kariams, kritusiems antrajame išsilaisvinimo kare dėl laisvos Europos 1940-1945 m.", o šią dedikaciją papuošė estų karys su vokiška uniforma ir pusiau automatiniu šaunamuoju ginklu "Mauser" 29 . Tokia simbolika sukėlė milžinišką kritiką, ir paminklas netrukus buvo pašalintas.…”

The meaning of “late socialism”: analyzing Estonians’ post-communist memory culture

“…One community-mainly, but not exclusively the Russian speaking community in Estonia-sees it as a victory, but for others the end of war marks a continuing occupation. Vivid examples of different understandings of the past in Estonia are the events around the "War of statues" in 2004-2007, including the relocation of the Soviet-era Bronze solider statue in Tallinn in 2007, with much disagreement between different Estonian communities (Brüggemann 2008;Brüggemann and Kasekamp 2008;Smith 2008;Lehti et al 2010). On the meaning of the Second World War in Estonian memory culture see Kõresaar 2007 and Kõresaar forthcoming.…”