But we are also capable of coming out of the forest and standing together and being enthusiasts.” “We never believed in anyone’s propaganda. “A favorite Estonian proverb is, ‘My personal beliefs are my king,’ ” Kross said. Jan Kross, the patriarch of modern Estonian writers, said the Estonians’ ability to hold tight to their national identity and resist Soviet pressure is a result of their individualistic character: “Estonian peasants only feel comfortable if they cannot see each other’s houses-they feel better still when they are in the forest.”īecause of this individuality, Estonians who were peasants until this century resisted German, Swedish, Polish, Russian and finally Soviet influences. “He said, ‘Go forward to democracy!’ We said, ‘OK, let’s go!’ He said, ‘Go forward with glasnost !’ We said, ‘OK, let’s go!’ ” “We used all of Gorbachev’s slogans,” Arjakas recalled. And all three had centuries of ties with Western Europe. They each had experienced some span of independence before annexation. ![]() They were the last republics to be gobbled up by the Soviet Union. Gorbachev and of the quickly crumbling Soviet power. Kullo Arjakas, 31, a prominent historian and member of the Estonian Parliament, said the Baltic peoples have back their independence because they were in a special position to take advantage of reforms begun by Soviet President Mikhail S. Tears filled her eyes as her friend nodded in affirmation. “What? Is it true?” asked Aino Koppel, a hospital receptionist. “Have you heard that we are free now?” Eve Pajula, 55, a retired postal worker, asked her friend as she grasped her hand tightly. Not long after the news of the Kremlin’s concession reached Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, two old friends met by chance at a bakery near the school. ![]() “We feel like a person who has just emerged from a very long and very grave illness and is at last healthy enough to stand in the sun in a courtyard and smell the fresh air and listen to the birds,” Siimann said. ![]() On Friday, they became the undisputed victors in their fight for independence with the Kremlin’s recognition of their statehood. Tears welled in the eyes of those who remembered the days of freedom before the tanks of the Red Army roared into their country, bringing the rule of terror and fear. Their peaceful struggle started in 1988 when Estonians-then Lithuanians and then Latvians-bravely raised their long-banned national flags and marched through the cobblestoned streets of their historic cities.įirst at small demonstrations, then at large rallies, they proudly sang their long-silent national hymns. After five decades in the grips of the Kremlin, the Estonians and their Baltic neighbors, the Latvians and the Lithuanians, have freed themselves-through their resolve and the grace of history.
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