Estonian Declaration of Independence

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Document that declared the independent democratic Republic of Estonia in February 1918
As Estonia could not be securely established as a country in early 1918, the nationally minded Estonians decided to declare the Republic of Estonia by openly reading out the declaration of independence. On 18 February 1918 a committee was formed to write the text of the declaration: members of the Province Assembly Karl Ast, Jüri Jaakson,Juhan Kukk and Jüri Vilms. The main author was Juhan Kukk, helped by the head of the Assembly’s technical department, Ferdinand Peterson (Petersen). Members of the Assembly’s council of elders approved the declaration on 21 February. The full title of the document was Manifesto to All Peoples of Estonia, and it declared Estonia an independent democratic republic. The state administration was to be determined by the Estonian Constituent Assembly.

The manifest was first publicly read out by the member of the Province Assembly, Hugo Kuusner, on the evening of 23 February at 8 p.m. from the balcony of the Endla theatre in Pärnu. In the afternoon of 24 February it was read out in Viljandi (by the mayor Gustav Talts), at noon on 25 February in Tallinn (by the prime minister of the Provisional Government,Konstantin Päts) and in Paide (battalion commander of the 4th Estonian regiment, Jaan Maide). The manifesto was printed and distributed in Pärnu, Paide and Tallinn, the text was additionally published in the dailyPäevaleht on 25 February and in the paper Estonia published in St Petersburg on 26 February.

Estonia History

Thursday, May 30, 2013

 Historical Events

1217-09-21 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights.
1220-08-08 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula.
1582-01-15 - Russia cedes Livonia & Estonia to Poland, loses access to Baltic
1918-02-15 - Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania adopt Gregorian calendar
1918-02-24 - Estonia declares independence from Russia
1918-02-24 - Estonian Declaration of Independence.
1920-02-02 - Estonia declares its Independence from Russia (Dorpat Peace)
1920-02-02 - Tarto/Dorpat peace treaty: USSR recognizes Estonian independence
1920-02-24 - Peace treaty gives Estonia independence
1921-09-22 - Estonia & Lithuania admitted to League of Nations
1922-04-29 - 1st official Intl Weightlifting Federation Champ (Tallinn, Estonia)
1925-02-12 - Estonia forbids communist Party
1929-02-09 - USSR, Estonia, Latvia, Poland & Romania sign Litvinov Pact
1934-03-12 - Acting Pres Constantine Päts commits coup in Tallinn Estonia
1934-09-12 - Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania signs Baltic Entente, against USSR
1939-09-28 - Estonia accepts Soviet military bases
1940-06-17 - USSR occupies Estonia
1940-07-21 - Soviet Union annexes Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
1940-08-06 - Estonia is annexed into Soviet empire
1940-08-25 - Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia incorporated into Soviet Union
1941-06-14 - Estonia loses 11,000 inhabitants as a consequence of mass deportations into Siberia
1941-06-22 - Estonians starts armed resistance against Soviet occupation
1943-09-15 - Concentration Camp Vaivara in Estonia opens
1944-09-26 - Soviet forces occupy Estonia
1946-05-08 - The Estonian school girls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial that preceded the Bronze Soldier in Tallinn.
1988-09-11 - 1/3 of population argues for Estonia autonomy
1988-11-16 - Estonia declares sovereignty in internal affairs
1990-05-08 - Reindependence Day of Estonia
1990-12-01 - Lithuania, Estonia & Latvia hold their 1st joint session
1991-03-03 - Latvia & Estonia vote to become independent of the USSR
1991-08-20 - After the attempted coup in the Soviet Union, Estonia declares
1991-08-20 - Estonia declares it's independence from USSR itself independent
1991-09-02 - US officially recognizes independence of Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania
1991-09-06 - Soviet Union recognizes Estonian independence
1991-09-17 - UN admits Estonia, Latvia, Lithuiania, North & South Korea, Marshall Islands & Micronesia
1992-06-28 - The Constitution of Estonia is signed into law.
1994-08-31 - Last Russian soldiers leave Estonia & Latvia
1994-09-26 - Estonia government of Laar flees
1994-09-28 - 909 people died when an Estonian ferry capsized & sank in Baltic sea
1994-09-28 - Ferry boat Estonia capsize & sinks in East Sea, 909 killed
1995-03-05 - Estonia Centrumlinkse Coalition party wins parliamentary election
2002-11-21 - NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members.
2002-12-13 - Enlargement of the European Union: The European Union announces that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia will become members from May 1, 2004.
2003-09-14 - Estonia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
2004-03-29 - Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia join NATO as full members.
2004-05-01 - Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.
2004-06-28 - Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism
2006-05-09 - Estonia ratifies the European Constitution.
2007-03-04 - Estonian parliamentary election, 2007: Approximately 30,000 voters take advantage of electronic voting in Estonia, the world's first nationwide voting where part of the votecasting is allowed in the form of remote electronic voting via the Internet.
2007-04-27 - Estonian authorities remove the Bronze Soldier, a Soviet Red Army war memorial in Tallinn, amid political controversy with Russia.
2007-12-21 - The Schengen Agreement area increases to include 9 European Union member states; Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia on land and sea borders.