Line #6 UsefulNotes/Estonia


1	[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/En-map.png]]
2
3	-> ''"There are those of us who want to be Europeans without being Estonians. And regrettably, there are those who want to be Estonians without being Europeans. The former condemn us to a blind future, and the latter condemn us to a situation without a future."''
4	-->--'''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennart_Meri Lennart Meri]]''', former President of Estonia
5
6	Estonia ('''Estonian:''' ''Eesti''), officially known as the '''Republic of Estonia''' ('''Estonian:''' ''Eesti Vabariik''), is a Northern European country and the northernmost of the three Baltic states, which were the first to break away from the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]]. The Estonian language is a Finno-Ugric language, closely related to Finnish, more distantly related to Sami (Laplandic) and Hungarian, and not related to any major European languages.
7
8	Among its various historical and cultural connections, Estonia feels itself to be more Nordic than anything else, and has joined UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion, contributing troops to the Nordic Battle Group and stating a desire to join the Nordic Council.
9
10	After being conquered in the 13th century, Estonia had been ruled by [[UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} Danes]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} Germans]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Swedes]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Russians]] throughout history before finally declaring its independence from the ashes of the Russian Empire in 1918. It wasn't to last - the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] occupied the Baltic states in 1940. When the [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Germans]] rolled into town a year later, the Estonians initially greeted them as liberators, before realizing that the Nazis were no better than the Soviets.
11
12	(For what it's worth, the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates and the UsefulNotes/EuropeanUnion never recognized the annexation. Estonia sees itself today as the same state that became independent in 1918.)
13
14	In 1991, Estonia regained independence, and had been building up to this during the Glasnost/Perestroika era with a campaign of... [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_Revolution singing]]. Estonia has always had a strong FolkMusic tradition, and protests expressed themselves universally in song.
15
16	Estonia is a land of forests, lakes and islands much like Finland, with several species that have largely disappeared from Europe still surviving, although there are some issues with the occupation-era legacy of environmental pollution. It has been in many ways the success story of the former Soviet countries in terms of economic growth and westernization. It is one of the world's fastest growing economies and has recently become known for [[EverythingIsOnline widespread online services]] and for several innovative developments, like Skype.
17
18	Tallinn, the capital city, has an UNESCO protected Old Town that looks like somewhere out of a spy film. If Prague ever gets inconvenient for filmmakers, Tallinn (also popular for bachelor parties and booze cruises from Helsinki) is a good alternative.
19
20	[[folder:A brief summary of history]]
21	Estonians are one of the several Finnic tribes that settled in northeastern Europe. Their earliest ancestors have been living in the region since the last Ice Age, later mixing with the Finno-Ugric arrivals from the east. By the 11th century, the Estonian land was made up of loosely related "counties" (an unified state hadn't been formed yet) and [[UsefulNotes/TheVikingAge Vikings]] from the islands were occasionally raiding neighboring areas. In the 13th century, the [[UsefulNotes/TheCrusades Northern Crusades]] with the goal to Christianize Europe's last pagans in the Baltics led to Estonia, after a long resistance, being taken over by the [[UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} Germans]] and the [[UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} Danes]] (the latter ended up selling their part to the Germans and bailing due to an near-successful uprising in 1343). The Livonian Order, a branch of UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights, created the "Order State" on Estonian and UsefulNotes/{{Latvia}}n territory (collectively known as Livonia) that lasted for the rest of TheMiddleAges, during which Tallinn developed into an important trading hub as part of the UsefulNotes/HanseaticLeague.
22
23	After UsefulNotes/TheProtestantReformation, the Order fell and Estonia found itself as part of UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} as a result of the Livonian War in 1561 (with southern Estonia briefly controlled by the UsefulNotes/PolishLithuanianCommonwealth). This period is remembered for advances in education (like the founding of Estonia's oldest university in Tartu) and for common people getting more rights. In UsefulNotes/TheGreatNorthernWar, Sweden lost its Baltic territory, including Estonia, to the [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia Russian Empire]]. Under both Swedish and Russian rule, the German nobility managed to keep most of its privileges, although serfdom ended decades earlier in the Baltic region than in most of the Russian Empire.
24
25	By the 19th century, [[UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment Enlightenment]] ideas, as well as educated Baltic Germans' interest in Estonian cultural heritage, gave way to the "national awakening". Events like a movement for Estonian-language education, publication of the epic ''{{Literature/Kalevipoeg}}'' and the first Song Festival developed the Estonian national identity and eventually led to a demand for an independent state. Hot on the heels of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and UsefulNotes/TheRussianRevolution, elections for a provisional government and the following declaration of independence on February 24, 1918 resulted in Estonians fighting - and winning - the War of Independence, with a peace treaty signed with Russia in 1920.
26
27	The new Estonian state became a democratic parliamentary republic, occasionally struggling at first. One of the first in several changes and reforms was the distribution of the estates of the former nobility among the peasants (and the war veterans). There was a communist [[TheCoup coup attempt]] in 1924 that was foiled.
28
29	Like in several other European countries, an authoritarian presidential government, although this one was supposedly more balanced and moderate[[note]]There are varying accounts about this period; it's likely remembered somewhat more positively because the country was still independent and in comparison with the Stalinism and war that followed[[/note]], took power in the [[TheThirties 1930s]], mainly as a preemptive move against the threat of the nationalist Vaps movement.
30
31	Before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII broke out, the non-aggression pact between UsefulNotes/NaziGermany and the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] included Estonia in the Soviet "sphere of influence" and so the USSR threatened Estonians with war if they're not permitted to set up military bases in Estonia. The government, wanting to avoid casualties, was forced to agree. A transfer of troops into the country and a rigged election later, the Soviet-approved puppet government "requested" that Estonia be admitted into the USSR.
32
33	When the Nazis reached Estonia, some people hoped that the country would be freed with their arrival. Instead, it was made part of the "Ostland" province for the next couple of years. The remaining Baltic Germans were evacuated to Germany and UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust was carried out, with most of the Estonian Jewish population, who had enjoyed cultural autonomy in the independence period, either fleeing the country or killed. The cities of Tallinn and Narva were also seriously damaged by bombing during the war. After the Germans started retreating, Estonians made yet another attempt at restoring independence, but the country was annexed by the Soviet Union again.
34
35	During the Stalinist era, masses of Estonians were deported to Siberia and a [[LaResistance guerrilla movement]] called the "Forest Brothers" attempted to fight back against the Soviets. Things somewhat normalized after UsefulNotes/NikitaKhrushchev came to power; Estonia's first TV channel, ETV, started broadcasting in 1955 and both Tallinn and other regions saw quite a bit of development. On the other hand, the Moscow-endorsed immigration of a number of mostly Russian-speaking people from other Soviet states to Estonia (both as a workforce and due to the "Sovietization" policy) also took place. During the 1980 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames, the sailing events were held in Tallinn - the Estonians deliberately bid for this, partly as a chance to call more international attention to the occupation.
36
37	UsefulNotes/MikhailGorbachev's attempts to reform the Soviet Union and the resulting freedoms (with [[UsefulNotes/HoleInFlag similar developments in other satellite and occupied states]]) fueled a wave of pro-independence protests, ranging from spontaneous singing festivals to a human chain of 2 million people - the Baltic Way - through all three Baltic states. In 1990 free parliamentary elections were held and in 1991 a referendum showed strong support for restoring independence, which was made official on August 20 simultaneously with the hardliner coup against Gorbachev. Since the annexation was always considered illegal, it was seen as re-establishing the pre-war Estonian state.
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39	Being free again, the [[TheNineties 1990s]] were a period of rapid modernizing and making up for lost time while reclaiming Estonia's place in Europe. It opened talks with UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion and UsefulNotes/{{NATO}} and joined both in 2004, as well as the Eurozone in 2011. After a long period of economic growth, Estonia more or less got through the Great Recession and has carved itself a niche as a "wired" and tech-savvy country.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Random trivia]]
43	* The other larger cities besides Tallinn are Tartu, the "intellectual center" of the country, Narva, a city on the river bordering Russia, and Pärnu, a beach resort in the southwest.
44	* Estonian symbols include the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornflower cornflower]], the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_swallow barn swallow]] and the Tall Hermann (a tower of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toompea_Castle Toompea Castle]]) flying the national flag.
45	* Estonia doesn't really seem to have a "national" sport (with the possible exception of cross-country skiing or rallying), instead there are periods when one or two athletes' success makes whatever discipline they're competing in popular (even [[Main/SumoWrestling Sumo]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruto_Kaito wrestling]]!).
46	* It is one of the least religious countries in the world, along with the Czech Republic.
47	* ''WesternAnimation/LotteFromGadgetville'' is a popular cartoon character from several movies who's well on her way on becoming the Estonian equivalent of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'' or ''Franchise/MickeyMouse'' with the amount of [[TheMerch merchandise]] (and a theme park) involving her.
48	* Estonian historic currency, before adopting the euro, was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_kroon kroon]].
49	* The largest island in Estonia, Saaremaa, was hit by a meteorite several thousand years ago leaving a set of craters and possibly inspiring several myths.
50	* Estonia won the Series/EurovisionSongContest in 2001 (hosting the next one in 2002), setting off a wave of "new" countries winning.
51	* Despite being similar to countries like Switzerland or the Netherlands by area, Estonia is much smaller by population, with about 1.3 million people. [[/folder]]
52
53	'''Estonia and Estonians in media'''
54	* See EstonianMedia.
55	* Piotr Skut in ''[[ComicBook/{{Tintin}} The Adventures of Tintin]]''. (His name, however, is not well researched and initially merely serves as a pun vehicle for "Scoot".)
56	* Also, [[spoiler: Leena Klammer aka Esther Coleman]] from ''Film/{{Orphan}}''.
57	* [[{{Meganekko}} Eduard]] [[UnclePennybags Von Bock]] is the MoeAnthropomorphism of Estonia in ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers''. He's better known for his [[SayMyName "LATVIAAAAAAAA!"]] scream, his BadlyBatteredBabysitter antics with [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter the Mochis]] and some epic HollywoodHacking.
58	* Estonia from ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld'', primarily known for [[IJustWantToBeSpecial desperately wanting to be Scandinavian.]]
59	* ''Film/{{Tangerines}}'', Estonia's first UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination, about two Estonian tangerine farmers caught in the middle of the Abkhazian War in early 1990's Georgia.
60	* General Vladimir, a former Soviet general who appears in the 1979 ''Literature/SmileysPeople''; he and his organisation is depicted as no-hopers... eleven years before the country became independent.
61	* ''Film/TheFencer'', a joint Finnish/German/Estonian production, is set in a rural Estonian village during the time of the USSR in the aftermath of World War II.
62	* Episode 4 of ''Series/SEALTeam'' has the overseas half of the episode go to Tallinn to snatch a Serbian war criminal-turned ArmsDealer before he can finalize a deal with a Chechen terrorist.
63	* Grimm's third side mission in ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Blacklist'' takes place in a Hacker Den in Pihtla.
64	* The ProfessionalWrestling promotion Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} had Wrestling/{{The Estonian Thunderfrog}}, essentially ComicBook/TheMightyThor as a frog. From Estonia. He teamed with The UsefulNotes/{{Latvia}}n Proud Oak and The UsefulNotes/{{Lithuania}}n Snow Troll as The Baltic Siege in the CHIKARA-affiliated Wrestling Is... promotions and CHIKARA itself from 2013-2014. In 2016, he won the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pa/e/chikara/chikara-yl.html CHIKARA Young Lions Cup]] and held it the whole year.[[note]]The title is vacated at the start of every year for the annual tournament.[[/note]]
65	* {{Music/Alan Walker}}'s 2016 music video ''Faded'' is filmed in various abandoned locations in Estonia.
66	* Creator/ChristopherNolan's ''Film/{{TENET}}'' is the first major Hollywood film to be shot partially in Estonia, being set partially in Tallin as well as [[CaliforniaDoubling doubling]] for Ukraine.
67	* In ''VideoGame/GirlsFrontline'', Operation "Shattered Connexion" takes place in the ruins of Tallinn, Estonia.
68	* The AmbiguouslyGay Estonians from Literature/OneDayInTheLifeOfIvanDenisovich.
69	* KITE of ''Anime/JapanSinks''.
70	----
71	'''Associated tropes'''
72	* [[BritainIsOnlyLondon Estonia Is Only Tallinn]]: A third of Estonia's population lives in the Tallinn metropolitan area, so it's expected.
73	* MyGodYouAreSerious: The reaction of most people when they learn that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_Revolution The Singing Revolution]] was exactly that. It was the [[VelvetRevolution cutest revolution]] imaginable, succeeding without a shot being fired, and aided by the [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality suspicious convenience]] of the Soviet Putsch collapsing within hours of Estonia declaring independence.
74	* PleaseSelectNewCityName: Most cities have historical German (and occasionally Russian) names, with Tallinn being known as Reval for most of its existence (which, confusingly enough, is derived from the Estonian name Rävala, the historical region where it's located). Similarly, the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa are also known by the Scandinavian names Ösel and Dagö.
75	----
76	[[AC:The Estonian flag]]
77	https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/estonia_flag_3051.png
78	->Various interpretations had been attributed to the flag's colors, of which one of the most popular is that by poet [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Lipp Martin Lipp]]: blue symbolizes the skies; black both the soil and Estonia's troubled history; and white purity and commitment.
79	----
80	[[AC:The Estonian national anthem]]
81
82	->Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm,
83	->kui kaunis oled sa!
84	->Ei leia mina iial teal
85	->see suure, laia ilma peal,
86	->mis mul nii armas oleks ka,
87	->kui sa, mu isamaa!
88
89	->Sa oled mind ju sünnitand
90	->ja üles kasvatand;
91	->sind tänan mina alati
92	->ja jään sull' truuiks surmani,
93	->mul kõige armsam oled sa,
94	->mu kallis isamaa!
95
96	->Su üle Jumal valvaku
97	->mu armas isamaa!
98	->Ta olgu sinu kaitseja
99	->ja võtku rohkest õnnista,
100	->mis iial ette võtad sa,
101	->mu kallis isamaa!
102
103	--
104
105	->My fatherland, my happiness and joy,
106	->How beautiful you are!
107	->I shall not find such ever
108	->In this huge wide world
109	->Which would be so dear to me
110	->As you, my fatherland!
111
112	->You have given me birth
113	->And raised me up;
114	->I shall thank you always
115	->And remain faithful to you 'til death,
116	->To me most beloved are you,
117	->My precious fatherland!
118
119	->May God watch over you,
120	->My precious fatherland!
121	->Let Him be your defender
122	->And provide bountiful blessings
123	->For whatever you undertake,
124	->My precious fatherland!
125	----
126	[[AC:Government]]
127	* Unitary parliamentary republic
128	** President: Alar Karis
129	** Prime Minister: Kaja Kallas
130	----
131	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
132	* '''Capital and largest city:''' Tallinn
133	* '''Population:''' 1,329,460
134	* '''Area:''' 45,339 km² (17,505 sq mi) (129th)
135	* '''Currency''': Euro (€) (EUR)
136	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' EE
137	* '''Country calling code:''' 372
138	* '''Highest point:''' Suur Munamägi (318 m/1,043 ft) (183rd)

Context UsefulNotes / Estonia