La Influenca De Russia En Estonia

Influence of Russian Occupation on Estonian Education
Introduction:
The Russian occupation of Estonia was not a pretty thing. It was a long tedious process that developed a people that abhor the thought of anything Russian. The Estonian’s experienced reform in almost every aspect of their social lives from economical to educational. This period of Russification claimed the lives of abouta fifth of the population due to reduced standard of living, decreased economic power, and the brutalities of war. It was a grim period that caused the Estonians much pain and suffering. Yet there might have been a diamond in the rough, maybe not a diamond, but some kind of moderately valuable gemstone. Russian reform on Estonian education would be that gemstone. Estonian education was subject totwo phases of Russian reform: the first was the Korenizatsiya, the putting down roots phase, this was the Russian endorsement of nativism where they encouraged speaking and teaching in native tongues. During this phase textbooks were published in 104 languages. Education flourished during this time and literacy levels were increasing across the Soviet Union. The second phase the Russiansimplemented was in the late 1930’s where Russian became the primary teaching language, this may not seem very progressive, in fact it might even be seen as a step back, but there were some benefits to the action. During Soviet occupation there was an increase in educational accessibility, an increase in number of degrees acquired, and an increase in Estonian literary publications. Estonia despite beingsubject to rough and abrupt periods of Russification in the end benefited from Russian educational reform.

History:
Like its neighbor Latvia, Estonia was the subject of repeated invasion and conflict. From 1558 to 1710 it was under Swedish rule, after the Great Northern War Estonia then experienced a time of peace from 1710 to 1850. A feudal system was in place that was overseen by Germannobility and upper class. It was during this time that Estonia established relationships with the Russian Empire and Livonia. Starting 1850 the fear of Germans becoming the majority in the Baltic region was too much for the Czar to handle so; Russian Alexander III started taking initiative to Russify Estonia and Lithuania. In 1877 a drastic Russian reform took place. This period of Russification wasvery forceful and shifted the Estonian people from German landlords to the harsh Russian regime. Intense Russification penetrated every aspect of Estonian life. By the end of the 19th century, the entire Estonian and German-language educational system, from primary schools to the University of Tartu, were taught in Russian. Throughout this ordeal Estonians bolstered a newfound nationalism andsuccessfully rejected the heavy Russification. In 1920 after the war of Estonian independence the Soviet Union recognized Estonia as an independent state. Unfortunately Estonian independence was not very prosperous. The time after the First World War, Estonia suffered from Great Depression. This is due to the worldwide economic crisis of 1929. The Estonians nonetheless remained a sovereign nation untilthe time leading up to World War II. In April of 1940 in response to Germany’s invasion of Norway and Denmark, Russia presented the three Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with ultimatums. The ultimatums were to allow the Red Army into the countries and to install Pro-Soviet governments. Reluctantly, and because of a blockade set up around the northern coast of Estonia, the countriesaccepted the ultimatum. Thus ended the short-lived Estonian independence and thus began another era of intense Russification. The educated classes established during the independence either fled to the west or were deported/murdered by Stalin’s repression. My research focused around the period after World War II of Estonian history where I believe the lasting influences of Russian educational...