Estonia: A Modern History

by Neil Taylor

With only 1.3 million inhabitants, Estonia is one of Europe’s least populous nations—yet it boasts one of the continent’s fastest growing economies. In the first serious English-language history of this small Baltic state, Neil Taylor charts Estonia’s long, arduous journey to its present-day prosperity, through a thousand years of occupation by Danes, Swedes, Germans and Russians.

In the wake of the First World War, out of the heat of a national awakening and the collapse of the Russian and German empires, Estonia was recognised as an independent nation in 1920. This was not to last—the country was tossed between the Soviets and Nazis during the Second World War, then fully integrated into the USSR, bringing on more than half a century of renewed occupation and misery. But hopes of true independence never dimmed and, in 1991, the Republic of Estonia was restored.

This unflinching history includes charming moments of colour and levity, from ambassadorial reports on nude bathing and a presidential press conference deliberately held beside a dirty toilet, to the story of a blind pianist, the first foreigner allowed to visit the city of Tartu in the Soviet era.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, European History

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2018

Reviews

[Tina Tamman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should every country have its history written down in a book? If you were asked, I assume your answer would be yes. Maybe you would be even puzzled by the question because there is a wealth of history books in libraries and shops. Every country would surely have more than one history book, you might protest. However, we live in a globalised world and the language of the world these days is English. The question gets more interesting if you think whether there is an English-language history of every country in print. Estonia is one of those of which there was no up-to-date book in English until this publication. It is of course a titchy country (population 1.3 million) and there have been books published on all three Baltic states in English.
In them Estonia gets its fair share, but Neil Taylor has shown that Estonia on its own fills 255 pages as easily, with justification. He has done a very good job of it, included references to music and art. Not a historian himself, he has taken around enough tourists to know what their interests are and how to weave various historical strands into a fabric that is anything but dull, with just about enough anecdote or unexpected parallel thrown in.
I know Estonia very well, was born and raised there, and yet I found the book a fascinating read and made a number of discoveries as I went along. It's a book to stimulate thought as it is very sympathetic to such a small country. Mostly it is big countries in the news. Much recommended if you are interested in history or in Russia or plan a visit to Estonia.

[Rasmus Tillander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämä kirja oli itselleni oppimisen hyökyaalto.

Ja se oli sitä melkeimpä nöyryyttävällä tavalla. Miten en tienyt käytännössä mitään Viron historiasta, vaikka kyseessä on maa jossa olen käynyt varmaan parikymmentä kertaa* ja joka on lähempänä täältä kuin Turku tai Tampere?

Siis hallitsiko Viron aluetta 700 vuotta saksalaiset aateliset? Ja että sosialismi ei siellä kiinnostellut kun näiden maat itsenäistymisen jälkeen jaettiin talonpojille? Ja ainoa kommunistikapinallinen joutui piilottelemaan vuosia saarenmaalaisen kirkon uruissa? Ja että Viron "Mainilan laukaukset" olivat puolainen sukellusvene Tallinnan satamassa?

Tämän historiikin pohjalta tuntuu, että ymmärtää ylipäänsä paremmin sitä miksi Viro on nykyään sellainen kuin se on. Toisaalta taas tämä tarjoaa hyvän peilin Suomen historiaan (ja päiväristeilyiden merkitykseen).

Tietokirjana tämä on vähän poukkoileva ja keskittyy vahvasti niin sanottuun suurmieshistoriaan, paljon sotilaita, poliitikkoja ja taiteilijoita. Mutta voin antaa tämän anteeksi, koska kirja on tarkoituksella tiivis - tapahtumia tauotaan eteenpäin häkellyttävällä tahdilla. Lukukokemuksena tämä oli aidosti koukuttava, oli pakko saada tietää mitä seuraavaksi tapahtui. Tästä on hyvä jatkaa.



*Kuten suomalaisturistit neuvostovallan aikana, en kyllä koskaan ole päässyt Tallinnan ulkopuolelle. Mutta tämän luettuani on kyllä palo päästä käymään Tartossa, Saarenmaalla, Pärnussa, Narvassa...

[Hanna Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recomend this book to everyone who wants to get a broader overview of Estonian History.

This book focuses more to the 20.-21. century. But there are some notes from the earlier period.

[Alex Wellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long overdue history of Estonia published in time to help celebrate the nation's 100th anniversary of independence (and if you are wondering how that is possible, give this a read). Neil Taylor does an excellent job giving a clear and critical, in the positive sense, overview Estonia's history, with just enough anecdotes thrown in for good measure. I particularly enjoyed the care given to the period of the 1980s and 1990s and taking the time to explain not just what happened then, but why and by whom.

[Marius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Includes all the right things at exactly the correct length, with the right amount of historical detail and the "human aspect". It's one of those non-fiction books that makes you want to meet the author to hear them bang on about Estonia for a couple of hours and share all those stories that did not make the cut.

[Scott Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely companion on my recent trip to Tallinn

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

After studying Finland for so many years, I thought I knew a thing or two about its close neighbor Estonia. Turns out that's all I knew: a thing or two. Taylor's book fills in all the large gaps, and I finished it wanting to learn even more about this remarkable country -- and cursing myself for not making the short trip across the Baltic when in Helsinki a few years ago. Taylor, who has spent decades in the travel business in Estonia, is understandably stronger on post-USSR Estonia. But he manages to do a fine job of tying Estonia's past to today's country. I would have liked a couple more maps; I found myself reaching for the atlas more often than should have been necessary. That quibble aside, this is THE book to learn about Estonia, past and present.

[Andrew West · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not really a history, it's a hagiography. e.g. on Päts taking dictatorial powers - "which have to be described as benign in comparison with" Nazi Germany & the USSR.

It's extremely light on detail of WHY Yeltsin, Gorbachov, or Stalin were doing what they did. And it's similarly light on anything pre-WW1, e.g. the Hanseatic League is mentioned once in passing.

I enjoyed this the first time round, so I took the new edition as an opportunity to re-read. Obviously I was disappointed - I guess I've read too many good history books since.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable, the title sounds like a dry textbook but instead it was delightfully chatty. I only wish that it had been longer and deeper, and perhaps provided more context - it assumes quite a bit of familiarity with global politics, some of which isn't attainable with a trip to Wikipedia.

[Kaupo Rebane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alati on tore teada, kuidas teised meid näevad.
Miks üldse peaks üks välismaalane kirjutama Eesti ajaloost? Vastuse leiame juba eessõnast: ta on abielus ühega siit. Taustauuringud mul väga viljaka ei kandnud, nii palju sain selgeks, et ega ta ajaloolane pole.
Suur hulk materjali on läbi töötatud ja jutt jookseb, nii et patt oleks viriseda. Eks mõned mulle olulised asjaolud on välja jäänud ja mõnda seika tean ise või esivanemate juttude põhjal teistmoodi, aga midagi uut sain siit-sealt ka teada. Mingilt maalt alates ma loobusin mõtisklemast, kui õiged või tõendatud erinevates sündmustes osalenud inimeste arvu kohta esitatud numbrid võiksid olla, suurt pilti see ju ei muuda. Igavamad olid pikad lõigud sellest, mida mingi Briti või USA poliitik parasjagu ütles või tegemata jättis, aga ega ma kõige sihtgrupp saagi olla.
Natuke häirib hüplikus: kirjeldadedes mingit perioodi jõutakse konkreetse inimeseni ja siis räägitakse sekka ka tema hilisemast elust, ja pärast uuesti. Üldse on fookus üksikisikutel, mitte üldisel. Autor sai kasutada materjale ainult nendes keeltes, mida ta oskab, seega ei maksa pahaks panna, kui näiteks Meri mälestused liigselt domineerima kipuvad.
Fakt on see, et inglise keelt oskavaid inimesi on tuhat korda rohkem kui eestlasi ja nüüd on neil igatahes võmalus, kui huvitab, mingi pilt saada.

[William Edmund Wilkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding treatment of Estonia since 1918. There is a fine intro chapter on early Estonia to orient the reader. Estonia has an important story to tell. How Estonia got its independence at the end of World War One; how they were caught between the Soviets and the Nazis; how they lived under the USSR; how they regained their independence after perestroika. The chapter on the opening years of the new, free Estonia takes the story to COVID.
A well-written book that is perfect for any visitor to Estonia. Cultural parts will help any visitor understand the importance of the different cities and regions. This book is all the more important with the Russian war against Ukraine. (PS: Visit Estonia! I had a fine few days.)

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as Estonian histories go, this is the best one available in the English language, and covers Estonian history all the way to the countries' centennial in 2018. It is focused primarily on Estonia's tumultuous 20th century.
The writing style is very readable (I was able to finish the entire book in about four hours), and although I like to think of myself as well informed on the history and culture of the nation, it had a lot of nuggets that I hadn't known about, and made clear connections between the historical players that were obscure on a first pass.
This would be the perfect book for a non-Estonian trying to learn about this particular nation.

[Matthijs Hoek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great comprehensive overview of Estonian history. While reading it I learned a lot about Estonian history, the Baltic Germans, the Interbellum period in Estonia and the WW2 period. As a Dutch person, it was interesting to read how the Estonian WW2 experience was very different from ours, especially when it concerns the role of the Germans.

Sometimes I got confused by the many names in the book and lost the bigger picture when the author went into specific details or characters which only played a minor role. As someone who is more interested in the bigger picture, this work could sometimes be a bit tedious. But overall a great source for anyone interested in Estonian history!

[Vinci · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to Estonia’s modern history focusing mostly on German and Soviet occupations. It carries what I feel is a well-balanced perspective that doesn’t colour people and events as solely black and white. It does cast a very rosy glow on Estonians—unsurprisingly, as the author (like myself) are probably biased!

I’m not a huge fan of Taylor’s writing style, but I’m very thankful for this overview of Estonian history in English.

[Margit · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book for me, a person who knows a thing or two about Estonian history (well, the basics learned at school plus the general knowledge one acquires by just living in Estonia and being in Estonian culture-sphere). But perhaps for someone who does not have any previous knowledge, some names and references might remain unclear. As a Brit, Neil Taylor has paid especial attention to the relations between Estonia and United Kingdom, which is good, since other authors from other backgrounds focus on other aspects. Estonia-UK relations were and and are good. I read this book in Estonian.

[Kai Cardinal Von Widder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clear and structured statement about the Estonia history. Coming with a lot of facts and details not only in regards to the younger history. A very positive perspective concerning the near future,

[Ramiro Breitbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable and informative history of Estonia. Lots of unkown (to me) information, but could be more precise on certain points. In any case, a great read for those interested in the baltic country

[EDWARD H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read

As a visitor it revealed so much about Estonia and estonians' past. Mentions of other great reads in the notes.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes the style was too colloquial for a serious history, and some things were repeated.

[Gabor Hernadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short history of Estonia in the XX century. A good summary for those who interested in the northmost Baltic country.

[Michael Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear positive tale of Estonian national history, highlighting the resurrection of this tiny nation from brutal Soviet tyranny.

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Factual

[Thomas Luckadoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-Sourced Overview

This well-researched book provides an important overview of the compelling history of Estonia. The long and ultimately successful struggle for freedom provides an interesting subject for the author, but at times you can tell that he wishes he could write a book twice its length. Don’t skip the footnotes, as they often provide references to other books and articles that go more in-depth on many of the events.

[Vincent Veerbeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)

[Spinach Pizza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book five stars for the subject matter, but unfortunately the quality of the writing brought the score down. I did greatly enjoy the book, though, as I found myself captivated by the story of the Estonian people. I learned a lot, and I consider myself fortunate to have found this book as there is such a dearth of English language Estonian histories. I admire the Estonians’ fortitude and persistence in maintaining their cultural identity and language despite centuries of rule (often quite oppressive) from the outside. How could anyone read this story and not be rooting for them? I feel that I now have a much greater understanding of the way Estonians view themselves and their place in the region, and in the world at large.

All that said, the writing itself often distracted me, and not in a good way. There were lengthy streams of anecdotes, frequently related in a breathless, gossipy tone. To be fair, sometimes the anecdotes were funny and/or would provide a welcome human element to the book, but most of the time (for me anyway) they came across as unduly chatty. I realize that Taylor is not a professional historian, but I do recognize that he does have a great fund of knowledge about Estonia - particularly its political history. I think I am normally tolerant when confronted with subpar writing but when it becomes distracting it detracts from the overall experience.

Bottom line: I am very glad I read this book. And I do thank Taylor for putting out a current English language history of Estonia. I am really impressed by Estonia’s success in moving so quickly and effectively from the Soviet system to the modern state it is today.