Introduction to Estonia – Part 7

Government, Politics and the Economy

Estonia' s history has given it little preparation for good government. However, the country has managed to move from a one-party state under the Soviet system to a true multiple party democratic system. This has happened with remarkable ease and a notable absence of violence. Especially considering the tense period of the collapse of the USSR and the withdrawal of Red Army troops from their Estonian bases. Until the arrival of the Crusader Knights of the Sword in the 13th century, Estonia seems to have been a loose federation of clans and tribes which co­ existed in relative harmony.

Baltic Barons

The Middle Ages saw the imposition of the hegemony of German nobles, bishops and archbishops, who controlled vast land holdings. The people became serfs who were slaves in all but name. While the country changed hands between the great powers of northern Europe, these aristocrats remained in control until the 20th century, when the Estonian people first began to demand more freedom.

War and Revolution

The Baltic German barons met their nemesis with the First World War and the Russian Revolution, which gave Estonia its first brief taste of national freedom. Independence, however, did not bring democracy, with Estonia, like its Baltic neighbours, falling under the control of a ' strong-man' dictator, Konstantin Pats, and the suspension of democratic government.

The Soviet Era

None of this gave Estonia much schooling in multi-party governance, while the sham democracy of the Estonian Soviet Republic from 1945 to 1991 proved no better. It is a credit to the instincts of the Estonian people that they have taken so little time to create, virtually from scratch, a functioning democratic nation.

Modern Politics

This young republic has had its teething problems. Relations between Estonia and Russia remain cool, to say the least, but Estonia' s entry into the EU and NATO has given it powerful allies and greater confidence in dealing with its big neighbour to the east. The constitution, which was adopted in 1992, provides for a single chamber, 101 seat parliament, the Riigikogu, members of which are elected every four years. The president is the head of state and is elected for a five-year term. The president appoints a prime minister with the approval of a majority of members of parliament. The prime minister, in turn, selects a Council of Ministers, who must also be approved by parliament. Estonia' s first democratically elected president was the author Lennart Meri, who had been foreign minister of the republic during the Soviet era.

Continued in part 8