Letter of 40 intellectuals
The letter of the Forty (Estonian Neljakümne kiri ) was a public letter of forty Estonian intellectuals in the autumn of 1980. They called it by the Soviet authorities respecting the Estonian language and culture as well as an end to the Russification of Estonia.
Soviet occupation
The Red Army had occupied as a result of the Molotov -Ribbentrop Pact in the Second World War Estonia and Estonian SSR incorporated as the Soviet Union. As elsewhere in the Soviet Union was followed by a reconstruction of the state and social system on the Soviet model. Stalin deported the majority of the middle-class and intellectual elite of Estonia to Siberia.
The Soviet policy was in the aftermath of an increasing Russification of Estonia. To this end, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian workers were resettled from other parts of the Soviet Union in Estonia. According to the official population statistics 1941 in Estonia in 1941 a total of 90.8 % of the population Estonians and Russians 7.3%. According to the published figures of the Soviet census of 1979, there were 64.7 % Estonians and 30.3% Russians.
The Soviet authorities forced in the 1970s at the behest of Brezhnev's dominance of Russian in the Estonian SSR. Tensions between the Estonian population and the Russian-speaking immigrants came to a head on. The Estonian language has been pushed further and further by the policy of appointed in January 1980 the chief ideologist of the Central Committee of the Estonian Communist Party ( ECP ), clean Ristlaan in public life in favor of Russian. The ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the EKP took place in the Russian language pure.
In the summer of 1980, the Soviet authorities released the Estonian Minister of Education Ferdinand iron and put the Russian Elsa Gretškina one as his successor. She was with her strict Party line politics to a bogeyman Many Estonian students. The Soviet War in Afghanistan, also for the Estonian conscripts were sent to the front, was from 1980 to the further dissatisfaction among Estonian adolescents. For the first time it came on 17 May 1980 after a film screening in Pärnu spontaneous youth protests. The slightly fifty participants called anti-Soviet slogans.
In September 1980, the situation escalated. The short-term performance ban against the dissident Estonian punk rock band propeller to Peeter Volkonski on September 22, 1980 on the edge of a soccer game in Dünamo Stadium led to riots from 200 to 500 young people in Tallinn. Many young people were then expelled from school or taken into custody. In the schools were formed in return solidarity groups with the detainees. They called for demonstrations on October 1.
The following youth protests in early October 1980 in Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu turned especially against the policy of Russification of the Soviet authorities. The approximately 5,000 youth participants in the protests were followed by the sowjetestnischen prosecutor as " hooligans ". Many young people were temporarily detained, beaten or intimidated by the police and the KGB. In Tartu and Tallinn also resulted in work stoppages, the first in the Estonian SSR. Through economic improvements in the plants succeeded the Soviet authorities to bring the work stoppages under control. The Soviet - Estonian authorities feared above all by developments such as the August strikes in Poland in 1980.
"Letter of the Forty "
The protest movement impressed the Estonian intellectuals. In the fall of 1980, forty Estonian intellectuals signed an " open letter from the Estonian SSR " ( Avalik kiri Eesti NSV - st). The open letter was later called in the vernacular "Letter of the Forty ". It bears the date of 28 October 1980.
The writing of the Estonian intellectuals was addressed to the Soviet newspapers Pravda and Sovetskaya Rahva Hääl Estonija. A public reaction of the three newspapers did not come as expected.
In the text the authors denounce the lack of freedom in Estonia. They express their concern about the fact that the Estonians are made to a minority people in their own country. The Estonian language will pushed back everywhere in favor of Russian. The Soviet authorities promoted aggressively the use of the Russian language in kindergartens and schools. However, the government touted bilingualism is directed only to the Estonians. For leaders persons are appointed who have no knowledge or inclination to Estonian language or culture. People who live for years in Estonia, ignoring the Estonian language or culture, insulted the dignity of the Estonians. Every resident of the Estonian SSR should have the right to be able to communicate orally and in writing use of the Estonian language. This principle should be enshrined in law. The indigenous Estonian population must always have the final word on the future of their country and the people. The Soviet industrialization take no account of environmental concerns.
The letter was hushed up by the Soviet and Soviet - Estonian authorities in public. He appeared in print for the first time on 10 December 1980 in Stockholm appearing Estonian exile newspaper Eesti Päevaleht. A day later, he was picked by the editors of Estonian Radio Free Europe. Later translations into other languages appeared. In Estonia, the letter used as samizdat. In Estonia, the letter was reprinted in 1988 under Gorbachev in the sign of glasnost and perestroika.
In November 1980, the sowjetestnische leadership undertook counter-measures against the signer of the letter. They were invited to attend the workplace to " conversations " or interrogated by the KGB or the prosecutor. The alleged main author of the letter, Jaan Kaplinsky, a search took place. Four signers of the work was withdrawn. The authorities maintained considerable pressure to move the signatories to withdraw their signature. To her life, however, the signatories had no fear.
The "Letter of the Forty " was an expression of a deep-seated discontent of Estonians with Soviet power apparatus. He was simultaneously a public warning that even intellectuals who were not in fundamental opposition to the Estonian SSR, were no longer in agreement with the Soviet and Soviet - Estonian leadership.
The effects of the letter remained limited. The stagnation time in the Estonian SSR continued. Only with the liberalization steps Gorbachev but gave the chance again publicly advocate for liberal reforms.
Signatory
The "Letter of the Forty " was signed by Priit Aimla, Kaur Alttoa Madis Aruja, Lehte Hainsalu, Mati Hint, Fred Jüssi, Aira Kaal, Maie Kalda, Tõnu Kaljuste, Toomas Kall, Jaan Kaplinsky, Peet Kask, Heino Kiik, Jaan Klõšeiko, Kersti circle man, Alar Laats, Aare Laht, Andres Langemets, Marju Lauristin, Peeter Lorents, Vello Lõugas, Endel Nirk, Lembit Peterson, Arno Pukk, clean Põllumaa, Paul- Eerik Rummo, clean Ruutsoo, Tonis Rätsep, Ita Saks, Aavo Sirk Mati Sirkel, Jaan Tamm, clean Tamsalu, Andres Tarand, Lehte Tavel, Peeter Tulviste, Aarne Üksküla, Mati Unt, Arvo Valton and Juhan Viiding.
Some well-known Estonian intellectuals are conspicuously not among the signatories of the letter, among other things, the most important Estonian writer Jaan Kross and the filmmakers and later became president of the Republic of Estonia Lennart Meri.