History of Estonia Podcast

The Russian Factor in Baltic History in the 19th & 20th C with Professor Karsten Brugemann

 Educational Credentials

• He earned the prestigious Dr. habil. (2013) from the University of Gießen(geesan, Germany (History Department) which is the highest academic degree in Germany

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• He received his Dr. philosophy. (1999) also from the University of Hamburg,  (History Department)

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• He received his M.A. in History and Slavic Philology (1993) from the University of Hamburg

As far as his Professional Experience is concerned:

• Professor of Estonian and General History at Tallinn University, Institute of History since September 200

• Research Assistant at Nordost-Institut Lüneburg (Germany) from September 2005 to August 2008 

• Elected Docent for General History at Narva College of Tartu University, where he also served as Head of the Humanities Department 

• Visiting Lecturer in History and German Studies at Narva College of Tartu University from September 2002 to August 2004

• Research Assistant at the Archive of the Institut Nordost-deutsches Kulturwerk, Lüneburg (Germany) from April 1998 to December 2001

• Contract Lecturer (Eastern European History) at the History Department, University of Hamburg, from 1999 to 2001

• Contract Lecturer (Baltic Studies) at the Institute for Finno-Ugric Studies, University of Hamburg, from 1996 to 2002

• He began his career as a Research Assistant at the Department for Education Science, Institute for History (Eastern European History) at the University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg from January 1994 to March 1998

Karsten Brüggemann’s expertise spans the history of the Baltic states and Russia, cultural history, transnational history, and the historical dimension of sports, tourism, and music.

In this episode, we discuss the National Committee of the Republic of Estonia and its importance to the Estonian State's claim of the continuance of government during the Soviet occupation.

Calendar of Events in February 1944

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdS96R6WuaI

Anthem of the Estonian volunteer regiment in the Finnish Army 1943- 1944

We start off the new year by following the calendar that I picked up at The Estonian War Museum which follows important events and dates in the tumultuous year of 1944.

We go on to discuss Zelensky's Trip to Tallinn and Estonia's pledge to support Ukraine with .25% of GDP.

In this episode, I sit down with Toomas Hiio, the Associate Director at The General Laidoner Estonian War Museum. This is the first in-person interview of the Podcast.

Toomas Hiio, born on June 1, 1965, is a distinguished Estonian historian known for his significant contributions to the study of Estonia's history during crucial periods. He completed his education at Tallinn 32nd Secondary School in 1983 and earned his degree in history from Tartu University in 1991. Hiio is highly regarded in academic circles and holds the esteemed position of research director at the Laidoner Museum. Additionally, he serves as the research manager at the Estonian Memory Institute, showcasing his expertise and dedication to preserving Estonia's historical legacy. Apart from his academic pursuits, Hiio is also a respected reserve officer, having attained the rank of second lieutenant in 1998. Recognizing his contributions to historical research and Estonian society, he was awarded the Order of the White Star IV class in 2002.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLLGtOOkPpA Peeter Tooma - Mässajate Laul

Vicarious Sovereignty - Becoming European The Estonian Way: With Professor Maria Mälksoo

Professor Maria Mälksoo, a leading scholar of international relations, security studies, and memory politics. She is currently working at the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, where she leads several research projects on the politics of memory and deterrence in Europe. She has a PhD in International Studies from the University of Cambridge, and has previously taught at the University of Kent and the University of Tartu. She is the author and co-author of several books and articles on the politics of becoming European, remembering Katyn, and the uses of ‘the East’ in international studies. She is also an Associate Editor of Review of International Studies, and has previously served as the President of the Central and East European International Studies Association.

The following is a link to the music video from the band Vennaskond, the song it titled: Jumal Kaitse Kuningat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7abXZsiurLs

Interview with Professor Marek Tamm on the subject: What do Estonians remember of their past, i.e. not about Estonian history, but about Estonian mnemohistory?

 Marek Tamm is the Professor of Cultural History at the School of Humanities in Tallinn University. He is a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences and of the Academia Europaea. Graduated in history and semiotics at the University of Tartu (1998), he earned his master's degree in medieval studies from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris (School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences) (1999) and his doctorate in medieval history from Tallinn University (2009). He is the editor-in-chief of the Estonian history journal Acta Historica Tallinnensia and the editor of the Journal of the Philosophy of History. His primary research fields are cultural history of medieval Europe, theory and history of historiography, digital history, and cultural memory studies. Author or co-author of ten books, of a hundred scholarly articles published in Estonian, English, German, and French, and editor of more than thirty collections of articles or special issues.

In this episode, we discuss Estonia's foreign and security policy since the restoration of independence.

Dr Kristi Raik is the Deputy Director and Head of the Foreign Policy Programme of the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) as of 1 January 2023. She is also an Adjunct Professor of International Relations at the University of Turku, Finland. From 2018 to 2022, she was the Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the ICDS, and prior to that, she served as a Senior Research Fellow and Acting Programme Director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki and an official at the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union in Brussels. Kristi has published, lectured, and commented widely on European security and EU foreign policy, including the EU’s relations with Russia, Ukraine, and other Eastern neighbors. Kristi is also an expert on the foreign and security policies of the Baltic states and Finland. She has provided expert contributions to the Estonian, Finnish, EU, and NATO institutions. Kristi has a PhD from the University of Turku.

Intro to Season 5: The Pope and the Pendulum

A Historical Look at Estonia's Accession to the EU & NATO with Profesor Andres Kasekamp.

In this episode, we celebrate the life of Lydia Koidula for International Women's Day. We have as a guest Tara Godwin, who is an incoming Ph.D. student at The Ohio State University for the Fall of 2023, where she will study Estonian women’s history. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Utah. She won the Marriot Library Thesis Award for her honors capstone, Gender, and National Identity: The Historical Memory of Soviet-Era Ethnic Estonian and Ethnic Russian Women

Introduction to German Cultural History in Estonia with Doctor David Feest of Hamburg University.

In this episode, we are lucky to have Olaf Mertelsmann who is Professor of Eastern European History at the Institute of History and Archeology, University of Tartu. He holds a doctorate in History from the University of Hamburg (2000). He has taught in Estonia, Germany, and Russia. His main interests are the social and economic history of Eastern Europe, Stalinism, Soviet history, and contemporary Baltic history. He is the author of five monographs, has edited several volumes, and published more than fifty papers in journals.

In this episode we get to learn a little about Christmas in Stalin's Estonia.

In this episode, we are lucky to have Olaf Mertelsmann who is Professor of Eastern European History at the Institute of History and Archeology, University of Tartu. He holds a doctorate in History from the University of Hamburg (2000). He has taught in Estonia, Germany, and Russia. His main interests are the social and economic history of Eastern Europe, Stalinism, Soviet history, and contemporary Baltic history. He is the author of five monographs, has edited several volumes, and published more than fifty papers in journals

We meet with Professor Andres Kasekamp of the University of Toronto to discuss his book, The Radical Right In Interwar Estonia. Palgrave 2000

We talk about the war in Ukraine and how it will its outcome is likely to have an influence on Estonia.

We talk about the passing of Jüri Arrak the great Estonian artist.

A new future format is introduced in which esteemed guests will appear on the podcast.

In this episode, we look at how Estonia developed itself into a market economy. We also learn how Estonia began to integrate itself into Europe and a discussion was started about the eventual acceptance of Estonia into NATO.

Perestroika has arrived and the Soviet Union gets more than what they expected with the new reforms.

Lennart Meri Speech Hamburg, Germany February 25, 1994, Matthiae-Supper of Hansa Cities

In this episode, we learn what modernity did for Estonia, which was to allow it to get a small glimpse of the outside world with Finnish television broadcasts being picked up in Northern Estonia and also Radio broadcasts that came in from the west. We also learned about the Letter of 40 that spelled out clearly the years of Russification that Estonia had to endure.

In this episode, we learn more about student protest groups, who were really the lifeblood for retaining Estonian dignity and culture. We mostly cover the third wave of Russification which put Estonians as a minority in the cities.

In this episode the Soviet Union is able to regroup and push back against the invading Germans and eventual retake Estonia. In this episode, we see how and when this is accomplished.

In this episode we cover the invasion of Estonia by the German Army. We briefly look at the local uprising against Soviet rule and the fight for Tartu before learning what German rule meant for every day Estonians.

In this episode we take a brief detour from Estonia and cover what Operation Barbarrosa  meant to the Jews and Romani of Latvia and Lithuania. 

In this episode we learn what happened after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and how the Soviet Union brought Estonia into the Union through deception and force of arms.

In last episode we covered the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact. In this episode we find out what the implications were of the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact and the terrible choices the Estonian government were offered. Option 1: was to agree to the Treaty on Bases,   Option 2: face an overwhelming invasion from the Soviet Union.             No choice at all really.

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is known as one of the most well known and impactful treaties to be signed in modern times. It kicked off the beginning of World War 2 and millions in Europe have had to suffer its consequences ever since.

In this episode we learn about Estonian Culture during the inter-war period. This is largely seen as the golden age of Estonian culture. Schools were reformed and Estonians were now both the professors and students at university and that is new development that came in this period.

In this episode we cover the pre war era in Estonia. A national emergency is declared and the President of Estonia becomes head of government through a coupe d'etat and rules through decrees, while the parliament only works on topics of secondary importance. Estonia is reported to have followed the model of government created in Fascist Italy.

In this episode we learn about Estonia's early political parties in the 1920's. Estonia develops its first constitution and the communists try unsuccessfully to overthrow the new Estonian government and the Estonian Defense League is resurrected. 

In this episode we learn how the banking system was set up in Estonia in the 1920's to offer loans. It gave way too many loans and many defaulted on their debt leaving the state in a financial bind. Eventually, with the help of western countries the debts were restructured and the Eesti Kroon is finally introduced.

In this episode we wrap up the Legend of Vana Toomas or (Old Thomas).  Please share it with others that will walk the cobble stoned square one day.

The legend of Vana Toomas (old Thomas). In this episode we are going to cover something that almost everyone that has stood in Tallinn’s town hall square is probably familiar with. The weather vein of vana toomas, has sat on town hall square since the year 1530. It is a  symbol of Tallinn as well as one of its legendary defenders. In 1944, Old Thomas was hit during a Russian bombardment. The burnt spire was reconstructed and a new copy of Vana Toomas erected in 1952. In 1996 the spire was renovated and the third Vana Toomas figure was put on it to guard Tallinn. The original weather vane is kept in the Town Hall. The one erected in 1952 is shown at the Tallinn City Museum.

Many different factions were vying for power in Estonia at the end of WW1. Luckily for Estonia, the time was right for Estonia to finally proclaim and be recognized as the sovereign country of Estonia.

In this period of Estonia's development Estonians become increasingly more educated than their peers within the Empire and Estonians work at making a unique culture based on their own language and history.

In this episode we follow Estonia's path into the First World War, which set the preconditions for eventual statehood.

In this episode, we learn how the first political parties formed in Estonia and how these parties tried to influence Russia's rule of Estonia during the Revolution of 1905.

In this episode we cover the period of Russification. This is a period in which the Russian language was forced upon the Estonian people through education and government. We also go on to learn how the Russian railway system brought positive results to Estonia's economy.