Estonian Sovereignty Declaration
Encyclopedia
The Estonian Sovereignty Declaration , fully: Declaration on the Sovereignty of the Estonian SSR (Deklaratsioon Eesti NSV suveräänsusest) was issued on November 16, 1988 during the Singing Revolution
in Estonia
. The declaration asserted Estonia's sovereignty
and the supremacy of the Estonian laws over the laws of the Soviet Union
. Estonia's parliament also laid claim to the republic's natural resources: land, inland waters, forests, mineral deposits and to the means of industrial production, agriculture, construction, state banks, transportation, municipal services, etc. in the territory of Estonia's borders.
Estonia had gained independence in the aftermath of World War I
and Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920). In 1940 as a consequence of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
and its Secret Additional Protocol of August 1939 Estonia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union.
The majority of countries refused to recognize the incorporation of the Estonia de jure
by the Soviet Union and only recognized the government of Estonian SSR de facto or not at all. Such countries recognized Estonian/Latvian/Lithuanian diplomats and consuls who still functioned in the name of their former governments. These aging diplomats persisted in this anomalous situation until the ultimate restoration of Baltic independence.
In the 1980s new policies Perestroika
and Glasnost
were introduced and political repression in the Soviet Union became to an end. As the result during the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt the 20 August 1991 declaration proclaimed the reestablishment of the independent Estonian republic. On September 6, 1991 the USSR recognized the independence of Estonia and the country was admitted to the UN on September 17.
After more than 3 years of negotiations, on August 31, 1994, the armed forces of Russia
withdrew from Estonia. Estonia joined European Union in 2004, shortly after it became a member of NATO.
Singing Revolution
The Singing Revolution is a commonly used name for events between 1987 and 1991 that led to the restoration of the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania...
in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. The declaration asserted Estonia's sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
and the supremacy of the Estonian laws over the laws of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Estonia's parliament also laid claim to the republic's natural resources: land, inland waters, forests, mineral deposits and to the means of industrial production, agriculture, construction, state banks, transportation, municipal services, etc. in the territory of Estonia's borders.
Estonia had gained independence in the aftermath of World War I
Aftermath of World War I
The fighting in World War I ended in western Europe when the Armistice took effect at 11:00 am GMT on November 11, 1918, and in eastern Europe by the early 1920s. During and in the aftermath of the war the political, cultural, and social order was drastically changed in Europe, Asia and Africa,...
and Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920). In 1940 as a consequence of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
and its Secret Additional Protocol of August 1939 Estonia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union.
The majority of countries refused to recognize the incorporation of the Estonia de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
by the Soviet Union and only recognized the government of Estonian SSR de facto or not at all. Such countries recognized Estonian/Latvian/Lithuanian diplomats and consuls who still functioned in the name of their former governments. These aging diplomats persisted in this anomalous situation until the ultimate restoration of Baltic independence.
In the 1980s new policies Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
and Glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
were introduced and political repression in the Soviet Union became to an end. As the result during the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt the 20 August 1991 declaration proclaimed the reestablishment of the independent Estonian republic. On September 6, 1991 the USSR recognized the independence of Estonia and the country was admitted to the UN on September 17.
After more than 3 years of negotiations, on August 31, 1994, the armed forces of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
withdrew from Estonia. Estonia joined European Union in 2004, shortly after it became a member of NATO.