Introduction

This chapter investigates the interplay between economic reforms and ethnic divergencies in Estonia. It outlines the background of the Estonian independence movement and the context in which it developed. The chapter examines the subject more closely and also outline those perspectives for the societal development in Estonia which have motivated investigation. The background for the Estonian independence movement in the late 1980s was that Estonia, after having been an independent Republic in 1918—40, was incorporated, against its will, into the Soviet Union on 6 August 1940. If Estonia had been able to deport the Russians back to their ‘home land’ without hindrance, a majority of Estonians would have supported implementing the policy. The essential thing is to clarify the overall result of the introduction of new private ownership forms in Estonia. The larger perspective for the dissertation reaches beyond a simple clarification of the consequences of privatization for the Russian population in Estonia.