Introduction

At the turn of the century the political significance of the agrarian population, and especially the small farmers, was crucial in northern and eastern Europe. The desires of the agrarian population were towards agricultural reform on the basis of two principles: the preservation of large-scale production to some degree and the restoration of private land ownership. Large-scale farms can be, for simplicity, divided into at least two categories: co-owned and privately owned. A strong desire to revive the Estonian countryside destroyed by the Soviet occupiers formed an integral part of the ‘Singing Revolution’ in Estonia. Estonia is a small country in the Baltic region, and on a Europe-wide scale its agricultural production is of negligible importance. The municipality of Kanepi is a rural community of under 4,000 inhabitants, and it is situated in south-eastern Estonia. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.