The 100th Anniversary of the Estonian Republic (or more commonly used Estonia 100) is an official government program for the celebration of the

Republic of Estonia A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

's 100th

anniversary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints ...

. The official anniversary was marked on 24 February 2018, while related celebrations and events took place from April 2017 to February 2020.

Historical background

On 12 February 1919, the Estonian Provisional Government decided to consider 24 February to be the date of the independence of Estonia from Russia, which occurred when World War I was nearing its end. However, Estonia's independence came to a ''de facto'' end during World War II when the country was illegally occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, then by Nazi Germany in 1941, before it was returned to Soviet rule in 1944 when it became the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. As a result, a government in exile was established. As political upheavals took place throughout the Soviet Union in the 1980s, during the events of the

Baltic Way The Baltic Way ( lt, Baltijos kelias, lv, Baltijas ceļš, et, Balti kett) or Baltic Chain (also "Chain of Freedom") was a peaceful political demonstration that occurred on 23 August 1989. Approximately two million people joined their hands to ...

, Estonia declared sovereignty on its territory in 1988, which restored its ''de facto'' independence on 8 May 1990 and declared Soviet rule illegal. Following the aborted coup in Moscow, the country's full ''de facto'' independence was restored after the Soviet troops failed to seize the Tallinn TV Tower on 20 August 1991. The Soviet State Council recognized the Estonian independence on 6 September 1991. Since 2004, Estonia has been a member of NATO and the European Union.

Events

The centenary celebrations of the Republic of Estonia took place over three years, beginning in April 2017 to mark a century since Estonia's administrative borders took their current form, peaking while events on various important dates took place throughout 2018 and 2019, and coming to a grand close on 2 February 2020 when the 100th anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty was honoured.

Centennial parade

A military parade on Freedom Square in Tallinn was held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary. 1,100 troops and more than 100 pieces of military equipment took part in the parade. The parade was led by Gen. Riho Terras, while President Kersti Kaljulaid was present to greet the different units. All service branches of the Estonian Defence Forces took part in the parade as well as soldiers from countries from NATO and other military partners of Estonia. The foreign countries that were represented were Finland, France, Georgia, Italy,

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, Poland,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the United States.

Gallery

File:Estonian Guard Battalion on parade-902227.jpeg, The Guard Battalion during the military parade on 24 February 2018 File:Eesti Advokatuur 100 juubelilogo.jpg, The logo of the centenary of the Estonian Bar Association celebrated in 2019 File:Eesti Vabariik 100.jpg, A microscopic engraving made in honor of the centenary by the Institute of Physics, University of Tartu

References

External links