Estonia and the Estonians provides the first compendious survey in any
language of Estonian history, from prehistoric times to the twenty-first
century. Estonia's strategic geopolitical location--a crossroads where
the major powers of northeastern Europe have struggled for
influence--and the small number of ethnic Estonians are crucial factors
that have shaped the history of the area and its inhabitants.
The book emphasizes the period since the mid-nineteenth century, when a
national movement calling for Estonian cultural and political autonomy
began to emerge. During the two world wars, Estonia gained and lost
political self-determination. Yet a modern Estonian culture was firmly
established, and a strong sense of national identity survived the Soviet
era.