1944 ⟶ Estonian Government Appeals for Independence & Mass Exodus
The Government of Estonia seizes the government buildings of...
Year
1940
1944
👮 Estonian President Päts Arrested and Deported
The President of Estonia, Konstantin Päts, is arrested and deported to Russia by the Soviets.⟶
EstoniaSoviet UnionDeportationOccupationBaltic StatesEastern EuropePolitical RepressionWorld War II
🇪🇪 Estonian Government Appeals for Independence & Mass Exodus
The Government of Estonia seizes the government buildings of Toompea from the German forces and appeals to the Soviet Union for the independence of Estonia. The Soviet advance sparks a major Estonian civil evacuation abroad, with ca. 80,000 people (7% of the pre-war population), including almost the entire Coastal Swedish minority, fleeing mostly over the Baltic Sea to Sweden.⟶
Eastern FrontEstoniaSoviet UnionOccupationEvacuationBaltic StatesCivilian DisplacementWorld War II
📢 Estonian Head of State Calls for Resistance
In a radio broadcast, Jüri Uluots, the acting Head of State of Estonia, calls the Estonian conscripts to hold the Soviet Armed Forces back until a peace treaty with Germany is signed.⟶
EstoniaSoviet UnionGermanyresistanceconscriptionEastern Frontpolitical leadershipWorld War IIBaltic states
🇪🇪 Estonian Government Proclaimed
Jüri Uluots proclaims the Government of Estonia headed by Deputy Prime Minister Otto Tief.⟶
EstoniaGovernment in ExileResistanceOccupationPoliticsEastern FrontSoviet UnionBaltic States
🇪🇪 Estonian Government Forced to Flee
The Government of Estonia prints a few hundred copies of the Riigi Teataja (State Gazette) and is forced to flee under Soviet pressure.⟶
EstoniaSoviet UnionOccupationGovernment in ExileBaltic StatesEastern FrontResistance1944