History at the Crossroads. Dealing with the Past in Estonia.

The question of how to face the past after extensive political violence is a fundamental question facing countries moving from authoritarianism to democracy, since the ways and rules by which post-communist countries deal with their past are likely to have weighty consequences for their future development. The possible means of dealing with the past range from approaches that favour prosecution to models that aim at promoting truth and reconciliation. The starting point of this study is to assume that the process of dealing with the past must be viewed within the context of present circumstances as well as historical experiences in specific countries. This complexity of coming to terms with the past is addressed with particular reference to the Estonian case. The study is concerned with the way the Estonian approach towards its communist past has been influenced by the dynamics of transition as well as the political and social circumstances of the country. In addition, the impact of historical context and structural conditions are also discussed. The topic of the study is addressed through the following questions: 1. How have political, structural and historical conditions influenced Estonian strategies of dealing with the past? 2. How are these solutions explained, and what kind of arguments have been presented in public? 3. How has the approach been modified over time and what kind of justifications have been used to support the change? At the basis of this study lies an assumption of a certain linkage between the way in which the past is dealt with and practical political considerations. This means that the past is modified according to practical political requirements and thus the past is presented and confronted as a purpose to enhance certain current political aims. Accordingly, the process of dealing with the past can be viewed as an attempt to promote certain political state of affairs and the practical organising of political or historical matters. The approach of this study is text-based and methodologically most closely linked to the qualitative study of politics. In addition, the narrative approach is used particularly in the first empirical section of the study. The study tries to provide an interpretation of the political and historical preconditions that have contributed to the ways Estonia has faced its past. Specific attention is paid to the construction of Estonian history as a politically purposeful account of historical events. It is presumed that the process of dealing with the past is often validated by invoking practical political interpretations of the past