Estonia

Estonia's first stretch of freedom began after the country shook off Bolshevik rule in 1918 and lasted until 1940, when Soviet forces absorbed it. It took until 1991 for the Baltic nation to win back its sovereignty, and a sudden shift in the former Soviet state once again reshaped its path. Rein Taagepera follows the nation's development from its earliest prehistory up to the present day.

The book concentrates on the dramatic transformation Estonia underwent after 1980, placing those changes within the wider collapse of the Soviet Union. Taagepera also looks closely at friction between ethnic Estonians and the Russians who settled there during the Soviet period, and he considers how that unrest could shape the country's future.

Running through the analysis are several central questions. Why did the Soviet effort to remake Estonia fail? In what way did Estonia's push for self-rule contribute to the Soviet breakup? What part might the country play internationally, and what lies ahead for it?