February 2nd marks the 100 year anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty that was signed in 1920. It seems that everyone wants this piece of land as their own. As soon as the Germans left at the end of WWI, the Bolsheviks decided they wanted to expand their power base. So in November of 1918, the Red Army invaded Estonia. This conflict was known as the Estonian War of Independence.
The young Estonian republic was ill-equipped to battle an army that was already trained and well supplied. The Estonian defence forces were inexperienced and lacked equipment, weapons and essential supplies. There was very little money available to improve the situation. The situation looked bleak but the government decided to oppose the Bolsheviks hoping to receive aid from Western allies and Finland. In this, they were not disappointed as weapons and supplies were sent from England, USA and Finland as well as additional troops.
Out numbered and outgunned, Estonia was not deterred. They organized critical military units under the leadership of Colonel Johan Laidoner and planned a counteroffensive. In early January of 1919, the Red Army had captured nearly half of the Estonian mainland and was only 30 kilometers from Tallinn, the capital. However, on January 7, with rearranged Estonian and Finnish troops, Estonia began a counteroffensive and in three weeks time, the Red Army was sent packing.
They were not done, however. To prevent further incursions, the Estonian Army pressed hard to push the front as far away as possible from the border. They pushed toward Petrograd (St. Petersburg) but later retreated to protect the borders. There were other mini-wars and skirmishes on other fronts, but by the end of 1919, the Bolsheviks agreed to exclude Estonia from it list of enemies to Soviet Russia. Peace talks in Tartu began in earnest by December of 1919 and an armistice was announced on the 3rd of January, 1920. The peace treaty was signed on February 2, 1920 in Tartu.
To commemorate this treaty, a memorial was commissioned and built in 2009 at Vabaduse valjäk (Freedom Square). The column incorporates the Cross of Liberty, Estonia's most distinguished award. It is 77 feet tall and is made of 143 glass plates.
Please value the freedom you have. Any lack of vigilance to secure it can result in it being taken away.
Thank you SO much, Alan and Mary Ann for sharing this precious history of Freedom with us; for all your effort in obtaining the History and Pictures that bring it so to life. May we never forget our marvelous Blessings of FREEDOM! We miss you both a lot, and pray for your health and efforts in blessing our brothers and sisters there.
ReplyDeleteLove you, Florene