The Estonian nation had been absorbed by the Soviets during WWII. There was a movement to re-establish their independence which took on the form of mass demonstrations where Estonians sang patriotic songs.
The Estonians defeated the USSR, one of the biggest war machines, through nonviolence.
There is now a documentary in English that narrates this story, and it is going to play in D.C. this weekend, starting on Friday 4/18 until Monday, 4/21. I am probably going to to there tomorrow Friday.
[At the The E Street Cinema 4-18 to 4/24]
Filmmaker James Tusty will be there for Q&A after the 7:20pm show on Friday, April 19th.Daily show times Friday 4/18 - Sunday 4/20 are: 11:30am 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm
Monday 4/21 - Thursday 4/24 are: 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm
The E Street Cinema website is: http://www.landmarktheatres.co...
Also, learning about these movements help us get some perspective. Every so often, the left blogsphere gets a bit depressed and many people start talking about how they want to quit now. It is often necessary to learn about how other people had to overcome greater odds, yet they persisted.
Also, many Americans have this silly belief that the Soviet Union was brought down by Reagan. When I expressed this to my Estonian friend, he answered, "So what did Reagan do?"
There were many reason why it fell, but one of the main reasons were the people living under the Soviet Bloc. They were the ones who put their lives on the line to end the Soviet regime.
And it is a historical injustice to deny the credit that citizens in the ex-Soviet block deserve for bringing down the Soviets.
Finally, it is just so inspiring to learn about these kinds of stories.
And the Estonian story is so irresistibly poetic in that songs brought down a military giant.
Here is a bit more of inspiration. :) The song below is called, Mu isamaa on minu arm, (Land of my Fathers, Land that I Love), is one of the song
And the translation of those lyrics
Land of my fathers, land that I love,
I've given my heart to her,
I sing to you, my supreme happiness,
My flourishing Estonia!
I sing to you, my supreme happiness,
My flourishing Estonia!
Your pain boils in my heart,
Your happiness and joy make me happy too!
Your happiness and joy make me happy too!
Land of my fathers!
Land of my fathers!
Land of my fathers, land that I love,
I can't abandon her.
For her a hundred times
I shall give my life
For her a hundred times
I shall give my life
Envy makes strangers slander you
You are still alive in my heart
You are still alive in my heart
Land of my fathers!
Land of my fathers!
Land of my fathers, land that I love,
I want to have a rest.
I will lie down in your lap for eternal sleep
My holy Estonia
I will lie down in your lap for eternal sleep
My holy Estonia
Your birds are singing me to sleep
Flowers are blooming from me
Flowers are blooming from me
Land of my fathers!
Land of my fathers!
http://www.singingrevolution.c...