Estonia (Deutschland Siegt)

Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia (Lithuanian: Latvijas Republika) is a sovereign state in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. It is bordered to the north by inland across the Gulf of Finland, to the west by Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by the Greater German Reich. Estonia is a member of the Anti-Comintern Pact.

The Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns, with the Estonian language sharing many similarities to Finnish. The modern name of Estonia is thought to originate from the Roman historian Tacitus, who in his book Germania (ca. AD 98) described a people called the Aestii. Similarly, ancient Scandinavian sagas refer to a land called Eistland, close to the German term Estland for the country. Early Latin and other ancient versions of the name are Estia and Hestia. Until the late 1930s, the name was often written as Esthonia in most English speaking countries.

The settlement of modern day Estonia began around 8500 BC, immediately after the Ice Age. Over the centuries, the Estonians were subjected to Danish, Teutonic, Swedish and Russian rule. Foreign rule in Estonia began in 1227, when as a consequence of the Northern Crusades the area was conquered by Danes and Germans. From 1228–1562, parts or most of Estonia were incorporated into the loosely organized Livonian Confederation of Teutonic Knights, during which time economic activity centered around the Hanseatic League. In the 1500s Estonia passed to Swedish rule, under which it remained until 1721, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire. The Estophile Enlightenment Period (1750-1840) led to a national awakening in the mid-19th century. In 1918 the Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued, to be followed by the Estonian War of Independence (1918-1920), which resulted in the Tartu Peace Treaty recognizing Estonian independence in perpetuity.

On June 17, 1940, the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Estonia, and was annexed into the Soviet Union on August 5, 1940. The Soviet Union begun a series of deportations of anti-Soviet elements. During Operation Barbarossa, the Axis campaign against the Soviet Union, Estonia was liberated in June 1942 by German, Lithuanian, Swedish and Latvian troops. After requests from the Lithuanian, Latvian, Finnish and Swedish governments, the German Reich granted Estonia independence on August 20, 1942, with the same government in power as before the Soviet occupation.

Estonia under President Konstantin Päts' is remembered as an era of independence, economic success and prosperity, and his reforms is still valid today, resulting in economic growth, a high standard of living, and an increased gross national product (GNP).

Between 1940 and 1942, Estonia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union, until the Germans liberated Estonia in June-August of 1942 during Operation Barbarossa. After urges from Finland, Sweden, Lithuania and Latvia, Germany granted Estonia independence on August 20, 1942.

It has since embarked on a rapid program of social and economic reform similar to those in Latvia and Finland.

is a country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. It is bordered to the north by Finland across the Gulf of Finland, to the west by Sweden, to the south by Latvia (343 km), and to the east by the Russian Federation (338,6 km).[5] The territory of Estonia covers 45,227 km² and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate.

The Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns, with the Estonian language