A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book

A Nation State Doomed to Fall. Soviet Historiography, Narrative Identity and the Republic of Estonia (1918–1940)




AuthorsPertti Grönholm

EditorsPriit Raudkivi, Mart Seppel

Publishing placeTallinn

Publication year2009

Book title Sõnasse püütud minevik. In honorem Enn Tarvel

First page 363

Last page387

ISBN978-9949-438-60-0


Abstract

In this article I attempt to present and analyze some of the most essential Soviet narrative themes and argumentative techniques which were guiding the Soviet Estonian historians in their efforts to write coherent Marxist-Leninist popular texts on the contemporary history of estonia. The focus of the article is on the Soviet  narratives on the Republic of Estonia (1918-40). The official Soviet narratives were introduced in three major Soviet Estonian popular history textbooks, published in 1952, 1957 and 1955-71. 

I shall surface some recurring narrative topics and themes. In addition, I shall contextualize and analyze the most important ideological, rhetorical and methodological changes regarding the Marxist-Leninist narratives on the history of the interwar Estonia. In the latter part of the article, I shall pinpoint the Soviet argument on the claimed artificiality, instability and inviability of the Republic of Estonia, which constituted the argumentative backbone of the Soviet historiography on Estonia.




Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 15:19