okupatsiooniperiood

Okupatsiooniperiood is a term used in Estonian historiography to describe the era when Estonia was governed by foreign powers in the 20th century. It primarily covers the periods of Soviet and Nazi occupation, and is commonly understood to include the Soviet occupation that began in 1940, the German occupation during World War II, and the subsequent Soviet re-occupation that lasted until Estonia regained independence in 1991. The term emphasizes the loss of national sovereignty and the imposition of foreign rule during these years.

The timeline begins with the 1940 Soviet occupation, following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, when Estonia was effectively incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1941 the Soviet occupation ended with the German invasion, which established a Nazi-ruled regime in the territory until 1944, when Soviet forces re-entered and Estonia was re-incorporated into the USSR as an independent Soviet republic in practice, though not in name until 1940–41. The period from 1944 to 1991 was marked by centralized Soviet control, political repression, and economic restructuring, including forced collectivization of agriculture and the suppression of opposition.

Repression and social change were significant features of okupatsiooniperiood. Large-scale deportations and population relocations occurred in 1941 and 1949, targeting perceived opponents and dissenters, along with other communities. Resistance movements, such as the Forest Brothers, persisted for years, contributing to an enduring memory of occupation. The period culminated in the restoration of Estonia’s independence on 20 August 1991, ending the decades of foreign rule and leading to the reestablishment of national sovereignty and the shift toward post-Soviet democracy and market reforms.