New York City,
February 28, 2008. The Consulate General of the
Republic of Estonia in New York presented An
Estonian Jazz Concert in honor of the 90th
Anniversary of Estonian Independence. The
concert took place at the Victor Borge Hall of
the Scandinavia House, which was followed by a
cocktail reception.
Estonians, after
being occupied by foreign powers for several
centuries, were finally able to gain
independence in 1918. Using a favorable moment
in history, Estonians created a unified
political entity in April 1917, with the
ultimate aim of gaining full independence from
the faltering Russian Empire. Elections were
soon organized to create a National Assembly (Maapaev).
In November 1917, The National Assembly, after
being forced underground by the Bolsheviks,
declared itself a provisional parliament. Using
the principle of self determination, highlighted
in President Woodrow Wilson's historic "Fourteen
Points", the Committee of Elders of the
Assembly, meeting in the coastal city Parnu,
issued a declaration of independence on February
24, 1918. Much like the Americans, Estonians
were forced to fight for their independence.
The War of Liberation (1918-1920), where
Estonian men and women heroically fought to free
their country against both the German Landeswehr
and the Soviet Army, has become a great source
of national pride. Estonia did not fight
alone. The United kingdom offered military
supplies and the British Navy helped to secure
Estonian shores. The United States sent
military liaisons to assist Estonia in her
struggle for freedom, and eventually forty three
Americans received The Red Cross of The War of
Liberation and thirty U.S. officers received the
Estonian Red Cross award for providing medical
care and humanitarian aid during the war.
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