A Case Study of a Soviet Republic

The Estonian SSR is the most industrially advanced and urbanized of the Soviet republics and also, perhaps logically, has the most Western life style and the highest standard of living. This in-depth study of the Estonian SSR not only describes the current Estonian scene, but also analyzes the postwar Soviet years, concentrating on the factors that have led Estonia to its present status. All chapters were written especially for this volume by subject specialists fluent in Estonian. In sum, it is the most detailed and comprehensive study of a Soviet republic available in English, and it supports the editors' argument that analysts' traditional preoccupation with events and decisions at the political center of the Soviet Union has been unsatisfactory for a thorough understanding of the country: much more attention must be given to the individual union republics.