The Republic of Estonia, with a population of 1.4 million people, lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea and shares its borders with Latvia and Russia. Russia continues to dispute border agreements reached in 1994. Estonia's proximity to Scandinavia and Russia contributed to the use of its land for territorial wars. These wars led to centuries of foreign rule by Germans, Swedes, Poles, and Russians.

At the beginning of the 1800s, Estonians revived a sense of national identity after serfdom was abolished by the Russian Empire. This development led to increased cultural expression through literature, education, and music. Growing nationalism, coupled with the collapse of the Russian Empire after World War I (1914–1918), led to the declaration of Estonia as an independent state on February 24, 1918. The first constitution of the Republic of Estonia was enacted in 1920, and the country adopted a parliamentary government. The effective independence of Estonia ended...