GalleryRebirth
It seemed that many decades would be needed to rehabilitate Estonia's economy. Perhaps this would have really been the case had Estonia not been a member of the fraternal family of Soviet Republics, and had it not been for the leadership of the Communist Party.
A few words about Estonia's status.
Estonia is an independent state, with her own constitution, her own legislative body—the Supreme Soviet—and her own government, the Council of Ministers.
Industry is administered by the Economic Council of Estonia and partially by the local Soviets.
The Estonian people are complete masters of their Republic and manage their internal affairs as they see fit. They do not bow to anyone else's will.
Estonia also takes an active part in deciding matters that concern the entire 200-million-strong Soviet Union. Any law that the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. (in which there are also Estonian deputies) adopts is obligatory for all the Soviet Republics.
While fully mistress of her own wealth and economic resources, Estonia can at the same time widely draw on the riches and economic achievements of the other Soviet Republics.
Estonia does not have any coal, oil, pig-iron or steel of her own; nor does she have any tractor or motor car works. This, however, is no drawback; she can get fuel, metal, tractors, motor vehicles and many other commodies from the other republics.
In turn Estonia supplies them with her own products—electric motors, excavators, radio sets, various instruments, butter and meat.
Fraternal assistance helped Estonia to recover rapidly from the damages of German occupation.
She rose phoenix-like from the ashes. Within the space of fifteen years Estonia has become an industrially well-developed country. Some 4,000 million roubles were invested in Estonian industry after the war.
New huge factories, the like of which Estonia had never seen before, were built. A shale-chemical works, supplying both Tallinn and Leningrad with household gas, was erected in Kokhtla-Yarve. Two huge power stations, operating on shale dust, and five big shale mines have been constructed.
Many big enterprises like the Krenholm and Baltic textile mills, which had been destroyed in the war, were completely rebuilt.
A big hydro-electric station has been erected on the Narva River. Among the dozens of other enterprises put up there is one that makes excavators. Both new and old factories and mills have been equipped with highly efficient equipment.
In 1958 Estonian industry's gross output was 9.3 times more than in 1940. It is curious to note than in 1958 per capita output here was much more than the U.S.S.R. average. This not only shows that Estonian industry has rapidly advanced, but it certainly gives the lie to those who alleged that Estonia had "gone to the dogs" after becoming a Soviet Republic.
Soviet Estonia today is a flourishing land. The new Seven-Year Plan holds out still wider prospects.
Soviet Booklets, London, England, in December, 1959, as part of the series
"THE FIFTEEN SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS OF TODAY AND TOMMORROW."
We do not endorse the Soviet account of historical events or their circumstances contained therein as factual.
