I had always thought of post war immigrant North American Estonians as being “economic” refugees. After reading the book I realized I was wrong to some extent. My parents and many of their friends, however, were economic refugees, who in Estonia had been simple island fishermen, subsistence farmers, living in isolated dire poverty in conditions essentially unchanged from the previous century. Many escaped in small fishing boats to Sweden. Some even brought along former Estonian government officials or government officials of the occupying Nazi regime who would have been liquidated by the Soviets.
Although Sweden legally recognized the incorporation of the Baltic States into the Soviet Union, it welcomed refugees and most people who had been middle or upper class in Estonia retained their status, integrated into good jobs, although not necessarily ones they had held before. Sweden had not been touched by the war, so most did not wish to leave. Because of a fear that Sweden was becoming too cozy with the Soviet Union, a few (about 1500) literally “gate-crashed” North America in small old ships which they bought. Those who left after 1949, the majority, were “economic” refugees. They used their savings acquired through thrift and penury to buy passage to Canada after satisfying stiff Canadian immigration requirements, but they made up only about 25% of Canadian Estonian society.
The majority immigrated to Canada from Displaced Person Camps in Germany having either been evacuated by ship with the fleeing Nazi occupation civil administration or retreating with German forces. A very small number were forcibly taken to Germany late in the war as forced labourers. Dr. Aun is careful to point out that most people, regardless of which country they fled to, had an equal disdain for both Nazism and Communism.
All faced relatively more difficult conditions in crowded refugee camps which they had to endure for several years, and most thought of themselves as “political” refugees. Many were former army officers or jurists and they generally represented the upper crust of pre-war Estonia that had survived the first Soviet terror targeted mainly at the elite. They were brought into Canada by the International Refugee Organization (IRO) which forced them temporarily into menial jobs for which they were either grotesquely overqualified (the post-graduate electrical engineer pushing a wheelbarrow at Rolphton hydro dam) or completely unqualified (the former cabinet minister or judge working as a farm laborer). Even after the first shock and resettlement once they had completed their contractual obligations, many, especially older people never did find work which suited their qualifications or abilities. In the end they all did well economically, partly because Canada experienced boom times, but mainly because of thrift and hard work.
Dr. Aun describes the determination on the part of many of these immigrants to remain Estonian as having a “messianic element” to it. The way of life, value systems and standards particularly of pre-war Estonia were idealized. Almost all Canadian values and standards were rejected (except the courts, political system and access to education). The older generation expected the younger to remain “Estonian” with all that entailed, particularly language and mixed-marriages. Also, they were to be accorded the respect which they felt their former positions in Estonia or current positions as community leaders entitled them to.
Some obviously retained their messianic determination to the point that, where I understand, an octogenarian recently felt he didn’t need travel health insurance flying to Estonia, having never given up his citizenship. The fact that he couldn’t get directly to Estonia and that he hadn’t contributed Estonian taxes or health premiums for half a century didn’t much matter. The hue and cry by some of the older generation when he had to pay for medical care was remarkable as was the sensible response by the Estonian government.
Leadership positions were largely occupied by people who lived two lives — one at their day-to-day menial mindless job, and the other as the “nomenklatura” of Canadian Estonian society. The demand for respect they felt due to them was particularly evident on the part of church ministers, pedagogues and jurists. The younger generation (particularly those from the poorest part of Estonia who jumped social class by receiving higher education) were in general not inclined to go along with this. There then ensued generational conflict which because of the unique situation was more severe and lasted longer than should have been the case. Some of this conflict appears to still be present today even though the second generation maintains it has taken over.
Dr Aun says that the decline in youth participation could not be blamed so much on the youth as on the many older leaders. It was not the moderates, but those who believed in a fixed set of ethnic and political goals who commanded the leadership positions and used these to condemn any vacillation in patriotic attitudes and to morally castigate the youth. The book points out, that in fairness, many of these people, had they not been able to separate their lives between their unrewarding day jobs and after-hours activities, would have had mental breakdowns.
In the last chapter “Facing the Future” Dr. Aun seems cautiously optimistic, noting that in Toronto new youth-orientated organizations and cultural activities emerged in the 1970’s. Despite this, his long-term prognosis was that at the end of the century the Estonian ethnic community would be much smaller and much less Estonian speaking. Its main objective would be social contact and the pursuit of Estonian culture on an avocational basis. This seems to have happened, at least in Toronto. Outside Toronto time has almost finished doing its work.
At the time the book was written the former Soviet Union was already quietly on its deathbed although this was not apparent, even to highly-funded Western analysts. Estonia regained its independence and it appears probable that Estonia itself will survive as a distinct society notwithstanding that there are less than a million people world-wide fluent in the language and that the former Soviet Union left behind about half a million people many regard as “cultural pollution”.
A few of us who dropped out, took over correspondence with our relatives in Estonia after the passing on of our parents, and some regularly visit. My personal experience with the older generation there is mixed. My spoken Estonian, although dated, is good enough so that they can readily tell where my parents came from, especially on the island itself. Sometimes this leads to amusing results, such as when a retired professor in Tallinn had to ask me twice if I really had graduated from university. The younger generation seems intent on practicing their English, but seem in no danger of losing their mother tongue or heritage.