One of the most important building blocks for any state is a thorough understanding of its past and how the past can help inform its future. As many states have imperial legacies or were tossed back and forth amongst empires over centuries, the past can be both a weapon and a tool depending on who wields it. In Estonia, the past has been wielded effectively since independence was regained in 1991 in service of a renewed sense of nationhood and identity in the modern Europe of the 21st century. This does not mean that it has always been an easy journey for Estonia, as its occupier and aggressor across the Narva River is often all too eager to attempt to stifle its progress as a multi-ethnic European state. Furthermore, Estonia has had to contend with countless controversial monuments from its time under Soviet occupation that either inspire or disgust based on the intended audience.
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