Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium
Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, Estonia has
transformed itself from a stagnant, state-driven, socialist system
into one of the world's most modern and dynamic free-market
economies.
A member of the 15-state Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,
Estonia had much farther to go in modernizing and liberalizing than
did members of the Warsaw Pact. Yet, through sound
free-market policies, the government in Tallinn transformed Estonia
into the envy of the formerly Communist European states. As a
result, Estonians have enjoyed unprecedented increases in living
standards as well as economic growth rates well over 5% since the
turn of the century. How did they do it? How did
Estonia form the political will and national solidarity needed to
adopt such bold, liberal economic strategies rather than an
incremental approach? How did Estonia stave off all the
pitfalls of development which have afflicted modernizing societies
since the end of World War II? Former Prime Minister Mart
Laar will tell us.
Mart Laar was Prime Minister of Estonia from 1992 to 1994 and
1999 to 2002. He guided Estonia through lightning economic
reforms that ultimately resulted in rapid economic growth and
accelerated acceptance into the European Union.
More About the Speakers
The Honorable Mart Laar
Former Prime Minister of Estonia
Hosted By
Tim Kane, Ph.D.
Visiting Fellow
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