Through the use of semi-structured interviews with elites in power during Estonia’s transition, compared and contrasted with academic narratives, and with each other, this thesis establishes that this development was partially the result of years of contact with media and persons from beyond the Iron Curtain, especially Finland, to a degree unknown in the rest of the former Soviet Union. Similarly, while Estonia's unusually high level of contact with the West is frequently remarked upon, it is rarely discussed in detail, and the motives of Estonia's transition elites have also received little attention, a niche this thesis fills. While much has been written about the after-effects of reforms, the reasoning behind the reforms themselves has rarely been approached from a cultural angle, although various academics have noted that the cultural and ideological background of economic and political choices in Estonia is underestimated and under-analyzed. When the Baltic states returned to independence in 1991, they had similar problems, means, and goals, and yet, within a few years, Estonia had passed and sustained the most radical neoliberal reforms. Cooperation among Baltic countries influenced the conceptual aspects of national education/school and supported developments during the initial period of renewal and later. Wide grassroots participation was rejected by the parallel regime of knowledge/power that had strong influence during this time. Conclusions indicate that general use of terms quickly emerged in a paradigm of changing metaphors and keywords: democratisation of education, school autonomy, national education (upbringing), humanisation, pluralism, etc. The research method is reflective qualitative documentary research, including publications, oral and written memories, and context and comparative analysis. The problem addressed in the study is the character of educational changes and the nature of the contradictions in these changes. The subject of study covers the main activities and ideas, conceptions of (re)creation of a national school, and education in Estonia with some parallels and interactions with Lithuania and Latvia. The article describes the early period (1987–1997) of education renewal in Estonia and other Baltic countries by analysing the timeline of emancipation and influences of participative democracy.
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