--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Soviet Union collapsed without a lot…" description: "\"The Soviet Union collapsed without a lot of people thinking it should or would, whereas for Estonia, it was something we'd been praying for for 60 year..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/toomas-hendrik-ilves-10602_people_the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot_848393.jpg" --- # The Soviet Union collapsed without a lot of people… ![“The Soviet Union collapsed without a lot of people thinking it should or would, whereas for Estonia, it was something we'd been praying for for 60 years.” quote by Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/toomas-hendrik-ilves-10602_people_the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot_848393.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/toomas-hendrik-ilves-10602_people_the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot_848393.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/toomas-hendrik-ilves-10602_people_the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot_848393.jpg) > “The Soviet Union collapsed without a lot of people thinking it should or would, whereas for Estonia, it was something we'd been praying for for 60 years.” [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The collapse of the USSR was unexpected to most, but for Estonia it fulfilled a long‑standing hope for independence. **In simple terms:** Estonia’s independence was a long‑awaited dream realized as the USSR fell. Key Takeaway Recognize how historic shifts can fulfill deep aspirations. Themes history politics national identity Mood reflective hopeful Type political historical When to use this quote - independence movements - political transitions - national celebrations Key Concepts self‑determination geopolitics Questions to Reflect On - How do societies prepare for sudden political change? - What role does collective hope play in national movements? A Different Perspective Historical change can be abrupt, leaving little time for preparation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Estonia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/estonia/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Here I was in Estonia, doing a concert for 5,000 people, and not many people know the song My Way - Gorbachev in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-davi/here-i-was-in-estonia-doing-a-concert-for-5-000-people-and-not-many/) [Robert Davi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-davi/) > [After the Soviet Union collapsed, people thought I wasn't funny anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yakov-smirnoff/after-the-soviet-union-collapsed-people-thought-i-wasn-t-funny-anymore/) [Yakov Smirnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yakov-smirnoff/) > [I remember starting to read about the Soviet Union when I was eight years old; I think I was reading my father's 'New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/i-remember-starting-to-read-about-the-soviet-union-when-i-was-eight/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [I was in my early 20s when Estonia joined the E.U. For a kid who'd grown up in the Soviet Union, it seemed like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taavet-hinrikus/i-was-in-my-early-20s-when-estonia-joined-the-e-u-for-a-kid-who-d/) [Taavet Hinrikus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taavet-hinrikus/) > [In Northern Estonia, the Soviet authorities didn't have a recipe on how to fight against the popularity of Finnish TV. Audiences didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaak-kilmi/in-northern-estonia-the-soviet-authorities-didn-t-have-a-recipe-on/) [Jaak Kilmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaak-kilmi/) > [That was something that shaped my thinking regarding Estonia: the idea that we should be getting our young people to work with computers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/that-was-something-that-shaped-my-thinking-regarding-estonia-the-idea/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [If Estonia or any member-state was invaded and Article V was not invoked, NATO will fall apart. If it fails once, the alliance will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/if-estonia-or-any-member-state-was-invaded-and-article-v-was-not/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [People have actually figured out that Estonia is one of the few post-Communist countries that has a genuine image in people's minds as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/people-have-actually-figured-out-that-estonia-is-one-of-the-few-post/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [I'm not afraid of code. I mean, I understand how these things work. I thought that that was the one area where Estonia was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/i-m-not-afraid-of-code-i-mean-i-understand-how-these-things-work-i/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [The most puzzling development in politics during the last decade is the apparent determination of Western European leaders to re-create the Soviet Union in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/the-most-puzzling-development-in-politics-during-the-last-decade-is/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/gentlemen-comrades-do-not-be-concerned-about-all-you-hear-about/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [Russia can fall apart. It's not because of the oil prices ... It's because what sticks a country together is a common interest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilya-ponomarev/russia-can-fall-apart-it-s-not-because-of-the-oil-prices-it-s-because/) [Ilya Ponomarev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilya-ponomarev/) > [The Soviet Union is like the Cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-soviet-union-is-like-the-cross-without-christ-while-american/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [The ultimate goal of the whole policy of peaceful co-existence was to make progress on the basic goal laid down by Lenin of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/the-ultimate-goal-of-the-whole-policy-of-peaceful-co-existence-was-to/) [Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/) > [ I think his \[Reagan's\] policy toward the Soviet Union was more risky than most people realize, and it was risky because of the paranoia… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-hoffman/i-think-his-reagan-s-policy-toward-the-soviet-union-was-more-risky/) [David E. Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-hoffman/) ## More by Toomas Hendrik Ilves > [Digital warfare, in the Clausewitz definition as 'the continuation of policy by other means,' reached Western public consciousness via my own country, Estonia, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/digital-warfare-in-the-clausewitz-definition-as-the-continuation-of/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [When Estonia reestablished its sovereignty after a half century of successive thuggish, totalitarian, foreign occupations by the Soviets, the Nazis, and then again the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/when-estonia-reestablished-its-sovereignty-after-a-half-century-of/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [Social media has become a primary factor in political campaigns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/social-media-has-become-a-primary-factor-in-political-campaigns/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [I'm not afraid of code. I mean, I understand how these things work. I thought that that was the one area where Estonia was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/i-m-not-afraid-of-code-i-mean-i-understand-how-these-things-work-i/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [People have actually figured out that Estonia is one of the few post-Communist countries that has a genuine image in people's minds as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/people-have-actually-figured-out-that-estonia-is-one-of-the-few-post/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [The domestic policy of any president, U.S. or otherwise, is his or her own concern, as long as democratic norms are followed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/the-domestic-policy-of-any-president-u-s-or-otherwise-is-his-or-her/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [As for the European far left, it has very little to do with Marxism-Leninism these days. It has more to do with anti-Semitism, racism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/as-for-the-european-far-left-it-has-very-little-to-do-with-marxism/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [Liberal democracies do not and often cannot respond in kind to cyberattacks on their own way of governance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/liberal-democracies-do-not-and-often-cannot-respond-in-kind-to/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [Big data knows and can deduce more about you than Big Brother ever could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/big-data-knows-and-can-deduce-more-about-you-than-big-brother-ever/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [Russia has had very aggressive military exercises. They've practiced mock nuclear attacks on Warsaw. Russian bombers practiced attacking strategic military targets in Sweden. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/russia-has-had-very-aggressive-military-exercises-they-ve-practiced/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [I realised that if we were not in the E.U., there were people in the E.U. who were also members of NATO that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/i-realised-that-if-we-were-not-in-the-e-u-there-were-people-in-the-e/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [The minute a collective alliance fails to live up to its agreement to collective defence, then from that moment on, everybody is on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/the-minute-a-collective-alliance-fails-to-live-up-to-its-agreement-to/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [I remember starting to read about the Soviet Union when I was eight years old; I think I was reading my father's 'New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/i-remember-starting-to-read-about-the-soviet-union-when-i-was-eight/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [Fake news is cheap to produce. Genuine journalism is expensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/fake-news-is-cheap-to-produce-genuine-journalism-is-expensive/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [The Russian Federation's practice of instant citizenship, whereby Russian passports are distributed willy-nilly to ethnic Russians abroad so they can be 'protected' in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/the-russian-federation-s-practice-of-instant-citizenship-whereby/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) [Explore all 64 Toomas Hendrik Ilves quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) ## More Estonia quotes > [“It would be easier to get a computer to cry than to get Estonians to share their innermost feelings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lembit-pik/it-would-be-easier-to-get-a-computer-to-cry-than-to-get-estonians-to/) Lembit Öpik > [I'm not afraid of code. I mean, I understand how these things work. I thought that that was the one area where Estonia was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/i-m-not-afraid-of-code-i-mean-i-understand-how-these-things-work-i/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [I was in Estonia when a professor asked me if I was aware that making any criticism of the Red Army during the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-beevor/i-was-in-estonia-when-a-professor-asked-me-if-i-was-aware-that-making/) [Antony Beevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-beevor/) > [People have actually figured out that Estonia is one of the few post-Communist countries that has a genuine image in people's minds as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/people-have-actually-figured-out-that-estonia-is-one-of-the-few-post/) [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/) > [I hope one day when I say I'm from Estonia, people don't say: 'What? Where's that?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-kass/i-hope-one-day-when-i-say-i-m-from-estonia-people-don-t-say-what/) [Carmen Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-kass/) > [My name is Mart Laar. I have been twice Prime Minister of Estonia, and I'm not an economist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mart-laar/my-name-is-mart-laar-i-have-been-twice-prime-minister-of-estonia-and/) Mart Laar > [No well-run yacht basin in Southern waters is complete without at least two sun-burned, salt bleached-headed Esthonians who are waiting for a check from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/no-well-run-yacht-basin-in-southern-waters-is-complete-without-at/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I am not always happy with the compliments Estonia has received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennart-meri/i-am-not-always-happy-with-the-compliments-estonia-has-received/) [Lennart Meri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennart-meri/) > [You know that Estonia, based largely on how successful Skype was, built by Estonian developers, that was a tenth of the entire country's GDP…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/you-know-that-estonia-based-largely-on-how-successful-skype-was-built/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [The E.U. is very popular in Estonia, and for very good reasons - not because Estonia has received considerable support from the E.U., but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kersti-kaljulaid/the-e-u-is-very-popular-in-estonia-and-for-very-good-reasons-not/) [Kersti Kaljulaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kersti-kaljulaid/) > [Estonia maintains a two-language school system. I don't know many countries in the world that provide a system like ours. We are making sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kersti-kaljulaid/estonia-maintains-a-two-language-school-system-i-don-t-know-many/) [Kersti Kaljulaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kersti-kaljulaid/) > [Denmark and Estonia both refused to prosecute the Danske Bank case when we filed in 2013.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-browder/denmark-and-estonia-both-refused-to-prosecute-the-danske-bank-case/) [Bill Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-browder/) > [Here I was in Estonia, doing a concert for 5,000 people, and not many people know the song My Way - Gorbachev in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-davi/here-i-was-in-estonia-doing-a-concert-for-5-000-people-and-not-many/) [Robert Davi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-davi/) > [In the mid-1980s, however, the Estonian TV programmers came up with a clever idea: they asked Moscow for millions of rubles to make propaganda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaak-kilmi/in-the-mid-1980s-however-the-estonian-tv-programmers-came-up-with-a/) [Jaak Kilmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaak-kilmi/) > [You could go to Estonia and there's probably an episode of 'Seinfeld' playing there. Television is a very powerful thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yul-vazquez/you-could-go-to-estonia-and-there-s-probably-an-episode-of-seinfeld/) [Yul Vazquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yul-vazquez/) [Browse all 43 Estonia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/estonia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Soviet Union collapsed without a lot of people thinking it should or would, whereas for Estonia, it was something we'd been praying for for 60 years.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Toomas Hendrik Ilves" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot-of-people-thinking-it-should/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Estonia" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot-of-people-thinking-it-should/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/toomas-hendrik-ilves-10602_people_the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot_848393.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/toomas-hendrik-ilves-10602_people_the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot_848393.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/toomas-hendrik-ilves-10602_people_the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot_848393.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Soviet Union collapsed without a lot of people thinking it should or would, whereas for Estonia, it was…” — Toomas Hendrik Ilves", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Toomas Hendrik Ilves", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toomas-hendrik-ilves/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Soviet Union collapsed without a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot-of-people-thinking-it-should/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toomas-hendrik-ilves/the-soviet-union-collapsed-without-a-lot-of-people-thinking-it-should/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```