ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Timeline of the Estonian War of Independence

Okay kiddo, so back in the olden days, a long time ago, Estonia was part of something called the Russian Empire. But the people in Estonia really wanted their own country, so they tried to become independent.

In 1918, they finally did it - they declared themselves a new country called the Republic of Estonia. But guess what? Russia wasn't too happy about this, and they sent their army to invade Estonia.

So, the Estonians had to fight back to protect their new country. The war started in November 1918, and it was a really tough time for the Estonian people. They had to defend their land and their freedom against the much bigger and stronger Russian army.

But the Estonians were really brave and they didn't give up. They had some help from other countries, like Finland and Sweden, who sent volunteers to fight alongside them.

The war went on for about a year and a half, until an armistice was signed on February 2, 1920. This basically means that both sides agreed to stop fighting for a while.

Eventually, a peace treaty was signed on February 2, 1920. Estonia was officially recognized as an independent country, and Russia had to give up any claims to Estonian territory.

So, that's the story of the Estonian War of Independence! It was a hard time for the Estonian people, but they showed a lot of courage and determination to defend their country and win their freedom.