Rhetorical transformation in Estonian political discourse during World War II

What is it about?

This article considers the transformations of political rhetoric in Estonian public discourse from the eve of World War II to the retreat of German troops from Estonia in August 1944. Thus, the period under analysis contains the 1940 coup d’état in June, Estonia’s “accession” or “acceptance” to the Soviet Union, and the German occupation of Estonia. The article will analyze how the Estonians’ political and cultural public identity was shaped in political speeches. The analysis will concentrate on the texts that employed the signs important for previous regimes to the introduction and consolidation of new (Soviet and National Socialist) ideological discourses. Using the methods of semiotics and discourse theory, the article will shed light on the metaphorical and metonymical principles of text and meaning construction in the context of power relations. The material of analysis consists of the speeches of the political elite from the 1938, 1939, and 1940 issues of Päevaleht; 1940–1941 issues of Rahva Hääl, and the 1941–1944 issues of Eesti Sõna, and finally, of articles that have been coordinated by the state (published in 1934–1940) in order represent the identity of the Estonian.

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