Anthem of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
The anthem of the Estonian SSR was the regional anthem of Estonia between 1945 and 1990 when it was part of the Soviet Union. Background. The anthem was presented to the government of the USSR on May 1944, three months after the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 3 February 1944, "On the State Anthems of the Soviet Republics." The melody of the anthem was composed by Gustav Ernesaks, and the lyrics written by Johannes Semper. It, the anthem of the Karelo-Finnish SSR, and the anthem  of the Georgian SSR were the only ones not to mention the Russian people. After Stalin died in 1953, a period of de-Stalinization began. On July 21, 1956, the third stanza of the anthem's lyrics was changed to remove all mentions of Stalin. Throughout most of the Soviet occupation of Estonia (1940–1991) performing or reciting the melody or lyrics of the official national anthem of Estonia was strictly forbidden. With the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991, the official national anthem from 1920 by Fredrik Pacius with lyrics by Johann Voldemar Jannsen was restored. Anthem of the Estonian