Mart Laar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mart Laar
Laar in 1999
9th and 13th Prime Minister of Estonia
In office 25 March 1999 – 28 January 2002
President	Lennart Meri Arnold Rüütel
Preceded by	Mart Siimann
Succeeded by	Siim Kallas
In office 21 October 1992 – 8 November 1994
President	Lennart Meri
Preceded by	Tiit Vähi (acting)
Succeeded by	Andres Tarand
Minister of Defence
In office 6 April 2011 – 11 May 2012
Prime Minister	Andrus Ansip
Preceded by	Jaak Aaviksoo
Succeeded by	Urmas Reinsalu
Leader of the Isamaa
In office 26 May 2007 – 28 January 2012
Succeeded by	Urmas Reinsalu
Personal details
Born	(1960-04-22) 22 April 1960 (age 65) Viljandi, Estonia
Political party	Pro Patria
Alma mater	University of Tartu

Mart Laar (born 22 April 1960) is an Estonian politician and historian. He served as the Prime Minister of Estonia two times. His first term was from 1992 to 1994, and his second was from 1999 to 2002.

Mart Laar is known for helping Estonia's economy grow very quickly in the 1990s. He is a member of the Isamaa party, which is a centre-right political group.

In April 2011, Mart Laar became the Minister of Defence. He served in this role until May 2012, when he resigned due to health reasons. In April 2013, the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) chose him to be the chairman of the supervisory board of the Bank of Estonia. His term started on 12 June 2013.

Mart Laar's Journey in Politics and History

Laar (center) with Kärt Jänes (left) and Hannes Walter (right) at a discussion in 1989.

Mart Laar was born in Viljandi, Estonia. He studied history at the University of Tartu, finishing his first degree in 1983. He later earned a master's degree in philosophy and a doctorate in history in 2005.

Before becoming a politician, Laar taught history in Tallinn. He was also involved in several historical societies. He has written many books about Estonian and Soviet history. One of his well-known books is War in the Woods: Estonia's Struggle for Survival, 1944–1956. This book is about the Forest Brothers, a group that resisted Soviet rule.

Starting a Political Career

Laar's political journey began when he joined the conservative Pro Patria Union party. This party later merged with another group in 2006. On 21 October 1992, the Riigikogu elected him as Prime Minister.

During his first time as Prime Minister, from 1992 to 1994, Mart Laar's government made big changes. Estonia was the first country in Europe to introduce a flat tax. They also sold most national industries to private owners in a fair way. His government removed tariffs and subsidies, which helped make the economy stable and balanced the country's budget.

Returning to Leadership

In 1994, Laar faced a no-confidence vote and lost his position. This happened because some members of his government stopped supporting him. There were public discussions about an arms deal and issues with money deals that were not approved by Parliament.

Five years later, in 1999, Laar became Prime Minister again. His main goals were to improve the economy and guide Estonia towards joining the European Union. He stayed in this role until he stepped down in 2002.

In May 1999, while he was Prime Minister, Mart Laar was involved in an incident where he shot at a photo of an opposition leader. He later explained that he was acting as a private person, not as the Prime Minister. Mart Laar apologized for this event.

Awards and Recognition

Mart Laar has received many awards from Estonia and other countries for his work.

In 2006, the Cato Institute gave him the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty. This award recognized his efforts in bringing about big economic changes in Estonia. The Acton Institute also honored him with their Faith & Freedom Award in 2007.

Mart Laar is a member of the Honorary Board of the European Association of History Educators (EUROCLIO). He is also part of the international advisory council for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

In 2011, the House of Terror Museum in Hungary gave Mart Laar the Petőfi Prize. This award was for his work in studying the crimes that happened under Communist rule.

Recent Activities and Contributions

Laar during an EPP summit in September 2010

Mart Laar has been involved in several international groups. He works with other leaders who helped their countries become democracies. One such group is the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba.

Laar and Mikheil Saakashvili at the European People's Party summit in 2010

He is also a member of the International Council of the Human Rights Foundation and a founding member of the Unitas Foundation.

Minister of finance of Finland Jyrki Katainen, Mart Laar and the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel in the EPP Summit of 2010

In 2003, Laar received the Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award. This was for helping Estonia develop electronic systems to improve its infrastructure.

After the Rose Revolution in Georgia, Laar became an advisor to Georgia's president, Mikheil Saakashvili. In 2010, he received the Order of St. George from Georgia.

In September 2006, Laar announced he would return to politics. He ran for the position of prime minister for the new Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica party. On 26 May 2007, he was elected Chairman of this party.

On 18 February 2012, Mart Laar had a stroke. He stepped down as Defence Minister three months later. He was recovering and stayed out of the public eye until October 2012.

In 2012, an old audit from 1995 about an arms deal was made public. This led to a newspaper publishing an article about Laar.

Relationship with the Media

In 1994, the Estonian Newspaper Association gave Laar the "Year's Press Friend" award. He was the first person to receive this award. In 2001, he was given the opposite award, "Year's Press Enemy."

In January 2012, Mart Laar became part of an internet meme. This happened during a discussion about the ACTA in Estonia. He explained that posts related to ACTA disappeared from his Facebook page due to "lack of space." He later clarified that his page's moderator deleted the posts without his permission. He also said that ACTA needed more discussion.

Published Works

• How Estonia is setting the bar for ‘smart defense (The Baltic Times, 2012)
• The Power of Freedom: Central and Eastern Europe after 1945 (Centre for European Studies, 2009) ISBN: 978-9949-18-858-1
• "Stalinism Was Just as Bad as Nazism" (The Wall Street Journal, 2008)
• September 1944: Otto Tiefi valitsus (Varrak, 2007) ISBN: 9985-3-1390-9
• Estonia's Way (Pegasus, 2006) ISBN: 9949-425-43-3
• Sinimäed 1944 (Tallinn, 2006) ISBN: 9985-3-1117-5
• Lähiajalugu: gümnaasiumile (Avita, 2006) ISBN: 9985-2-1173-1
• Estoński cud (Arwil, 2006) ISBN: 83-60533-00-8
• The Forgotten War (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-75-0
• Der vergessene Krieg (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-76-9
• Der rote Terror (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-82-3
• Sarkanais terors (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-78-5
• Aizmirstais karš (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-72-6
• Unohdettu sota (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-73-4
• Eestlase raha läbi aegade (Eesti Ekspressi Kirjastus, 2006) ISBN: 9985-9625-6-7
• Igaunija otraja pasaules kara (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-90-4
• Estonia in World War II (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-93-9
• Viron lyhyt historia' (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-85-8
• Streifzug durch die estnische Geschichte (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-88-2
• Äratajad (Tartu, 2005) ISBN: 9985-858-43-3
• Igaunijas vestures konspektivs parskats (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 978-9949-411-84-9
• Linnulennul Eesti ajaloost (Grenader, 2005) ISBN: 9949-411-83-1
• Estonia: A Land of Human Dimensions (Uniprint AS, 2004) ISBN: 9949-10-270-7
• Emajõgi 1944 (Tallinn, 2005) ISBN: 9985-3-1183-3
• Das estnische Wirtschaftwunder (Tallinn, 2002) ISBN: 978-9985-62-078-6
• Estonia: Little Country that Could (London, 2002) ISBN: 0-948027-40-1
• Eesti uus algus (Tallinn, 2002) ISBN: 9985-62-079-8
• Vissza a jövőbe (Budapest, 2002) ISBN: 963-9406-96-1
• Back to the future. 10 years of freedom in Central Europe (Tallinn, 2001)
• Észtország története (BDTF, 1999) ISBN: 963-9017-70-1
• Estonoj tra tempoj (Eesti Esperanto Liit, 1998) ISBN: 9985-9130-3-5
• Eesti Vabadussõda ja Suurbritannia 1918–1920 (Tallinn, 1998)
• Ajalugu 5. klassile (Avita, 1997) ISBN: 978-9985-2-0025-4
• Isamaa ilu hoieldes (Välis-Eesti & EMP, 1997)
• Punane terror (Välis-Eesti & EMP, 1996) ISBN: 978-91-86116-72-9
• Raamat Jakob Hurdast (Tartu. 1995)
• Suurim armastus (Välis-Eesti & EMP, 1994)
• The Challenge for Europe (London, 1994) ISBN: 1-897969-23-6
• Metsavennad (Tallinn, 1993) ISBN: 9985-821-44-0
• Unohdettu sota (FinnEpos, 1993) ISBN: 952-9523-18-1
• War in the Woods (Howells House, 1992) ISBN: 0-929590-08-2
• 14 juuni 1941.a: mälestusi ja dokumente (Tallinn, 1990)
• Kodu lugu (Tallinn, 1989)

See also

In Spanish: Mart Laar para niños