Mart Laar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mart Laar
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Laar in 2011
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| 9th and 13th Prime Minister of Estonia |
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| In office 25 March 1999 – 28 January 2002 |
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| President | Lennart Meri Arnold Rüütel |
| Preceded by | Mart Siimann |
| Succeeded by | Siim Kallas |
| In office 21 October 1992 – 8 November 1994 |
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| President | Lennart Meri |
| Preceded by | Tiit Vähi (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Andres Tarand |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 6 April 2011 – 11 May 2012 |
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| Prime Minister | Andrus Ansip |
| Preceded by | Jaak Aaviksoo |
| Succeeded by | Urmas Reinsalu |
| Leader of the Isamaa | |
| In office 26 May 2007 – 28 January 2012 |
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| Succeeded by | Urmas Reinsalu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 April 1960 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 twice. His first time was from 1992 to 1994, and then again 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 political party. In April 2011, he became the Minister of Defence. He held this job until May 2012, when he resigned due to health reasons. In April 2013, he was chosen to lead the supervisory board of the Bank of Estonia.
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Mart Laar's Career Journey
Mart Laar was born in Viljandi, Estonia. He studied history at the University of Tartu. He finished his first degree in 1983. Later, he earned a master's degree in philosophy and a doctorate in history in 2005.
Before becoming a politician, Laar taught history in Tallinn. He also led several groups focused on Estonian history and heritage. He has written many books about Estonian and Soviet history. One of his famous books is War in the Woods: Estonia's Struggle for Survival, 1944–1956. This book is about the Forest Brothers, a group that fought against Soviet rule.
Becoming Prime Minister
Laar started his political path as a member of the conservative Pro Patria Union party. This party later joined with another party in 2006. On October 21, 1992, the Riigikogu (Estonia's parliament) 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. This means everyone paid the same percentage of their income in taxes. His government also sold most state-owned businesses to private owners. They removed taxes on goods from other countries and stopped giving money to certain industries. These changes helped make Estonia's economy stable and balanced the government's budget.
Challenges and Return to Leadership
In 1994, Mart Laar lost a vote of no confidence in parliament. This happened because some members of his government stopped supporting him. There were discussions about a deal involving weapons with Israel. Also, there was a situation where old Russian money, removed from use in Estonia, was sold to a region in Chechnya without parliament's full knowledge.
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 2002.
In 1999, while he was Prime Minister, Mart Laar was involved in an unusual incident. He and some colleagues used a shotgun to shoot at a photo of Edgar Savisaar, a leader of an opposing political party. Laar later said he was acting as a private person, not as the Prime Minister. He apologized for this event.
Awards and Recognition
Mart Laar has received many awards from Estonia and other countries.
In 2006, the Cato Institute gave him the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty. This award recognized his work in helping Estonia's economy grow. The Acton Institute also honored him with their Faith & Freedom Award in 2007.
Laar is a member 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 him the Petőfi Prize. This was for his efforts to study the terrible things that happened under Communist rule.
Recent Activities and Contributions
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Mart Laar has worked with other leaders from countries that used to be under Communist rule. He is part of the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba. He also helps the Human Rights Foundation and is a founding member of the Unitas Foundation.
In 2003, Laar received an award for helping Estonia develop electronic systems. These systems improved the country's technology and services.
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 to become the prime minister candidate for a new political party. On May 26, 2007, he was elected Chairman of the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica.
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On February 18, 2012, Mart Laar had a stroke. He stepped down as Defence Minister three months later. He was recovering and slowly returned to public life. In 2012, an old audit from 1995 was made public. This led to a critical article about Laar in the newspaper Eesti Ekspress.
Relationship with the Media
In 1994, the Estonian Newspaper Association gave Mart Laar the "Press Friend" award. He was the first person to receive this award, which is now given every year. In 2001, he was given the opposite award: "Press Enemy of the Year."
In January 2012, Mart Laar became part of an internet meme. During a discussion about a topic called ACTA, posts related to it disappeared from his Facebook page. He first explained it as "lack of space" on Facebook. Later, he 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' (2012)
- The Power of Freedom: Central and Eastern Europe after 1945 (2009)
- Stalinism Was Just as Bad as Nazism (2008)
- September 1944: Otto Tiefi valitsus (2007)
- Estonia's Way (2006)
- Sinimäed 1944 (2006)
- Lähiajalugu: gümnaasiumile (2006)
- Estoński cud (2006)
- The Forgotten War (2005)
- Der vergessene Krieg (2005)
- Der rote Terror (2005)
- Sarkanais terors (2005)
- Aizmirstais karš (2005)
- Unohdettu sota (2005)
- Eestlase raha läbi aegade (2006)
- Igaunija otraja pasaules kara (2005)
- Estonia in World War II (2005)
- Viron lyhyt historia' (2005)
- Streifzug durch die estnische Geschichte (2005)
- Äratajad (2005)
- Igaunijas vestures konspektivs parskats (2005)
- Linnulennul Eesti ajaloost (2005)
- Estonia: A Land of Human Dimensions (2004)
- Emajõgi 1944 (2005)
- Das estnische Wirtschaftwunder (2002)
- Estonia: Little Country that Could (2002)
- Eesti uus algus (2002)
- Vissza a jövőbe (2002)
- Back to the future. 10 years of freedom in Central Europe (2001)
- Észtország története (1999)
- Estonoj tra tempoj (1998)
- Eesti Vabadussõda ja Suurbritannia 1918–1920 (1998)
- Ajalugu 5. klassile (1997)
- Isamaa ilu hoieldes (1997)
- Teine Eesti: Eesti iseseisvuse taassünd 1986–1991 (1996)
- Punane terror (1996)
- Raamat Jakob Hurdast (1995)
- Suurim armastus (1994)
- The Challenge for Europe (1994)
- Metsavennad (1993)
- Unohdettu sota (1993)
- War in the Woods (1992)
- 14 juuni 1941.a: mälestusi ja dokumente (1990)
- Kodu lugu (1989)
See also
In Spanish: Mart Laar para niños
