Valitsusprogrammi representatsioon peaministrite ametisse astumise kõnedes 1992-2007
Date
2010
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
Description
The title of this dissertation is “The representation of government programmes in
inauguration speeches of Estonian Prime Ministers 1992-2007“. Its main objectives are, on
the one hand, to focus on the values and goals shared in the inauguration speeches of
Estonian Prime Ministers and, on the other, the reproduction of the official values through the
legitimatization of the government.
The theoretical standpoint of the thesis stems from diverse views of what political culture is,
the shape and description of political discourse, changing values, ideology and good
governance. The central concepts of the thesis are political culture, critical discourse analysis,
legitimacy of the power, consolidation of values and their change over transformation
processes.
The analytical material of the thesis is composed of inauguration speeches of Prime Ministers
of the Estonian Republic from regaining independence (1991) up to 2007. The analysed
speeches were chosen according to whether the speech was given to introduce government
programmes after the elections of the Riigikogu (Parliament) or after having reformed the
government coalition, bringing a new coalition with new government partners.
Shared values in Estonia connected to the changes in the society are researched through
different public opinion surveys. Accordingly, these surveys have not focused on
governmental self-defining discourses and indications to political culture from the viewpoint
of reflecting, shaping and changing values through political discourse.
Methodologically speaking, the present thesis combines discourse analysis with some aspects
of content analysis. Discourse and content analysis of the inauguration speeches of Estonian
Prime Ministers provides an overview of the main semantic features portrayed in the
introduction of the government, its values and goals in the governmental period. Furthermore,
it highlights the changes through the overall discourse and in speeches separately. The
method also helped to take into account and to describe the context of the speakers and
speeches and provide examples of the values and their changes accordingly.
The initial hypothesis was tested and confirmed throughout the thesis. In addition to
legitimizing the government, define it by its developments, and presenting the governmental
program, social values and goals are shared and up to date challenges and goals are specified.
The main subjects of self-defining of the government are related to state-building purposes,
and provide a perfect chance for presenting the values oriented to the preserving the nation,
language, national culture and also economic changes and other developments in the state and
society.
Starting from 1992, all the speeches of the Prime Ministers in the Riigikogu reflect mainly
target values. Right after regaining independence, the target values were bound to statebuilding
processes, establishing the governmental structures and legal system, and
guaranteeing the stability of the state. On the one hand, the target values related to statebuilding
and state security were concerned with the development of the nationhood, its
needed abilities, reforms, political stability, preserving and developing the nation state,
population growth, national security, legal system, etc. The target values related to
economical development had to do with international competitiveness of the Estonian
economy, low tax burden, competent labour force and knowledge-based economy. Finally,
the values expressing political culture and developments of the society were also expressed in
the speeches.
The abovementioned target values expressed in most of the speeches of Prime Ministers are
noticeably supplemented in the beginning of early 2000ths after the state and independence
were secured, especially after Estonia joined the European Union and NATO. These changes
added the values bound to personal space of society members of Estonia (self-realization,
happiness, toleration, creativity, freedom) to the discourse introducing the government. The
range of values bound to political and societal developments as dignity, appreciating older
generation and improving public health were also added into the new discursive practices.
The social groups addressed to by the Prime Ministers’ discourse are quite stable during the
covered period of analysis. Special attention in the speeches is mostly paid to (young)
families, pensioners, unemployed people, rural people, pedagogues and entrepreneurs. This
attention to these groups might be understood through the values and expectations bound to
them in the speech: improving their material state or mentioning the expectations for these
improvements, defining the group as important for the development and improvement of
Estonia, and achieving specific development goals (knowledge-based economy, foreign
investments etc).
Eventually it is possible to say that the values expressed to legitimate the Estonian
governments by the Prime Ministers during 1992-2007 reflect rapid changes in the
development of Estonia. Along the abovementioned changes, the definition of the state goals
has moved from state-building to its preservation and the improvement of Estonia’s
international relevance. The values offered to the inhabitants have changed from maintaining
their life-standard and handling everyday life towards attempting higher life standards and
activeness in innovative economics, but also to increase Estonia’s population, and preserve its
culture and nation-state. To a certain extent, in addition to the new values from the beginning
of 2000ths it is possible to identify values that may be considered as postmodern (selfrealization,
public health, keeping nature and environment etc).
Seen political culture in connection with shared values in the society and discourse, the
conclusions of the thesis assure that political culture of Estonia is developing with the
statehood. The appearance of terminal values legitimizing the government and offered to the
public in the discourse of Estonian Prime Ministers may be one of the first signs of the
change in shared values of the Estonian society. But how will these first indications,
introduced during rapid economical growth times in Estonia, develop? This might be the
subject for further research, following government discourses and broader public discourses
in Estonia.
The constant references to the potential loss of Estonian culture, language and the essence of
the „Estonianness“ in the discourse of Estonian Prime Ministers seem to indicate that the
discourse is used as a tool for political mobilzation. A prognosis as a result of this analysis is
that similar references will continue to be used in future speeches in order to quarrantee the
national unity, citizens’ political priorities and exclusive interest to Estonian affairs rather
than European and global issues (social, environmetal, economical etc).
Keywords
magistritööd, Eesti, peaministrid, inauguratsioon, kõned, valitsused, arendusprogrammid, kommunikatsioon, representatsioon, 1990-ndad, 2000-ndad