On Sep. 11, 1988, 300,000 Estonians gathered at the Tallinn Song Festival Arena (right)—more than a quarter of all Estonians. The were insisting on restoration of independence. Estonians also acted as human shields to protect the radio and TV stations from the Soviet tanks. Through these actions Estonia regained independence without any bloodshed after Mikhail Gorbachev pulled out Soviet tanks rather than run over Estonian choirs.
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