The First World War (1914-1918) almost seamlessly transformed into wars of independence in the Baltic States. On the territory of the Russian provinces Estonia, Livonia and Courland the states Estonia and Latvia arose. Their first measures included land reforms: the redistribution of land ownership. In Estonia in 1919, in Latvia in 1920, large estates were expropriated, nationalised and partly newly allocated. On the one hand the power of the nobility on the land was broken, on the other hand many citizens of the new states were helped to acquire land for the first time.
This particularly affected German Baltic nobles, who lost almost 2 million hectares in Estonia alone by 1924, about 44 percent of the entire national territory. Estonian, Russian and German landowners were also expropriated. Compensation was paid but did not come close to the expropriated values. The winners were mainly landless people, former tenants and veterans of the wars of independence.
Illustrations:
1.) Map of the von Nolcken estate in the district of Dorpat
2.) Map of the von Nolcken estate in the district of Dorpat
Example: Property of the Baltic German noble family von Nolcken in the district of Tartu, formerly Dorpat, before the Estonian land reform 1919
DSHI 120 OL Münnich-Nolcken 228; Herder Institute Marburg