The predecessor of the Estonian Mathematical Society was the Academic Mathematical Society (Estonian: ), which was founded in Tartu on 23 February 1926. In 1940 Estonia was annexed by the
Soviet Union and became the
Estonian SSR. The Academic Mathematical Society was forced to cease its activities, and had its last meeting in November 1940.
Hans Kruus, who was at the time rector of the
University of Tartu, recommended that the society be dissolved, but this was prevented from happening when
Operation Barbarossa (and the subsequent occupation of Estonia by the Nazis) shifted the priorities of the Soviet Union. Society president repeatedly tried to restart the activities of the society during the war, but was unsuccessful. When the Second World War ended scientific societies continued to be banned in Estonia. An attempt to restart the society in 1983 was rejected by the
Communist Party of Estonia. In 1987 the Soviet Union introduced
perestroika, which allowed for more political independence. On 17 September 1987 the Academic Mathematical Society held its re-opening conference, and its name was changed to the Estonian Mathematical Society. In April 1988 a Computer Science branch of the EMS was established. It was disbanded in 1993 following the formation of the Estonian Society of Informatics. ==Awards==