History of Estonia (1920–1939)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
History of Estonia (1920–39)
)

Republic of Estonia
Eesti Vabariik
1918–1940
authoritarian dictatorship (1934-1940)[1]
President 
• 1938-1940
Konstantin Päts
Prime Minister/State Elder 
• 1918-1919
Konstantin Päts
• 1920-1921
Ants Piip
• 1933-1934
Konstantin Päts
Legislature
Interwar and World War II
23 February 1918
28 November 1918 – 2 February 1920
established June 16 1940
CurrencyEstonian kroon
ISO 3166 codeEE
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Autonomous Governorate of Estonia
Estonian Workers' Commune
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Estonian government-in-exile

The history of Estonia from 1918 to 1940 spanned the interwar period from the end of the Estonian War of Independence until the outbreak of World War II. It covers the years of parliamentary democracy, the Great Depression and the period of corporatist authoritarian rule.

Parliamentary democracy

Estonia won the

Tartu Peace Treaty
, signed on 2 February 1920.

The first

State Elder, similar to a prime minister
, and both answerable to the parliament.

The Republic of Estonia was recognised (de jure) by Finland on 7 July 1920, Poland on 31 December 1920, Argentina on 12 January 1921, by the Western Allies on 26 January 1921 and by India on 22 September 1921.

Baltic German economic dominance. A new currency, the Estonian kroon
, was introduced in 1928.

Estonian politics during the 1920s was dominated by unstable coalition governments, with a government lasting on average a period of 11 months. This was due to the large number of political parties holding seats in the Riigikogu, which often resulted in discord on specific issues. The 1920s also saw the development of national culture, with emphasis on Estonian language, history, education and ethnography. National minorities were granted cultural autonomy. Communism persisted as a threat to stability in the early 1920s but receded after a failed December

1924 Estonian coup d'état attempt. A volunteer Estonian Defence League as subsequently established. However efforts to establish a Baltic League
comprising the Baltic states, Finland and Poland, failed to materialise.

The Great Depression

Estonia's export oriented economy was severely affected by the

Vaps movement
grew in popularity and influence and a new constitution drafted by the movement was passed by a referendum in October 1933.

Period of authoritarian rule

1934 saw an easing of the consequences of the depression, with the devaluation of the kroon and improved terms of trade. The passing of the second constitution in 1933 and the planned elections for a new president eased political tensions. With the prospect of Vaps movement achieving electoral victory,

Austria, Portugal and many other countries of Europe.[1] In 1936, Päts held a referendum
on convening a National Assembly to draft a new constitution.

During the interwar period Estonia had pursued a policy of neutrality, but the fate of Estonia in World War II was decided by the German–Soviet Nonaggression Pact and its Secret Additional Protocol of August 1939. In the agreement, the two great powers agreed to divide up the countries situated between them (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland) with Estonia falling in the Soviet "sphere of influence". After the invasion of Poland, the Orzeł incident took place when Polish submarine ORP Orzeł looked for shelter in Tallinn but escaped after the Soviet Union attacked Poland on 17 September 1939. Estonia's lack of will and/or inability to disarm and intern the crew caused the Soviet Union to accuse Estonia of "helping them escape" and claim that Estonia was not neutral. On 24 September 1939, the Soviet Union threatened Estonia with war unless allowed to establish military bases in the country — an ultimatum with which the Estonian government complied.[7]

Downfall

In 1939, the Soviet Union forced a

occupation of the country
in 1940.

References

  1. ^ a b . Retrieved 11 January 2024. [...] fascist Italy [...] developed a state structure known as the corporate state with the ruling party acting as a mediator between 'corporations' making up the body of the nation. Similar designs were quite popular elsewhere in the 1930s. The most prominent examples were Estado Novo in Portugal (1932-1968) and Brazil (1937-1945), the Austrian Standestaat (1933-1938), and authoritarian experiments in Estonia, Romania, and some other countries of East and East-Central Europe,
  2. ^ "The recognition of the Republic of Estonia and the establishment of diplomatic relations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. Estonia Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Great Depression in Estonia". estonica.org. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  4. .
  5. ^ "Years of the authoritarian regime". estonica.org. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  6. ^ Kalling, Ken (2008). "Kutsekojad Eestis (1924)1934-1940 [Corporate chambers in Estonia in (1924)1934-1940]". Yearbook of the Learned Estonian Society 2006 (in Estonian). Tartu: Learned Estonian Society. pp. 264–265.
  7. ^ "The process of occupying Estonia in 1940". estonica.org. Retrieved 30 May 2021.