Eesti Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Tööliste party
The Estonian Social Democratic Labor Party ( Estonian Eesti Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Tööliste Party - ESDTP) was a political party in Estonia during the interwar period . From 1925 it was called the Estonian Socialist Workers Party ( Eesti Sotsialistlik Tööliste Party - ESTP).
Early years
The ESDTP is considered to be the oldest political party in Estonia. The party's prehistory is heavily influenced by the Russian Revolution of 1905, which Estonian representatives also joined. Its roots go back to the Mensheviks , a faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party .
From 1907 Estonian Mensheviks formed their own sub-organization. On May 31, 1917 they founded the Estonian Social Democratic Association ( Eesti Sotsialistlik Ühendus ). In October 1917, the association renamed itself the Estonian Social Democratic Labor Party ( Eesti Sotsialistlik Tööliste Party ) and split off from the Russian Socialists for good. The lawyer August Rei , the writer Karl Ast and the journalist Mihkel Martna played a major role in founding the party .
Building the republic
In February 1918, the Republic of Estonia declared its state sovereignty and seceded from Russia. The social democratic / socialist ESTDP became one of the main parties in the political spectrum of the young republic.
In the elections for the Constituent Assembly of the Republic of Estonia ( Asutav Kogu ) in April 1919, the ESDTP had the strongest force with 41 out of 120 members. August Rei was elected Chairman of the Constituent Assembly on April 23, 1919 by 100 votes out of 115. The ESDTP thus shaped the foundations of a constitutional Estonia, which was constituted as a parliamentary democracy .
Program and electorate
In the early years there were strong political disputes within the party about the ideological course. A smaller, more radical section of the party was close to communist ideals, even if they rejected Bolshevik rule as in Soviet Russia . The majority, however, championed social democratic goals .
The disputes between the two wings made the ESDTP fall in favor of the voters. In the parliamentary elections in 1920, the party suffered heavy losses with only 17.0%. The number of voters almost halved. The ESDTP was only the third largest group in parliament. The Socialist Independent Socialist Workers' Party , on the other hand, was able to almost double its share of the vote from 5.8% to 10.6%.
It was not until the mid-1920s that the social democratic majority prevailed. With the failed communist coup attempt on December 1, 1924, in which Moscow- controlled Bolsheviks wanted to seize power in Estonia and strive for unification with the Soviet Union , the radical left wing was marginalized. At the same time, the party was able to gain a foothold in various youth, women's and sports associations as well as in the trade unions.
The party called for the building of a socialist society as a long-term goal. It was opposed to a violent overthrow or a dictatorship of the proletariat . A viable socialism cannot be created through violence, but must develop democratically. Socialism in Estonia cannot be thought of in isolation from political developments in Western Europe.
The ESDTP took a pragmatic and compromise-ready approach to the Estonian political system. Above all, she wanted to anchor democratic and social principles in the state and social order. Programmatically, she advocated improvements in daily life such as the fight against unemployment, a reduction in the cost of living, a reduction in taxes, and the creation of a fair social security system. This included the creation of free health insurance for the poorer classes. She also called for compulsory schooling for all young people up to the age of 16.
The electorate of the ESDTP consisted mainly of the urban industrial workers, poorer small farmers and parts of the petty bourgeoisie. In terms of its electorate, the ESDTP was a classic social democratic party in Europe in the interwar period.
Prominent representatives
Prominent representatives of the right wing of the party were August Rei (Estonian head of state and government 1928/29) and the ministers Alexander Oinas , Leopold Johannes Johanson , Nikolai Köstner , Anton Palvadre as well as the lawyer Alma Ostra-Oinas , the writer Karl Ast , the lawyer Johan Jans and the diplomat and two-time Foreign Minister Aleksander Hellat .
The left wing included Mihkel Martna , Alekander Joeäär and Nigol Andresen .
Association for the ESTP
In April 1925, the ESDTP merged with the socialist Independent Socialist Workers' Party ( Iseseisev Sotsialistlik Tööliste Party - ISTP). From then on, the party was known as the Estonian Socialist Workers' Party ( Eesti Sotsialistlik Tööliste Party - ESTP). On June 9, 1925, the MPs elected August Rei as President of Parliament.
In the parliamentary elections in 1926 , the ESTP was the strongest political force with 22.9%. From December 1928 to July 1929 August Rei held the office of Head of State and Government ( Riigivanem ) in a coalition government . In the elections three years later, it was even able to increase its result with 24.0%.
In 1926, a radical left wing of the united party around Eduard Pesur and Paul Abramson split off again. The group founded the Estonian Workers' Party ( Eesti Tööliste Party - ETP). The ETP was completely taken over by the communists around 1929.
Election results
| choice | Legislative period | be right | MPs (Asutav Kogu = 120 seats) (Riigikogu = 100 seats) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Asutav Kogu | 33.3% | 41 |
| 1920 | 1. Riigikogu | 17.0% | 18th |
| 1923 | 2. Riigikogu | 14.0% | 15th |
| 1926 | 3. Riigikogu | 22.9% | 20th |
| 1929 | 4. Riigikogu | 22.0% | 25th |
| 1932 | 5. Riigikogu | 21.0% | 22nd |
End of the party
On January 24, 1934, a new Estonian constitution came into force. It envisaged the office of president with extensive powers. The direct elections for the head of state were to take place in early 1934. For election to put Konstantin Pats from the farmers Confederation ( Farmers 'Assemblies ), General Johan Laidoner for Siedlerbund and the National Center Party , August Rei by the Estonian Socialist Workers' Party, and Andres Larka from the right-wing League of Freedom Fighters ( Eesti Vabadussõjalaste Liit ). Political observers predicted a landslide victory for radical Larka.
On March 12, 1934, the right-wing conservative head of state and government Konstantin Päts and Major General Johan Laidoner seized power in a bloodless coup with the help of the Estonian military . From then on, Päts ruled authoritarian. The parties were banned from operating.
Later, the leaders of the former ESTP came to terms with Pats' rule. August Rei became Estonian ambassador in Moscow in 1938 , Karl Ast became Estonian press attaché in Stockholm in 1939 .
Päts' government was replaced in 1940 by the Stalinist occupation of Estonia and the country's annexation into the Soviet Union . Numerous social democrats were deported to Siberia , died in the gulag or were murdered, including the multiple social democratic ministers Aleksander Oinas and Leopold Johanson .
literature
- Sulev Vahtre (Ed.): Eesti Ajalugu. Volume 6: Vabadussõjast Taasiseseisvumiseni. Ilmamaa, Tartu 2005, ISBN 9985-77-142-7 , p. 67 f.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.ekspress.ee/news/paevauudised/ajalugu/sotsid-olid-esimesed-eesti-vanima-partei-hamarad-sidemed.d?id=64270251
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Mati Laur et al .: History of Estonia. 2nd edition. Avita, Tallinn 2002, ISBN 9985-2-0606-1 , p. 229.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated August 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated August 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
