Eesti Tööerakond
The Estonian Labor Party ( Estonian Eesti Tööerakond - ETE) was a political party in Estonia during the interwar period . It was oriented towards social democracy until the mid-1920s , before positioning itself as a center-right party.
Radical socialists
The Estonian Labor Party emerged in revolutionary Russia from a merger of the Radical Socialist Party ( Radikaalsotsialistlik Erakond ) and the Union of Estonian Republicans ( Eesti Vabariiklaste Liit ), which mainly consisted of Estonian intellectuals from the Russian capital Petrograd .
The founder of the Radical Socialists was Jüri Vilms , one of the later founding fathers of the Republic of Estonia. The party was officially launched on May 6, 1917 in Tallinn by Jüri Vilms and Eduard Laaman . She advocated social equality, a comprehensive land reform in Estonia and the separation of church and state. In the provisional state parliament of the Estonia Governorate , the Radical Socialists provided four of the 55 members.
In late September / early October 1917, the Union of Estonian Republicans joined the party. In future it was named Estonian Labor Party . After the October Revolution in Russia , the party was one of the first political groups to demand the full independence of a democratic and constitutional Estonia.
Republic of Estonia
After Estonia's declaration of independence on February 24, 1918, the party was a member of the Provisional Government . As a member of the " Estonian Rescue Committee ", Jüri Vilms traveled across the frozen Baltic Sea to Finland to appeal to the Western powers for the recognition of Estonian independence. He was executed in Helsinki in April 1918 under circumstances that have never been fully clarified , probably on German orders.
After Vilms' murder, Otto Strandman became the party's political leader. He was Estonian Prime Minister in 1919 and from 1929 to 1931. Other prominent politicians of the party were Ants Piip (head of government 1920/21) and Juhan Kukk (head of government 1922/23) as well as the multiple ministers Theodor Pool , Christian Kaarna , Ado Anderkopp and Julius Seljamaa .
The Estonian Labor Party was particularly successful in the elections to the Constituent Assembly of the Republic of Estonia ( Asutav Kogu ) and in the first term of the Estonian Parliament ( Riigikogu ). The party strongly influenced the creation of the first Estonian constitution and the Estonian land reform , which expropriated the Baltic German landowners. Until 1932, the party belonged to most of the coalition governments and, despite falling approval, retained its strong position in the Estonian party system.
Program and following
The party was initially oriented as a center-left party, but in the course of the 1920s it moved to the right into the center of the political spectrum. She was rather conservative.
The Estonian Labor Party particularly addressed the Estonian middle class . Its supporters included civil servants and government employees, teachers, artisans and tradespeople as well as homeowners and smallholders. The party wanted to improve the economic situation of the middle income groups through social reforms.
National Center Party
In the wake of the global economic crisis , there were several party alliances in the Estonian political system in the early 1930s. In October 1931 the conservative national liberal Estonian People's Party ( Eesti Rahvaerakond ) and the Christian People's Party ( Kristlik Rahvaerakond ) merged. In January 1932 the National Center Party ( Rahvuslik Keskerakond ) emerged from a union of the two parties with the Estonian Labor Party.
Election results
| choice | Legislative period | be right | MPs (Asutav Kogu = 120 seats) (Riigikogu = 100 seats) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Asutav Kogu | 25.1% | 30th |
| 1920 | 1. Riigikogu | 21.1% | 22nd |
| 1923 | 2. Riigikogu | 11.2% | 12 |
| 1926 | 3. Riigikogu | 12.3% | 13 |
| 1929 | 4. Riigikogu | 10.2% | 10 |
Government holdings
literature
- Sulev Vahtre (Ed.): Eesti Ajalugu. Volume 6: Vabadussõjast Taasiseseisvumiseni. Ilmamaa, Tartu 2005, ISBN 9985-77-142-7 , p. 67.
Web links
- Short party history (Estonian)
Individual evidence
- ^ Mati Laur et al .: History of Estonia. 2nd edition. Avita, Tallinn 2002, ISBN 9985-2-0606-1 , p. 229.