Isamaaliite (interwar period)
Isamaaliit (in German Patriotic Union ) was a patriotic unitary organization in the Republic of Estonia between 1935 and 1940 .
prehistory
On March 12, 1934, the Estonian head of state and government Konstantin Päts seized power in a bloodless coup with the help of the military. He wanted to prevent the right-wing extremist League of Freedom Fighters from winning the election for the Estonian President planned for April 1934.
The hopes placed in Pats for a quick restoration of democracy were not fulfilled. On October 2, 1934, the parliament ( Riigikogu ) could meet freely for the last time. On March 5, 1935, Interior Minister Johan Müller banned the activities of political organizations. This also included the activities of all political parties, including Pats' own party.
founding
In return, on March 7, 1935, the establishment of the Isamaaliit was announced as a national-patriotic and non-partisan association. It thus formed an alternative to the fragmented parliamentary democracy of the interwar period .
The Isamaaliit was entered in the Estonian Register of Associations on February 22, 1934. The founding statutes are signed by Hans Oidermaa , Hugo Kukke and Edgar Kigaste .
The Isamaaliit was officially run as a cultural organization. In fact, it formed a political support organization for the authoritarian government of Pat. It came very close to the type of a national unity party . Its members were obliged to support the government's policy. The formation of wills within the Isamaaliit took place from top to bottom.
aims
With the establishment of Isamaaliit , the government pursued the goal of channeling political support for itself, bringing a non-partisan national-patriotic sentiment into the population, fighting against political opposition in a targeted manner and building a new political elite for the country.
In § 1 of the statutes of Isamaaliit it said:
- The Patriotic Union is an association whose aim is a strong Estonian state and Estonian fatherland, both internally and externally. The Homeland Union developed to achieve the objective of the common progress and spirit of togetherness of the entire Estonian people, the solid cooperation of all social strata, unity and national mindset to the Estonian people for the service of the aims to unite the Estonian fatherland, under the protection and the leadership of state power.
The Isamaaliit played an essential role in 1936 in the formation of the “Popular Front for the Realization of the Basic Law” ( Põhiseaduse Elluviimise Rahvarinne ), with which its membership was almost identical. The popular front served to mobilize for the adoption of the new Estonian constitution , which was tailored entirely to the authoritarian regime of Konstantin Päts, and the elections for the new parliament in 1938.
Members and structure
At the beginning, management personnel and members were largely recruited from Päts' own party, the conservative-agrarian Association of Farmers ( Põllumeeste Kogud ). The spectrum later spread. For those who wanted to make a career in the state and society, membership in the Isamaaliit was recommended .
The highest organs of the Isamaaliit were the plenary assembly ( taiskogu ) and the central council ( keskjuhatus ). Their seat was in the capital Tallinn . The Isamaaliit was led by the Central Committee of the General Assembly, the Central Council and the Central Revision Commission. Each county had its own county committee, as well as a city committee for Tallinn and Tartu . Leading personalities of the Isamaaliit were Kaarel Eenpalu , Jüri Uluots , Ants Oidermaa , August Jürima and Oskar Suursööt .
The Isamaaliit was closely associated with the daily newspaper Uus Eesti ("New Estonia"), which was also founded in 1935 . It was the government's leading language and propaganda organ until 1940.
Competing Organizations
The Isamaaliit was not the only new power base on which the authoritarian rule under Constantine Päts was based. Large parts of the military under their commander Johan Laidoner remained loyal to the regime, but developed their own national-patriotic corps spirit without joining the Isamaaliit .
At the same time, in the spirit of authoritarian corporatism, fifteen professional organizations were formed between 1934 and 1936 to support the government and overcome class differences. They were supposed to represent the entire social spectrum. The new management level was also recruited from here. This competitive situation contributed to tension with the Isamaaliit .
The End
With the Soviet occupation of Estonia in the summer of 1940, Isamaaliit was banned. Most of their leadership was deported or executed by the new Stalinist rulers inside the Soviet Union . Some managed to escape into Western exile.
literature
- Sulev Vahtre (Ed.): Eesti Ajalugu. Volume 6: Vabadussõjast Taasiseseisvumiseni. Ilmamaa, Tartu 2005, ISBN 9985-77-142-7 , p. 94.
Individual evidence
- ↑ "Isamaaliit" on ühing, mille sihiks on sisemiselt kui ka väliselt tugev Eesti riik ja Eesti isamaa. “Isamaaliit” sihi saavutamiseks arendab kogu Eesti rahva kooskõlalist edenemist ja ühtekuuluvuse vaimu, kõikide rahvakihtide kindlat koostööd, üksmeelsust ja riikilikku mõtlemiskulik, ısi kuhtelıku mõtlemisvisi, et ıhama ıhtelast ısıhtelada teen riikuiki, et ıhama ıhtelada Eestel.