Provisional Government of Pat I

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Konstantin Päts, here in a recording from 1934

The first Provisional Government of the Republic of Estonia was in office de jure from February 24 to November 12, 1918 (262 days). Since German troops occupied Estonia from February to November 1918 in the course of the First World War , they could not exercise actual state authority.

Cabinet of the First Provisional Government of the Republic of Estonia

Department Surname Term of office Political party
Chairman of the Council of Ministers Konstantin Päts February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918    EMRL
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers    Jüri Vilms February 24, 1918 - April 13, 1918 ETE
Minister of Justice Jüri Vilms February 24, 1918 - April 13, 1918 ETE
Interior minister Konstantin Päts February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918 EMRL
Foreign minister Jaan Poska February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918 EDE
Minister of War Andres Larka February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918 independent   
Finance minister Juhan Kukk February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918 ETE
Trade and Industry Minister Konstantin Päts February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918 EMRL
Minister of Agriculture and Food Jaan Raamot February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918 EMRL
Minister of transport Ferdinand Peterson February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918 ETE
Minister of Education Peeter Siegfried Põld    February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918 EDE
Labor and Social Affairs Minister Villem Maasik February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918 ESDTP
Minister for the German population group    unoccupied February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918
Minister for the Russian Community unoccupied February 24, 1918 - November 12, 1918

The government represented a broad political spectrum. You belonged to the four largest democratic parties:

The ministerial posts planned for the minorities remain "temporarily" vacant.

history

February Revolution 1917

The February Revolution had also led to democratic changes in the Baltic States , which had belonged to the Russian Empire under international law since 1721 . In March 1917, Estonia (today's North Estonia) was united with North Livonia (today's South Estonia) and received greater autonomy as the Estonian Governorate .

The Provisional Diet ( Maapäev for short ; officially Ajutine Maanõukogu ) elected in May and June 1917 met for the first time in July 1917. He elected a new government ( Maavalitsus ) under the leadership of Jaan Raamot . Raamot was later replaced by Konstantin Päts .

The government faced major challenges: at the end of September 1917, German troops landed on the largest Estonian island of Saaremaa and occupied all other West Estonian islands by October 8, 1917. Russia's military power began to wane in Estonia.

The state parliament set up a council of elders ( vanemate nõukogu ), which should also have the authority to legislate in the event of a crisis. At Jaan Tõnisson's request , the state parliament sent a delegation abroad to hold talks with the Western powers about the future of Estonia. At the same time he called for elections for a constituent assembly ( Asutav Kogu ) for January 1918 , which should decide on the future status of Estonia.

October Revolution 1917

On October 10th, Jul. / 23 October  1917 greg. , shortly before the October Revolution in Petrograd , the Russian Bolsheviks began preparations for a takeover in Estonia as well. At the end of October they took over state power in the country. The elections to the constituent assembly were called off by the Bolsheviks, civil rights were severely restricted, newspapers and political meetings were banned and numerous people were arrested. The Bolsheviks nationalized real estate, banks, and industries.

In November the Bolsheviks declared the state parliament dissolved. However, the MPs did not comply with this request. In a meeting in mid-November, the state parliament declared itself to be the highest instance and sole legislative power in the state as long as a constituent assembly cannot meet.

The Baltic German nobility, on the other hand, placed their hopes in the German Empire and asked Wilhelm II for protection. The Bolsheviks then declared all members of the Estonian Knighthood to be outlawed . A wave of arrests and deportations began against the German minority.

On February 18, 1918, the great offensive of German troops in the Baltic region began. Two days later, the Germans landed on the Estonian mainland near Lihula . The Russian army was unable to offer any real resistance to the advance and withdrew from Estonia.

Rescue committee

On February 19, the Council of Elders of the State Parliament decided to set up an “Estonian Rescue Committee” ( Eestimaa Pästekomitee ) “until normal conditions are established”. It included the three politicians Konstantin Päts , Jüri Vilms and Konstantin Konik , who represented the spectrum of democratic parties , with equal rights . The council of elders transferred "all state authority" in the country to the rescue committee.

On the same day, the Council of Elders adopted a draft independence manifesto. On February 23, 1918, the rescue committee read the " Manifesto to all the peoples of Estonia " ( Manifesto kõigile Eestimaa rahvastele ) from the balcony of the Endla Theater in Pärnu, western Estonia .

On February 24, 1918, the Tallinn Rescue Committee declared Estonia's detachment from Russia and declared the Republic of Estonia to be independent. The rescue committee formed a Provisional Government ( ajutine valitsus ) on the same day .

On February 25, German troops marched into Tallinn and occupied all of Estonia by early March. They de facto took over sole power of government in the country.

German occupation

The German Empire had no interest in an independent Estonian state. The German war target policy envisaged the creation of a Berlin- dependent Baltic Duchy under the leadership of the Baltic German nobility .

Konstantin Päts was arrested by the Germans and interned in East Prussia . Court Minister Jüri Vilms was executed in Helsinki in April 1918 under circumstances that have not yet been fully clarified . Other members of the government such as Minister of War Andres Larka were able to go into hiding.

In November, the German defeat in World War I also led to the collapse of imperial rule in Estonia. On November 9 and 10, the German soldiers in Tallinn joined the sailors' uprising in the German Reich . On November 11, 1918, Germany signed the Compiègne armistice .

The provisional government of the Republic of Estonia was able to meet again on the same day. A day later, in a joint meeting of the provisional government and the council of elders of the state parliament, a new cabinet and leadership of Konstantin Päts was formed, the second provisional government ( Provisional Government Päts II ).

See also

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