ESTONIA
A political history of the interwar years

CHRONOLOGY
Feb 1918          Declaration of independence under German protection.
                  Provisional government of Konstantin Pats.
Nov 1918-Jan 1919 German withdrawal, followed by Russian attempts to re-
                  occupy (repulsed with British naval help).
May-Nov 1919      Otto Strandman (Labour) as 'Riigivanen' or Head of
                  State under the June 1919 constitution.
Nov 1919-Oct 1920 Jaan Toinisson (Populist)
Oct 1920-Oct 1922 Ants Piip (Labour)
Oct 1922-Aug 1923 Johan Kukk
Aug 1923-Mar 1924 Konstantin Pats (Agrarian)
Mar-Dec 1924      Friedrich Karl Akel (Christian Democrat)
Dec 1924-Dec 1925 Juri Jaakson (Populist); in 1949, a West German court
                  declared him dead, with effect from Dec 1943.
Dec 1925-Feb 1927 Jaan Teemant (Agrarian)
Feb-Nov 1927      Juri Uluots
Dec 1927-Nov 1928 Jaan Toinisson (again)
Nov 1928-Jul 1929 August Rei (Social Democrat)
Jul 1929-Feb 1931 Otto Strandman (again)
Feb 1931-Jan 1932 Konstantin Pats (again)
Feb-Jun 1932      Jaan Teemant (again)
Jul-Oct 1932      Kaarel August Eenpalu (Agrarian)
Nov 1932-Apr 1933 Konstantin Pats (again)
May-Oct 1933      Jaan Toinisson (again)
Oct 1933-Dec 1934 Konstantin Pats, as provisional Head of State during the
                  drafting of a new constitution, which he invalidates by
                  seizure of dictatorial powers in the coup of March 1934.
Dec 1934-Jun 1940 KONSTANTIN PATS as President; deported to Russia in 1941
                  and probably died in 1956, though fate uncertain.
Jun-Aug 1940      Johannes Varre as provisional Head of State, until the
                  official incorporation of Estonia into the USSR.

RESULTS OF ELECTIONS TO THE RIIGIKOGU (Parliament)
Right-wing parties                   1920     1923     1926     1929
- Agrarian Party                      21       23       23       24
- Settler Party                        -        4       14       14
- Christian Democrats                  7        8        5        4
Centre Parties
- Populists (National Liberals)       10        8        8        9
- Estonian Labour Party               22       16       13       10
- Small parties                        1        4        2        3
Ethnic minority Parties
- Russians                             1        4        3        2
- Germans                              4        3        2        2
- Swedes                               -        -        -        1
Left-wing parties
- Social Democrats                    18       15       24       25
- Social Revolutionaries              11        5        -        -
- Communists                           5       10        6        6
After the constitutional changes of 1934, election results were in effect
meaningless, though a rubber-stamp democracy was reintroduced in 1938.

THIS IS A PARTY POLITICAL BROADCAST:

VOTE ADMIRAL SERGEI GORSHKOV FOR PRESIDENT NEXT ELECTION, even though since the
constitution was invented, election results are in effect meaningless.