The Estonian Provincial Assembly ( et, Eestimaa Kubermangu Ajutine Maanõukogu, (Ajutine) Maanõukogu, Eesti Maanõukogu, (Eesti) Maapäev) was elected after the February Revolution in 1917 as the national

diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

of the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia in

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. On November 28, 1917, after the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

the Assembly declared itself the sovereign power on

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

and called for the elections of the Estonian Constituent Assembly. On the eve of the German occupation of Estonia in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the council elected the

Estonian Salvation Committee The Estonian Salvation Committee ( et, Eestimaa Päästekomitee or ''Päästekomitee'') was the executive body of the Estonian Provincial Assembly that issued the Estonian Declaration of Independence. The Salvation Committee was created on Februa ...

and issued the

Estonian Declaration of Independence __NOTOC__ The Estonian Declaration of Independence, also known as the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia ( et, Manifest Eestimaa rahvastele), is the founding act of the Republic of Estonia from 1918. It is celebrated on 24 February, the Nation ...

on February 24, 1918.

History

On April 12, 1917 the

Russian Provisional Government The Russian Provisional Government ( rus, Временное правительство России, Vremennoye pravitel'stvo Rossii) was a provisional government of the Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediately ...

issued an order on the provisional autonomy of Estonia. The

Governorate of Estonia The Governorate of Estonia, also known as the Governorate of Esthonia (Pre-reformed rus, Эстля́ндская губе́рнія, r=Estlyandskaya guberniya); et, Eestimaa kubermang was a governorate in the Baltic region, along with the ...

, comprising what is now northern Estonia was merged with the Estophone northern part of the

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a Baltic governorate of the Russian Empire, now divided between Latvia and Estonia. Geography The shape of the province is a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum ...

, to form the autonomous governorate. The

decreed that a provincial assembly, colloquially known as the Maapäev, be created with members elected by indirect

universal suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stan ...

. Elections for the 62 deputies of the diet were held in many stages; members representing the rural communities were elected in two-tiered elections in May–June, while the town representatives were elected in July–August, 1917. The election process saw the creation and reorganization of Estonian national parties. Six parties were represented at the diet, with three independent deputies and two deputies representing the

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

and Swedish-Estonian minorities.

Results

Aftermath

In the wake of the November revolution in St Petersburg, when the Bolshevik Estonian Military Revolutionary Committee staged a coup d’état, the Maapäev refused to recognize the new

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

rule. The Bolsheviks then attempted to disband the council. In its last meeting on 15 November, the Maapäev proclaimed itself the supreme legal authority of Estonia until the convening of the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

. The Committee of Elders was authorized to issue laws. The council was then dissolved by force on 26 November by the Bolsheviks,Maesalu, Lukas, Lauer, Pajur and Tannberg, ''History of Estonia'', AS BIT 2002, compelling leading politicians to go underground. In the Constituent Assembly elections in early 1918, which were organised by the Bolsheviks, two-thirds of the voters supported the parties who stood for national statehood. The Bolsheviks then immediately proclaimed the elections null and void. On 19 February 1918, the Committee of Elders of the Land Council decided to proclaim Estonian independence. A Salvation Committee (a three-member committee formed by the Maapäev as executive body for the time when the activities of the Assembly were hindered) with special powers was set up for that purpose. On 24 February, after the Bolsheviks abandoned

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

and one day before

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

forces occupied the country's capital city, the Salvation Committee issued a formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Estonia. After the

occupation of Estonia ended, the Maapäev continued as the legislature of Estonia until 1919.

References

External links

Tartu rahu sepistaja Jaan Poska väärib monumenti

* ttp://www.estonica.org/eng/lugu.html?menyy_id=97&kateg=43&alam=61&leht=5 On 28 November 1917, the Land council proclaimed itself the highest power in Estonia...br>On This Day – 28 November 1917
{{Estonian elections Elections in Estonia Estonian Provincial Assembly election Independence of Estonia Defunct unicameral legislatures 1917 establishments in Estonia 1919 disestablishments Estonian Provincial Assembly election Estonian Provincial Assembly election Estonian Provincial Assembly election Estonian Provincial Assembly election

History

Results

Aftermath

See also

References

External links