The Estonian Salvation Committee ( et, Eestimaa Päästekomitee or ''Päästekomitee'') was the executive body of the

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 ...

Provincial Assembly Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

that 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 ...

. The Salvation Committee was created on February 19, 1918, by the Provincial Assembly in a situation where Russian forces were retreating and forces of

Imperial Germany The German Empire (), Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditar ...

were advancing in Estonia during

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 committee was granted full decision-making powers to ensure the continued activity of the Provincial Assembly. The members of the Salvation Committee were

Konstantin Päts Konstantin Päts (; – 18 January 1956) was an Estonian statesman and the country's president in 1938–1940. Päts was one of the most influential politicians of the independent democratic Republic of Estonia, and during the two decades prior ...

Jüri Vilms Jüri Vilms (, Arkma, Kabala Parish (now Türi Parish), Kreis Fellin, Governorate of Livonia – May 2, 1918, Hauho near Hämeenlinna, Finland, unconfirmed info) was a member of the Estonian Salvation Committee and the first Deputy Prime Min ...

and

Konstantin Konik Konstantin Konik ( – 3 August 1936) was an Estonian politician and surgeon who served as a member of the Estonian Salvation Committee. Konstantin Konik was born to a working-class family in Tartu; his father made living as a carter. After st ...

. It drafted a declaration of independence that was approved by elders of the Provincial Assembly. The Salvation Committee publicly proclaimed Estonia an independent and democratic republic on February 24 in

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 '' ...

. The committee appointed the

Estonian Provisional Government The Estonian Provisional Government ( et, Eesti Ajutine Valitsus) was formed on 24 February 1918, by the Salvation Committee appointed by '' Maapäev'', the Estonian Province Assembly. History Konstantin Päts' first provisional cabinet The P ...

on February 24, 1918.

References

{{reflist
February 24: Independence Day
*

Gustav Naan Gustav Naan (russian: Густав Иоганнович Наан, ''Gustav Iogannovich Naan''; 17 May 1919 near Vladivostok – 12 January 1994 in Tallinn) was an Estonian physicist and philosopher. According to the Estonian Encyclopedia's definit ...

et al. 1987. ''Eesti nõukogude entsüklopeedia 2''. Tallinn: Valgus History of Tallinn 1918 establishments in Estonia Independence of Estonia

See also

References