The Estonian Provisional Government () was formed on 24 February 1918, by the
Salvation Committee
The Estonian Salvation Committee ( or ''Päästekomitee'') was the executive body of the Estonian Estonian Provincial Assembly, Provincial Assembly that issued the Estonian Declaration of Independence.
The Salvation Committee was created on Febru ...
appointed by ''
Maapäev'', the Estonian Province Assembly.
History
Konstantin Päts' first provisional cabinet
The Provisional Government was led by
Konstantin Päts
Konstantin Päts ( – 18 January 1956) was an Estonian statesman and the country's president from 1938 to 1940. Päts was one of the most influential politicians of the independent democratic Republic of Estonia, and during the two decades p ...
.
Jüri Vilms was appointed minister of justice,
Jaan Poska minister of foreign affairs,
Juhan Kukk minister of finance, Jaan Raamot minister of food and agriculture,
Andres Larka minister of war. Villem Maasik was minister of labour and welfare, Ferdinand Peterson minister of roads and Peeter Põld minister of education.
The main functions of the Provisional Government were lobbying for diplomatic recognition for
Estonian independence abroad, oppose the
German occupation of Estonia and organise elections to the
Estonian Constituent Assembly
The Estonian Constituent Assembly () was elected on 5–7 April 1919, called by the Estonian Provisional Government during the Estonian War of Independence.
Estonian Constituent Assembly elections
Activity
The 120 members of the Constituent ...
.
After the formation of the Provisional Government, the country was occupied by German troops and became administered by
Ober Ost
The Supreme Commander of All German Forces in the East (), also known by its German abbreviation as , was both a high-ranking position in the armed forces of the German Empire as well as the name given to the occupied territories on the German s ...
. As the result of
German revolution
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
and
capitulation of Germany in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
on 11 November, the German occupation authorities handed over the power to the Estonian Provisional Government on 19 November 1918.
Konstantin Päts' second provisional cabinet
From 11 November 1918 to 27 November 1918, Konstantin Päts' second provisional cabinet was in power.
Konstantin Päts' third provisional cabinet
The Estonian Provisional Government resigned on 8 May 1919, after the Estonian Constituent Assembly had met on 23 April 1919, and the first elected government of the
Republic of Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
took office.
See also
*
Estonian War of Independence
The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...
*
Commune of the Working People of Estonia
The Estonian Workers' Commune (, initially '; , or ETK, also Estonian Labour Commune and Commune of the Working People of Estonia) was a government claiming the Bolshevik-occupied parts of Republic of Estonia as its territories during the E ...
*
Autonomous Governorate of Estonia
The Autonomous Governorate of Estonia of the Russian state was established as a result of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and ceased to exist prior to Estonia becoming a fully independent country in 1918.
History
For most of the time during th ...
References
{{reflist
Independence of Estonia
1918 in Estonia
Provisional governments