The Intermovement (formally International Movement of Workers in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic) (, ) was a political movement and organisation in the Estonian SSR. It was founded on 19 July 1988An Annotated Survey of Independent Movements in Eastern Europe
13 June 1989 and claimed by different sources 16,000 - 100,000 members. The original name of the movement was Interfront (International Front of Workers in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic), which was changed to Intermovement in autumn 1988. The movement was aligned with the pro-Soviet wing of the Estonian Communist Party, and opposed the Estonian independence movement led by the pro-independence Popular Front of Estonia and the liberal wing of the CPE.THE ANATOMY OF INDEPENDENCE
Kripta, Tartu, Sankt Petersburg 2004, The Intermovement was not an organisation built on nationalist principles, as it gathered almost exclusively supporters from ethnic non-Estonians. The main leader of the movement was Jevgeni Kogan (, sometimes transliterated as Evgeny Kogan). Kogan was also one of the leaders of the hardline

Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз (Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Soviet Union, Union of Soviet Socialist Republi ...

faction in the USSR legislature. Other leaders of the Intermovement included Vladimir Jarovoi (, also transliterated as Vladimir Yarovoi), Arnold Sai, Vladimir Lebedev () and economist Konstantin Kiknadze The Intermovement functioned at factories, mainly, at military plants and those factories that had an all-union importance. A large part of Estonian heavy industry was part of the integrated production chain providing their production to the industries in other Soviet regions. These included e.g. the engine factory '' Dvigatel'', Kalinin's and Pöögelmann's electrotechnical plant '' Tondi Elektroonika'', and the (especially but not only phosphorite) mining industry in Northern Estonia. It was feared that Estonian independence would lead to the loss of jobs. In fact, after independence the industries were forced to restructure their production and re-orient to new markets, which in most of cases drastically reduced production and forced lay off many people, a large number of whom were Soviet-era immigrants. According to critics, the movement's aim was to protect the conservative Soviet values and make everything possible to block the actions of the Popular Front. According to the former KGB general Oleg Kalugin () it was established in Estonia as also in other parts of the USSR on the initiative of the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

, as a counterbalance to the Popular Fronts, perceived as

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

organizations. Despite the stereotyping of the

Russophone This article details the geographical distribution of Russian-speakers. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the status of the Russian language often became a matter of controversy. Some Post-Soviet states adopted policies of Derus ...

s as an elitist force opposing an Estonian independence movement, the Interfront organizations were mass movements and their membership was made up of people from all walks of life. One of initiators of foundation of the Popular Front R. Grigorjan afterwards gave the following evaluation: In elections for the Congress of People's Deputies of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in 1989 pro-Intermovement candidates won 6 seats out of Estonia's 36, against 27 won by the Popular Front. From 29 August 1990 to 21 August 1991 the Intermovement ran the radio station Nadezhda (, meaning 'Hope'), which contrary to the ordinary procedure got its license from the central authorities of the Soviet Union without informing local authorities in Estonia. Following an order by the Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov, the radio station was installed at the territory of the Soviet military base in Keila, near Tallinn. In 1993 Estonian state adopted a law on citizenship and residency, based on ''

Jus sanguinis ( or , ), meaning 'right of blood', is a principle of nationality law by which nationality is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents. Children at birth may be nationals of a particular state if either or both of thei ...

''. Under the new law, former Soviet citizens who had neither held Estonian citizenship nor were descended from citizens (including approximately 500,000 ethnic Russians) were to be regarded foreigners. Some raised concerns that the new foreigners would face possible expulsion from Estonian territory; however, these concerns were not based in fact and in general, Soviet-era non-citizen immigrants were furnished with long-term residence permits. Ostensibly in response to the government's actions, Juri Mišin and a few other former activists of the Intermovement made demands of regional autonomy for Estonia's Russian minority, seeking

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

of the ethnic Russian dominated areas in North-East Estonia. Activists held an unconstitutional plebiscite on this matter in the Narva region. Some raised concerns that the central government might use force to prevent the plebiscite, but these concerns were not based in fact, and it tookplace on July 16–July 17, 1993. According to the activist commissions in Narva and Sillamäe, 53.2% percent of voters participated and 98% in total (97.2% in Narva). However, the central government determined the majority of the population did not participate, and demanded the Narva city council, which had provided material support to separatists, to disband. The Intermovement was not built on ethnic principles and had some ethnic Estonian supporters. However, of the 742 delegates attending the first congress on March 5, 1989, only 11 were ethnic Estonian. It was supported by Gustav Naan and Vladimir Hütt; Intermovements ranks also included Arnold Sai, Lembit Annus and Valter Toots. Similar organisations existed in Latvia, Lithuania (called ' Yedinstvo' - 'Unity') and Moldova. They shared orthodox communist views and struggled for preserving the Soviet Union. Being committed to the USSR's territorial integrity, they forged alliances with Russian nationalist organizations. Pyotr Rozhok, a participant of the Intermovement, became a LDPRF politician in 1990s before running as Stalinist Bloc candidate in the Russian legislative election in 1999.http://www.panorama.ru/works/vybory/party/stalin2.html On 15 May 1990, the Intermovement had a mass gathering in front of the Toompea Castle, that escalated into an attempt to take over the parliament building. Edgar Savisaar made a radio announcement "Toompea is under attack". Thousands of Estonians responded and forced the unarmed anti-independence protesters to disperse within few hours. Images of Intermovement leaving Toompea by Jaan Künnap: Toompea 15.05.90 (01) Interrinde lahkumine.jpg Toompea 15.05.90 (03) Interrinde lahkumine.jpg Toompea 15.05.90 (09) Interrinde lahkumine.jpg Toompea 15.05.90 (10).jpg Toompea 15.05.90 (12).jpg Toompea 15.05.90 (15) ENSV Ülemnõukogu.jpg Toompea 15.05.90 (22) ENSV Ülemnõukogu.jpg Toompea 16.05.90 (38).jpg Toompea 16.05.90 (42).jpg Toompea 16.05.90 (43).jpg

References

External links

The Pursuit of Independence, 1985-91

VIDEO: Intermovement rally on November 16th 1989
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227045941/http://www.estonica.org/en/VIDEO:_Intermovement_rally_on_November_16th_1989%09_/ , date=2017-02-27 Estonica Communist parties in the Soviet Union Communist parties in Estonia Organizations of the Revolutions of 1989 Political history of Estonia 1989 in the Soviet Union Soviet internal politics 1988 establishments in Estonia 1991 disestablishments in Estonia Political parties in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Defunct political parties in Estonia Singing Revolution Dissolution of the Soviet Union Russian political parties in Estonia Restoration of the independence of the Baltic states

See also

References

External links