Maksim Unt (also Maxim Unt and Maximilian Unt; 20 January 1898 in

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet 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 ...

, then

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

– 31 July 1941 in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, then

USSR 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 ...

) was an

n and

Soviet 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 ...

politician.

Biography

During the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, Unt worked to establish

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

rule in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and

Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...

. After being accused of looting and sentenced to death ''in absentia'', he fled to the area occupied by the

White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...

under

Anton Denikin Anton Ivanovich Denikin (, ; – 7 August 1947) was a Russian military leader who served as the Supreme Ruler of Russia, acting supreme ruler of the Russian State and the commander-in-chief of the White movement–aligned armed forces of Sout ...

, before returning to the newly independent

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 ...

in 1920. Unt joined the

Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party The Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party () was a political party in Estonia between 1917 and 1925. The leaders of the party, founded on platforms of patriotism, Estonian independence, and social justice, made a major contribution to the d ...

, aligning himself with the party's left wing. He was a member of

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

(''IV

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...

'') from 6 May 1931, replacing Eduard Kink. On 9 May 1931, he resigned and was replaced by

Villem Tammai Villem Tammai (8 March 1892 Vändra, Kreis Pernau – 24 June 1973 Tallinn) was an Estonian politician. He was a member of IV Riigikogu IV Riigikogu was the fourth legislature of the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). The legislature was electe ...

. He was also elected a member of the ''

V Riigikogu V Riigikogu was the fifth legislature of the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). The legislature was elected after 1932 elections (held on 21–23 May 1932). It sat between 15 June 1932 and 2 October 1934, when its activities were suspended.< ...

'' (1932–1934) and ''Riigivolikogu'' (

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

) of the ''

VI Riigikogu VI Riigikogu was the sixth legislature of the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). The legislature was elected after the 1938 elections (held on 24–25 February 1938). It sat between 7 April 1938 and 5 July 1940, after which the Soviet Union occupied ...

'' (1938–1940). Prior to the

Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (1940) The Soviet occupation of the Baltic states covers the period from the Soviet– Baltic mutual assistance pacts in 1939, to their invasion and annexation in 1940, to the mass deportations of 1941. In September and October 1939 the Soviet gover ...

, Unt was appointed by

Andrei Zhdanov Andrei Aleksandrovich Zhdanov ( rus, Андрей Александрович Жданов, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪdʑ ˈʐdanəf, a=Ru-Андрей Жданов.ogg, links=yes; – 31 August 1948) was a Soviet politician. He was ...

, the Soviet emissary to Estonia, to organize pro-

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

demonstrations and strikes across the country, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister

Jüri Uluots Jüri Uluots (13 January 1890 – 9 January 1945) was an Estonian prime minister, journalist, prominent attorney and distinguished Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tartu. Early life Uluots was born in Kirbla Pari ...

. After the Soviet occupation, Unt was appointed as

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in Johannes Vares' cabinet on 21 June 1940. After Vares' cabinet was replaced by the

Council of People's Commissars The Council of People's Commissars (CPC) (), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (), were the highest executive (government), executive authorities of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), the Soviet Union (USSR), and the Sovi ...

of the

Estonian SSR The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, (abbreviated Estonian SSR, Soviet Estonia, or simply Estonia ) was an administrative subunit ( union republic) of the former Soviet Union (USSR), covering the occupied and annexed territory of Estonia ...

on 25 August 1940, he remained as People's Commissar of Labour. In May 1941, Unt's defection to the White Army during the Civil War was discovered. He was arrested on 22 May 1941 by Soviet authorities and dismissed from his position as People's Commissar of Labour on 28 May. He was sentenced to 8 years of forced labor by the Supreme Court of the USSR on 8 July, but was instead executed by gunshot by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

at the

Kommunarka shooting ground The Kommunarka firing range (), former dacha of secret police chief Genrikh Yagoda, was used as a burial ground from 1937 to 1941. Executions may have been carried out there by the NKVD during the Great Terror and until the war started; altern ...

in Moscow on 31 July. Unt was rehabilitated by the USSR Prosecutor's Office on 3 December 1991.

References

1898 births 1941 deaths Politicians from Pärnu Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party politicians Communist Party of Estonia politicians Ministers of the interior of Estonia People's commissars and ministers of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Members of the Riigikogu, 1929–1932 Members of the Riigikogu, 1932–1934 Members of the Riigivolikogu Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1940–1947 Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Estonian people executed by the Soviet Union People executed by the Soviet Union by firearm Soviet rehabilitations {{Estonia-1932-Riigikogu-politician-stub