Mihkel Martna

Mihkel Martna (born 5 Septemberjul / September 17 1860greg in Paimpere, then Veltsa municipality, rural community today Koonga, Pärnu County, Estonia, .. † May 23, 1934 in Tallinn) was an Estonian politician and journalist. He was one of the founders of the Estonian social democracy.

Life and Politics

Mihkel Martna learned after school education and the craft of painting in Tallinn. In the 1880s, he came up with Marxist and socialist ideas in touch he actively took up one of the first Estonians. He worked closely with the Estonian newspapers like Postimees and Sakala and also campaigned for the national Estonian movement. 1903 founded Martna together with the Socialists Peeter Speek in Tartu the leftist newspaper Uudised. To this circle, the first social democratic organization grouped in Estonia.

Mihkel Martna took part in the Russian Revolution of 1905. Persecuted by the tsarist authorities he lived from 1906 to 1917 in exile, including Switzerland, Germany and Finland.

Martna founded in 1907 with other Estonian socialists like August Rei and Karl Ast the Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party (Estonian Eesti Sotsiaaldemokratlik Tööliste Party) as a splinter group of Russian socialists and was a leading member of the left wing. Martna was recognized as a leading theorist of the party.

He was before the proclamation of the Estonian independence on February 24, 1918 Member of the Provisional parliament of the government of Estonia, then 1919/20, a member of the Constituent Assembly of the Republic of Estonia ( Asutav Kogu ) and five legislatures Member of the Estonian Parliament ( Riigikogu ). On the Estonian policy of the interwar period Martna played a major role. 1919 Martna first official diplomatic representative of the Republic of Estonia for Germany. In the same year he reached the recognition of Estonia's sovereignty by the Second International. From 1929 to 1934 Martna held the office of Deputy Estonian Parliament President. 1930 Honorary Doctorate of the University of Tartu, he was awarded. He died in 1934 in Tallinn.

Mihkel Martna today lies in the forest cemetery of Tallinn buried.

Aftermath

In 2001, Mihkel - Martna Foundation ( Mihkel Martna Fund) was launched. In addition to dealing with the political and theoretical Martnas estate, the Foundation strives to contribute to the dissemination of left social democratic values ​​and ideas.

Works (selection)

  • C. R. Jakobson (1903 )
  • Punased aastad Eestis (1907, under the pseudonym M. Jürisson )
  • Külast (1914 )
  • 8- tunniline tööpäev (1924 )
  • Mälestused iseseisvuse võistluspäevil ( memories, two volumes: 1927 and 1930)
  • Tallinna sündmusi 1905 yes 1906 (1930 )

Secondary literature

  • Olaf Kuuli: Mihkel Martna. Eesti vasakpoolse sotsiaaldemokraatia teerajaja / Mihkel Martna. Pioneer of social democracy in Estonia. Tallinn 2007
Marxism Sakala (newspaper) Governorate of Estonia Estonian Constituent Assembly election, 1919 Carl Robert Jakobson Integrated Authority File
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