Popular Front of Estonia
Rahvarinne (Estonian for " Popular Front " ) was the late 1980s, the name for a democratic opposition movement against Soviet rule in Estonia. She pulled away after regaining of Estonian independence in late 1991.
Prehistory
With the inauguration of the new General Secretary of the CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev, in March 1985, forces of reform implemented in 1940 occupied by the Soviet Union and annexed Estonia hopes of easing the rigid communist system.
During the peak of Estonia (ERP ) Communist Party to the First Secretary of the Central Committee, Karl Vaino that Gorbachev's reform efforts largely refused to Estonian reform circles expressed their solidarity with the beginning of perestroika ( reconstruction ). Occasion in the Estonian SSR was the criticism of the Soviet plans for environmentally hazardous phosphorite mining in Kabala, Toolse and Rakvere. An independent environmental movement, founded end of 1986. It was during the year 1987 always political and organized. The Soviet authorities finally gave after the protests from the population and stopped the plans for the phosphorite mining.
First dissident movements
Encouraged by this success, the civil rights movement founded political dissidents in mid-August 1987, the " Estonian group for publication of the Molotov -Ribbentrop Pact " ( Molotov Ribbentropi Pakti Avalikustamise Eesti Grupp - MRP- AEG). They turned against the Soviet denial of the secret protocol of the German -Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 23 August 1939 called for its publication, and the " elimination of its consequences." With the secret protocol of the German -Soviet spheres of interest had been accrued in East Central Europe: Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Poland east of the rivers Narew, Vistula and San fell into the Soviet sphere of interest. The agreement had the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union prepared in June 1940, but had been denied even after the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union. Moscow insisted on his view that, in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had voluntarily joined the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940. The opposition MRP- AEG succeeded on August 23, 1987, a public political meeting in Hirvepark ( Hirvepargi miiting ) be held in Tallinn, without state power intervened directly. This encouraged the Estonian population, continue to challenge the Soviet state power.
End of 1987, under the name of " Estonian national preservation society " ( Eesti Muinsuskaitse Selts - EMS ) has a greater association that turned criticism of the dictatorship in Estonia and the demand for democratic rights and national self-determination to the public. A demonstration in February 1988 in Tartu was violently dispersed by the police. Early 1988 were demands for establishment of a democratic opposition party, the " Party of National Independence of Estonia " ( Eesti Rahvusliku Sõltumatuse party - ERSP ) growing louder. Their creation succeeded in August 1988.
Both groups took advantage of Estonian national observances, to express their demands: the Estonian - Soviet Peace Treaty of Tartu (2 February 1920), the proclamation of state independence of Estonia (24 February 1918) and the Stalinist terror deportation in March 1949.
On 1 / 2 April 1988 Estonian intellectuals publicly called for democratic change in society and the resignation of Communist reform unwilling leaders Karl Vaino and Bruno Saul. The power of the Communist Party began to crumble.
Formation of Rahvarinne
In mid-April called for the opposition Edgar Savisaar in a live broadcast of the Estonian television, the formation of a legal, democratic opposition, " the Estonian Popular Front for the Support of Perestroika " ( Eestimaa Rahvarinne perestroika Toetuseks - ERR ), short Rahvarinne. She was quickly called by a rather loose network of like-minded to an Estonian mass movement for democratic reforms and an extensive detachment of Estonia by the Soviet Union. The official founding of the Rahvarinne took place on 1 / 2 October 1988 in Tallinn Linnahall instead. The Rahvarinne worked closely affected by similar opposition movements in Latvia ( Latvijas Tautas Fronte ) and Lithuania ( Sąjūdis ) together. Leaders of Rahvarinne were especially Edgar Savisaar, Viktor Palm and Marju Lauristin.
Singing Revolution
The Rahvarinne urged the Soviet state power now out openly. In April 1988, the opposition showed publicly in Tartu the forbidden in the Soviet Union blue-black- white national flag of Estonia. In June 1988, Gorbachev was pressured by the former strongman of the EKP, Karl Vaino, vacate his place because of unwillingness to reform. Successor on 16 June 1988, the reform-minded Communist Vaino Väljas.
Already on 17 June 1988 organized the Rahvarinne at the Tallinn Song Stage a mass demonstration with 150,000 participants. They sang patriotic songs Estonian- including the old national anthem isamaa Mu, mu onn ja room and showed the Estonian national flag. The Singing Revolution formulated its clear national and democratic demands to the Soviet authorities. On 11 September 1988, the Rahvarinne organized in Tallinn Eesti Laul the demonstration ( " The Estonian Song " ), to the 300,000 people, a third of the Estonian population, took part. Demands for democracy and independence from the Soviet Union were now ignored.
Communist counter-movement
In the summer of 1988, a communist counter-movement to bundled Rahvarinne. She demanded the integrity of the Soviet Union and opposed Estonian national aspirations. The Interliikumine ( officially "international movement of the working of the Estonian SSR " - Eesti NSV Töötajate Internatsionaale Liikumine ) and was founded in the fall of 1988 TKÜN ("Joint Soviet work collectives " - Töökollektiivide Ühendnõukogu ) wishing to maintain the status quo.
The ERP split more and more about how to proceed. She suggested a majority before a "federation contract " Estonia and the Soviet Union. On November 16, 1988, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR adopted a declaration on the sovereignty of Estonia and introduced far-reaching changes in the Constitution. Laws of the Estonian SSR should be given precedence over the Union laws. The relations between Estonia and the Soviet Union should be defined on the basis of an international treaty. However, this idea failed due to opposition from Moscow. Demands of the moderate Rahvarinne after the proclamation of a "third Estonian Republic " (after 1918-1940 and 1940-1988 ) by all residents of Estonia (including the Russians, who in 1940 came to the country after the Soviet occupation of Estonia ) was no majority among the Estonian nationalists who called for recognition of the continuity of the Republic of Estonia since 1918.
In January 1989, the Estonian Parliament passed a language law that granted the Estonian official status. The February 24 was again declared as the Independence Day. The Rahvarinne got with their demands for state independence more and more popular. On February 23, the flag of the Estonian SSR was obtained at the flag tower Langer Hermann in Tallinn and hoisted the blue -black-white Estonian national flag again the following day.
On August 23, 1989, the anniversary of the Hitler -Stalin Pact, the Rahvarinne organized the so-called Baltic Way ( Balti kett ), in which more than two million Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians over a distance of 600 km from Tallinn to Vilnius in a human chain linked.
On February 24, 1990, elections were held to an opposition Congress Estonian ( Eesti Congress ). He belonged to all political opposition forces in the country and exile Estonians. Executive body of the Estonian Congress was a 78 -member committee Estonian ( Eesti Committee ), chaired by Tunne Kelam. At the same time, the Communist Party was divided at the 20th Congress of the EKP in March into two camps: national reform -minded Communists and Moscow - loyal following.
In the same month, on 18 March 1990, found the first half -free elections to the Estonian Parliament held since the 1930s. The candidates of the Rahvarinne won with 24% and 45 deputies, a relative majority of the 105 seats. The strong man of Rahvarinne, Edgar Savisaar, was elected by the new parliament as prime minister.
On March 30, 1990, the Parliament called a " period of transition ", which should end with the restoration of independence. In May, the Estonian SSR was officially renamed the Republic of Estonia and the use of state symbols of the Estonian SSR prohibited. Union laws was no longer valid. Tensions between the newly elected Parliament and the Estonian Congress, however, hindered the work of the forces of reform.
Restoration of national independence
On May 15, 1990, there were demonstrations of communist forces in Tallinn. Moscow threatened Estonia with an economic blockade and the declaration of emergency. Allunionsbetriebe called for strikes. From parallel Soviet acts of violence in Riga and Vilnius against civilian targets, however, Estonia was spared.
The Rahvarinne has since been supported by anti- communist Russian forces of reform. In March 1991, the Estonian government organized an " anticipatory " referendum on the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Estonia. 77.8 % of the votes cast were denominated in Yes, including a third of the Russian-speaking population of Estonia.
As of August 1991 in Moscow, Soviet military undertook a coup and wanted to overthrow Gorbachev, the Estonian Parliament adopted on 20 August 1991 with the support of Rahvarinne a declaration on the restoration of Estonian independence. It called at the same time to all States for international recognition. Iceland made on August 22 to start with, followed by Russia and Hungary. Thus, the final independence from the Soviet Union was complete. It was recognized after the failure of the coup on 6 September 1991 by the Soviet Union in international law. On September 17, 1991, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were admitted to the United Nations.
Resolution
The Rahvarinne broke up with the fulfillment of its purpose, the achievement of democracy and rule of law in Estonia and the independence from the Soviet Union, after the turn on. It officially ended on November 13, 1993 their activities. The popular movement went on in the establishing itself ends new Estonian political spectrum. On October 12, 1991, on the basis of Rahvarinne Rahva - Keskerakond ( " People's Centre Party "), which later became the Estonian Centre Party ( Eesti Keskerakond ) under its chairman Edgar Savisaar.
A Constituent Assembly, which brought together representatives of the Parliament and of the Estonian Congress in equal parts, worked out a new constitution.