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Îò
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Toomas Kymmel
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Ê
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Ãëåá Áàðàåâ
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Äàòà
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24.08.2003 16:41:00
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Ðóáðèêè
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Ïðî÷åå;
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Re: Ãëåá Áàðàåâ íàäî áû êîììåíòàðèè
Kaitseliit:
1917 - The Defence League was preceded by the Citizens' Defence Organisation (Bürgenwehr) which was Estonia's first armed home defence organisation against the dissolution of the public order and disorder accompanying the Russian Revolution.
1918 - On 11 November the Citizens' Defence Organisation was replaced by the Estonian Defence League which performed the tasks of a national guard in the War of Independence.
1924 - The attempted Communist coup on December 1 dispelled any doubts about the necessity for the Defence League. Development of the Defence League for the performance of tasks of national defence was started.
1925 - In October the magazine of the Defence League "Kaitse Kodu" ("Defend Your Home") was founded.
1926 - On 19-20 June the first Defence League Festival took place in Tallinn, to be followed by six more such events held before 1940.
1927 - To develop the Defence League and give it a family dimension, the Commander of the Defence League approved the temporary statutes of the Women's Home Defence.
1928 - The Body of Elders decided to invite the boy scout organisation the Young Eagles to join the Defence League.
1931 - The Government of the Republic approved the Statutes of the Defence League which have remained in force until the present day.
1932 - The girl scout organisation Home Daughters was established at the Women's Home Defence.
1934 - House Rules of the Defence League were adopted to regulate the life and work of the organisation.
1940 - With the Soviet occupation starting from 17 June, the liquidation of both the Republic of Estonia and the Defence League started.
Vaps´s (League of Veterans of the Estonian War of Independence)
By the late 1920s, the most influential political forces were already in favour of the growing part of the executive power (government) over the legislative power (parliament). In the general mood for strong central government, a right-wing radical antiparliamentarian movement called the League of Veterans of the Estonian War of Independence (the members of which were called ‘vaps’s’), established in 1929, attracted attention on the political arena. The 1933 referendum approved of the League’s bill for altering the constitution which considerably restricted the decision-making power of the parliament, now reduced to 50 members, and granted the directly elected head-of-state extensive authority (including the power of veto on the Riigikogu decisions and issuing legally valid decrees).
The second constitution came into force in January 1934, and by April the same year, the elections for the head-of-state were elections for the head-of-state were announced. But the elections never materialised. On 12 March 1934, on the pretext of protecting democracy (i.e. avoiding a coup d’etat by the extreme right), Konstantin Päts, leader of the transitional government and Johan Laidoner who had resumed his position as commander-in-chief of the Estonian army, violated the constitution, carried out a military coup d’etat and seized power. With the initially silent approval of more influential parties, an emergency situation was declared. The organisations of the League of Veterans of the War of Independence were shut down, over 400 prominent ‘vaps’s’ were arrested. The work of the Riigikogu was soon halted, parties were banned, legislative power concentrated in the hands of the head-of-state. The so-called ‘era of silence’ started in Estonian history (1934–1938), a period characterised by the collapse of parliamentary democracy and the gradual introduction of authoritarian rule. Power was in the hands of the triumvirate: Päts, head-of-state, Laidoner, commander-in-chief of the armed forces and Kaarel Eenpalu (1888–1942), Minister of the Interior. On the basis of Päts’s bill, the Constituent Assembly that convened in 1937 (it was boycotted by the opposition) worked out the third constitution of the Republic of Estonia. The constitution came into force on 1 January 1938.
Omakaitse - The first Estonian national military organization , covering the whole territory of Estonia after the Eastern front passed east , was Omakaitse - Home Guard or Self-Defence . It based on territorial system like Kaitseliit -Defence League before 1940 and was orientated to guarantee peace and order behind the front line . In the very beginning , in Autumn 1941 there were more than 40.000 men in Omakaitse . During the "search and destroy" operations late 1941 Omakaitse lost 600 men killed and captured 25.000 Red Army soldiers , hid in the Estonian forests and swamps after loosing contact with their own units .
Later , when more and more men joined Estonian front-units , Omakaitse decreased . In September 1944 there were about 37.000 old men and youths . From 10.000 of Omakaitse men were formed Self-Defence front battalions and regiments - so ill-equiped , that practically powerless against Soviet tank-masses.
By the late 1920s, the most influential political forces were already in favour of the growing part of the executive power (government) over the legislative power (parliament). In the general mood for strong central government, a right-wing radical anti-parliamentarian movement called the League of Veterans of the Estonian War of Independence (the members of which were called ‘vaps’s’), established in 1929, attracted attention on the political arena. The 1933 referendum approved of the League’s bill for altering the constitution which considerably restricted the decision-making power of the parliament, now reduced to 50 members, and granted the directly elected head-of-state extensive authority (including the power of veto on the Riigikogu decisions and issuing legally valid decrees).
Toomas Kümmel