The Estonian Socialist Workers' Party ( et, Eesti Sotsialistlik Tööliste Partei, ''ESTP'') was a political party in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

History

The party was established in 1925 as a merger of the Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party and former members of the Independent Socialist Workers' Party, which had been banned in May 1924 following a Communist takeover.Vincent E McHale (1983) ''Political parties of Europe'', Greenwood Press, p382

Dieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An exp ...

& Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p579 The two parties had won a combined 20 seats in the

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 Chief Just ...

in the 1923 elections.Nohlen & Stöver, p586 The 1926 elections saw the new party win 24 seats, making it the largest in the Riigikogu, Although Jaan Teemant of the Farmers' Assemblies party remained

Head of State A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

August Rei August Rei VR III/1 ( – 29 March 1963) was an Estonian politician, the Head of State (''Riigivanem'') of Estonia in 1928–1929, and the Prime Minister in duties of the President of Estonia in the government in exile in 1945–1963. Early ...

of the ESTP became Head of State in December 1928.Nohlen & Stöver, p590 The party remained the largest in the Riigikogu after the 1929 elections, in which it won 25 seats, but

Otto Strandman Otto August Strandman ( – 5 February 1941) was an Estonian politician, who served as prime minister (1919) and State Elder of Estonia (1929–1931). He was one of the leaders of the centre-left Estonian Labour Party, that saw its biggest suppo ...

of the Estonian Labour Party became Prime Minister. The 1932 elections saw the party reduced to 22 seats. Following the merger of several other parties to form the Union of Settlers and Smallholders and the National Centre Party, the ESTP was now only the third-largest faction in the Riigikogu. Along with all others, the party was banned in 1935 following

Konstantin Päts Konstantin Päts (; – 18 January 1956) was an Estonian statesman and the country's president in 1938–1940. Päts was one of the most influential politicians of the independent democratic Republic of Estonia, and during the two decades prior ...

self-coup A self-coup, also called autocoup (from the es, autogolpe), is a form of coup d'état in which a nation's head, having come to power through legal means, tries to stay in power through illegal means. The leader may dissolve or render powerless ...

.McHale, p385

References

1925 establishments in Estonia 1935 disestablishments in Estonia Banned socialist parties Defunct political parties in Estonia Defunct socialist parties in Europe Political parties disestablished in 1935 Political parties established in 1925 Socialist parties in Estonia {{Europe-socialist-party-stub