The Union of Settlers and Smallholders ( et, Asunikkude ning väikemaapidajate Koondis, ''AVK'') 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, a ...

History

The party was established in 1932 as a merger of the ruling

Farmers' Assemblies The Farmers' Assemblies ( et, Põllumeeste Kogud) was a conservative political party in Estonia. Led by Konstantin Päts, it was one of the ruling parties during most of the interwar period. History The Rural League (''Maarahva Liit'') was forme ...

party and the

Settlers' Party The Settlers' Party ( et, Asunikkude partei) was a political party in Estonia. History The party was established in 1923 as the Settlers' Group (''Asunikkude koondis''), a breakaway from Farmers' Assemblies.Vincent E McHale (1983) ''Political pa ...

, Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p579 with the two parties holding a combined 38 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 1932 elections the new party won 42 seats, the most seats ever won in multi-party elections in Estonia. It continued in government, with

Kaarel Eenpalu Kaarel Eenpalu (until 1935 Karl August Einbund) (, in Paju talu, Vesneri Parish (now Tartu Parish), Kreis Dorpat, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire – 27 January 1942, in Kirov Oblast, Russian SFSR, USSR) was an Estonian journalist, ...

becoming

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 l ...

. In 1933 it suffered a major split when the large conservative faction of the Farmers' Assemblies left the Union to re-establish their party.Vincent E McHale (1983) ''Political parties of Europe'', Greenwood Press, p380 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, p371

References

{{Authority control Defunct political parties in Estonia Political parties established in 1932 Political parties disestablished in 1935 Banned political parties