Estonian War of Independence Veterans' League
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Vaps Movement
Eesti Vabadussõjalaste Liit |
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|---|---|
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| Leader | Andres Larka and Artur Sirk |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Ideology |
Estonian nationalism, Anti-communism, Populism |
Vaps Movement, (Estonian: Eesti Vabadussõjalaste Keskliit, later Eesti Vabadussõjalaste Liit, vabadussõjalased, or colloquially vapsid, a single member of this movement was called vaps) the Union of Participants in the Estonian War of Independence was founded as an Estonian association of veterans of the Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920). Later non-veterans were accepted as its supporter-members. The organisation was founded in 1929, emerged as a mass anti-socialist and anti-parliamentary movement. The leaders of this association were Andres Larka (formal figurehead and presidential candidate) and Artur Sirk.
The Vaps Movement was a paramilitary anti-socialist organisation with most of its base being the lower middle class. They had no elaborate ideology or any connection with foreign fascist movements, their goal was simply a more authoritarian and nationalist government in Estonia. The league rejected racial ideology and openly criticized the Nazi persecution of Jews, it also lacked the willingness to use violence, or the goal of territorial expansion. However, they were known for sharing some aspects of fascist movements of the time, such as the wearing of a black beret as their uniform headgear, and the use of the Roman salute. Moderate members of the movement such as Johan Pitka gradually left the organization and new members were allowed to join, who were not veterans. The organization issued its own newspaper, Võitlus ('The Struggle').
In an October 1933 referendum on constitutional reform, what had been unsuccessfully attempted since 1926, was approved by 72.7 percent of the voters. The organization was banned by the government of Jaan Tõnisson (who opposed the constitutional reform) under state of emergency before the referendum, but after this event organization was re-established and became even more radical. The league spearheaded replacement of the parliamentary system with a presidential form of government and laid the groundwork for an April 1934 presidential election, which it expected to win. After the League won absolute majorities in local elections in the three largest cities at the beginning of 1934, but not in the most rural self-governments nor small towns and boroughs, the recently elected constitutional "State Elder" (head of government and head of state) Konstantin Päts declared a state of emergency in the whole country (in certain parts, this was already in effect since 1918) on 12 March 1934, disbanding the Vaps movement and arresting its leading figures. Konstantin Päts established a moderate regime that the historian Georg von Rauch has called Authoritarian Democracy. In 1935, a National Association was formed to replace political parties and series of state corporate institutions were introduced.
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