Otto Strandman

Tras graduarse, Strandman trabajó como abogado en Narva y Tallin. Se hizo conocido por su elocuencia y fue elegido miembro del consejo municipal de Tallin entre 1904 y 1905. Como abogado, defendió a los estonios contra los alemanes bálticos y los funcionarios estatales. ^{[ 2 ]}

Strandman también participó activamente en organizaciones nacionales estonias y se convirtió en activista por la reforma del autogobierno, donde apoyó la autonomía nacional en las gobernaciones bálticas . Strandman figuraba entre los políticos que debían redactar el borrador de la reforma del autogobierno, ^{[ 5 ]} pero durante la Revolución de 1905 , Strandman, al igual que muchos otros activistas estonios, se vio obligado a huir al extranjero. En el momento de la revolución, apoyó posiciones políticas socialistas radicales , pero más adelante en su vida se inclinó hacia el centroizquierda .

Durante su exilio, Strandman vivió en Suiza y otros países europeos. En Suiza, Strandman y otros exiliados estonios elaboraron un proyecto de reforma del autogobierno, pero este nunca se implementó. Strandman regresó al Imperio ruso en 1906, pero se le prohibió residir en las gobernaciones bálticas durante tres años, lo que lo obligó a vivir en Narva y San Petersburgo . ^{[ 2 ]} Regresó a Estonia en 1909 y trabajó como abogado, defendiendo a participantes de la Revolución de 1905. También fue un ferviente defensor de la libertad de expresión en los medios de comunicación. En 1917, se convirtió en fiscal del Tribunal de Distrito de Tallin. ^{[ 3 ]}

In March 1917, Strandman and some other known politicians, who were known supporters of autonomy,^[2] were chosen to compose the draft of self-government reform, that eventually created the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia.^[6] Strandman was again elected to the Tallinn City Council and, in the summer of 1917, to the Estonian Provincial Assembly, where he was part of the leftist Estonian Radical Socialist Party, led by Jüri Vilms.^[2] He served as the Chairman of the assembly between 25 October 1917 and 27 November 1918, although with periods of non-activity in between, due to the October Revolution and German occupation.^[3] After the October Revolution, Strandman led the Provincial Assembly session of 28 November [O.S. 15 November] 1917, where the assembly declared itself the highest legitimate power in Estonia.^[2] After his work as the speaker of the parliament, Strandman was acknowledged for his neutrality and punctuality.^[7]

After Jüri Vilms was mysteriously executed in Finland in 1918, Otto Strandman took over as acting Minister of Court. He also became one of the leaders of the Estonian Radical Socialist Party, which in 1919 would merge with the Social Travaillist Party to form the centre-left Estonian Labour Party. Strandman was however arrested by Germans in the summer of 1918.^[3]

After the German occupation ended in November 1918, Strandman continued in the Provisional Government, first as Minister of Foreign Affairs and then as Minister of Agriculture,^[8] when he also served as a deputy for Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaan Poska.^[9] As Minister of Agriculture, Strandman became the key person in composing and implementing a new land reform law. Being one of the leaders of the Labour Party, he fought hard to make the land reform as radical as possible.^[3] In result, land that had belonged to Baltic German nobility was redistributed to ethnic Estonians.

His diplomatic career started in December 1918, when he was part of the delegation to Sweden as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, asking for support in the Estonian War of Independence. Eventually Sweden sent a group of volunteers to the war. To pay for his trip to Stockholm, Strandman was forced to sell his own furniture.^[3]

In the Constituent Assemblyelections of 1919, the Estonian Labour Party won 30 of the 120 seats with a majority held by centre-left parties. This gave the Labour Party a chance to shape Estonian politics on a larger scale. Otto Strandman became the first Prime Minister of the country on 8 May 1919, and additionally Minister of War.

Strandman's first cabinet was a centre-left coalition with the Estonian People's Party and the Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party. The Estonian People's Party left the coalition in September, and Strandman's cabinet resigned on 18 November 1919, being in office for half a year.^[10] The Estonian Labour Party's Ants Piip then headed a one-party minority government between 26 October 1920 and 25 January 1921, where Otto Strandman served as both Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Justice.^[11] As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he established diplomatic relations between Estonia and Soviet Russia, making Estonia one of the first countries to do so.^[12]

The 1920 elections made the Estonian Labour Party the biggest party in Estonia with 22 of the 100 seats in Riigikogu, the first constitutional parliament, but the centre-right parties had also gained strength. The Estonian Labour Party remained in the coalition, headed by State Elder Konstantin Päts of Farmers' Assemblies. Strandman went on to serve as the first speaker of the Riigikogu between 4 January and 18 November 1921.

Juhan Kukk headed another Estonian Labour Party cabinet in 1922–1923, but without Strandman. In the following cabinet of Christian Democrat Friedrich Karl Akel, he returned as Minister of Foreign Affairs between 26 and 14 March May 1924 and then Minister of Finance until 16 December 1924.^[13]

Strandman figured several times in financial affairs. On 7 and 19 December 1923, he accused long-term inflationist Minister of Finance Georg Vestel in the parliament for incorrect spending of the state treasury. It was Strandman's criticism that eventually led to the fall of Konstantin Päts's cabinet and caused him to stay away from power from 1924 to 1931.^[14]

After the Estonian War of Independence, a large number of new businesses were started in a short time period and the industry was developed on loans, something which eventually led to financial difficulties. As Minister of Finance, Strandman proposed a plan for economic redevelopment that was supposed to reduce loans, lower the state budget and achieve a trade surplus by raising customs duties. At first, his actions saw little effect and he was criticised from both left- and right-wing parties, but eventually the Estonian mark stabilized, integrating the Estonian economy more with Europe.^[15] He also supported building the economy on agriculture rather than transit between Russia and Europe, regarding Denmark as a model agricultural country.^[3] In the media, his policies were mockingly called UMP (Uus majanduspoliitika – "New Economic Policy" (nep)) and KUMP (Kõige uuem majanduspoliitika – "Newest Economic Policy") after the economic policy in the Soviet Union at the time. In May 1924, Strandman didn't blame his predecessor Georg Vestel for deliberately creating hyperinflation, only for sheer optimism about his policies.^[14]

For almost five years, Strandman didn't hold any important offices. He remained active in parliamentary politics and became known for his eloquence. As leader of the centre-left, his work continued to have a great effect on the economy, since he achieved for same kind of policies as he had implemented during his term as Minister of Finance. Economic historian Jaak Valge has argued that it was thanks to Strandman's rapid and decisive work that Estonia was able to avoid hyperinflation in the early 1920s. It was Strandman who made the suggestion to name the new Estonian currency the "kroon", after the currencies of the Scandinavian countries.^[3]

A medida que el Partido Laborista de Estonia pasó gradualmente de la izquierda al centro, su popularidad disminuyó, y sus mayores logros se registraron en las elecciones a la Asamblea Constituyente de 1919 y al Riigikogu de 1920. El partido obtuvo solo 12 de los 100 escaños en las elecciones de 1923 , 13 en 1926 y 10 en 1929 , hasta que finalmente se fusionó con otros partidos centristas para formar el Partido del Centro Nacional en 1932.

Durante una crisis gubernamental en julio de 1926, el presidente del Riigikogu, Karl August Einbund, encargó a Strandman la formación de un gabinete. Su programa económico seguía consistiendo en reducir el presupuesto y los préstamos, algo inaceptable para el Partido de los Colonos y las Asambleas de Campesinos, de derecha . ^{[ 16 ]}

De 1927 a 1929, Strandman se desempeñó como enviado estonio a Polonia , con acreditación adicional ante Checoslovaquia y Rumania , residiendo en Varsovia . En junio de 1929, renunció inesperadamente ^{[ 17 ]} y regresó a la política estonia para encabezar su segundo gabinete, a partir del 9 de julio de 1929. Fue una coalición entre su Partido Laborista, el Partido Popular, el Partido Popular Cristiano , las Asambleas Campesinas y el Partido de los Colonos, que reunía a casi todos los partidos políticos desde el centroizquierda hasta la derecha. Antes de asumir el cargo, criticó al parlamento por convertirse en una "fábrica de leyes inadecuadas". ^{[ 7 ]} Su gabinete permaneció en el cargo hasta el 12 de febrero de 1931. ^{[ 3 ]} Resulta irónico, sin embargo, que la Gran Depresión llegara a Estonia cuando Strandman era jefe de gobierno, quien siempre había apoyado políticas económicas y financieras prudentes. Gracias a sus sólidas habilidades en economía y finanzas, la coalición duró un tiempo relativamente largo: 1 año y 7 meses. ^{[ 14 ]}

During his time in office, he made a state visit to Poland in February 1930, where he met both PresidentIgnacy Mościcki and MarshalJózef Piłsudski to propose the formation of a Baltic Entente, something which however didn't find Polish support. On his return home, he visited Vilnius, which was controlled by Poland at the time. The visit damaged the relations between Estonia and Lithuania, with Dovas Zaunius, Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, protesting the visit as a breach of neutrality in the Vilnius disputeBy 1931, Estonian-Lithuanian relations had somewhat healed.^[18] In August 1930, Strandman hosted President Mościcki in Estonia.^[19]

Membership in the parliament:

• 1917–1919 Estonian Provincial Assembly (Maapäev)
• 1919–1920 Estonian Constituent Assembly (Asutav kogu)
• 1920–1923 I Riigikogu
• 1923–1926 II Riigikogu
• 1926–1927 III Riigikogu
• 1929–1932 IV Riigikogu
• 1932 V Riigikogu

From 1933 to 1939 Strandman was envoy of Estonia to France, Belgium, Spain and the Holy See, residing in Paris. In 1936 he supported Juhan Kukk, Ants Piip, Jaan Teemant, and Jaan Tõnisson, who signed a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister in duties of the State ElderKonstantin Päts, demanding civil freedoms and an end to his authoritarian rule.^[20] In 1938, Strandman became a judge at the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague.^[21]

In 1939, Strandman returned to Estonia, but retired from public life due to ill health. As he was not active in politics, he was initially left alone after the Soviet occupation in 1940. In 1941 however, Strandman received a formal notice to appear at the local headquarters of the NKVD. Realizing his fate, he shot himself to death in his home in Kadrina on 5 February 1941. He was buried in Tallinn's Sisekalmistu Cemetery.^[3]

• Estonia: Cross of Liberty, III class, 1st degree (1920)
• Estonia: Order of the Estonian Red Cross, 3rd class (1921)
• Estonia: Order of the Estonian Red Cross, 2nd class (1928)
• Estonia: Order of the Estonian Red Cross, 1st class (1929)
• Estonia: Order of the Cross of the Eagle, 1st class (1930)