Konstantin Päts

One of the founders of the Republic of Estonia, who later established authoritarian rule and died in Soviet exile.

Life

Lawyer and newspaperman

Päts was a lawyer and newspaperman. After the 1905 Revolution he was sentenced to death and went into exile in Switzerland and Finland. After returning home he was imprisoned, and later became a leader of the Estonian national movement.

Independence and the War of Independence

In 1918 he led the provisional government, declared independence and organized the War of Independence, and thereafter served as head of state several times. In 1934, citing the need to guard against the far-right "Veterans' League," he declared a state of emergency and dissolved the political parties, ushering in the so-called "Era of Silence"; in 1938 he was elected President.

Era of Silence and exile

After the Soviet Union annexed Estonia in 1940, he was arrested and deported, and in 1956 he died in a psychiatric hospital in Russia. In 1990 his remains were brought back to Estonia.

Legacy

Päts was a key figure in the founding of the Estonian state, but his authoritarian rule after 1934 and his failure to resist in 1940 remain controversial.

Did you know? He was Estonia's first president, and the only one to die in Soviet exile.

Key dates

• 1905Went into exile after the 1905 Revolution
• 1918Led the provisional government and declared independence
• 1921First term as head of state
• 1934Declared a state of emergency
• 1938Elected President
• 1940Arrested and deported
• 1956Died in exile