People's Parliament

{{Short description|Pro-Soviet puppet legislatures in Baltic states in 1940}} {{About|the 1940 occupation by the Soviet Union puppet legislatures|the Channel 4 deliberative democracy TV program|The People's Parliament}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox legislature | name = People's Parliament | native_name = {{langx|lv|Tautas Saeima}} {{langx|lt|Liaudies Seimas}} | native_name_lang = | transcription_name = | legislature = | coa_pic = | coa_res = | coa_alt = | coa_caption = | logo_pic = | logo_res = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | house_type = | houses = | chambers = | body = | jurisdiction = | term_limits = | foundation =  | disbanded =  | preceded_by = Riigikogu (Estonia) 4th Saeima (Latvia) Fourth Seimas (Lithuania) | succeeded_by = Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR | new_session = | leader1_type = | leader1 = | leader1_term = | party1 = | election1 = | leader2_type = | leader2 = | party2 = | election2 = | leader2_term = | leader3_type = | leader3 = | party3 = | election3 = | leader3_term = | leader4_type = | leader4 = | party4 = | election4 = | leader4_term = | leader5_type = | leader5 = | party5 = | election5 = | leader5_term = | leader6_type = | leader6 = | party6 = | election6 = | leader6_term = | leader7_type =  | leader7 =  | party7 =  | election7 =  | leader7_term =  | seats =  | structure1 = | structure1_res = | structure1_alt = | structure2 = | structure2_res = | structure2_alt = | house1 = | political_groups1 = | committees1 = | house2 = | political_groups2 = | committees2 = | joint_committees = | term_length = | authority = | salary = | seats1_title = | seats1 = | seats2_title = | seats2 = | seats3_title = | seats3 = | seats4_title = | seats4 = | seats5_title = | seats5 = | seats6_title = | seats6 = | seats7_title = | seats7 = | seats8_title =  | seats8 =  | voting_system1 = | voting_system2 = | first_election1 = 14–15 July 1940 | first_election2 = | first_election3 = | redistricting = | motto = | session_room = | session_res = | session_alt = | meeting_place = | session_room2 = | session_res2 = | session_alt2 = | meeting_place2 = | session_room3 = | session_res3 = | session_alt3 = | meeting_place3 = | website =  | constitution = | rules = | footnotes = }}

The '''People's Parliaments''' or '''People's Assemblies''' ({{langx|lv|Tautas Saeima}}; {{langx|lt|Liaudies Seimas}}) were puppet legislatures put together after the show elections in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to legitimize the occupation by the Soviet Union in July 1940.<ref>{{cite book |title=World encyclopedia of parliaments and legislatures |last=International Political Science Association. Research Committee of Legislative Specialists |author-link=International Political Science Association |author2=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association |year=1998 |publisher=Congressional Quarterly |isbn=1-56802-365-0 |page=409 |url=https://books.google.com/books?q=%22In+July+Soviet+authorities+held+a+rigged+election+for+a+puppet+legislature%2C+the+People%27s+Parliament%22&btnG=Search+Books |quote=In July Soviet authorities held a rigged election for a puppet legislature, the People's Parliament}}</ref> In all three countries, the elections to the parliaments followed the same script, dictated by functionaries in Moscow and borrowed from the examples of the incorporation of the Belarusian and Ukrainian lands into Soviet Union in the aftermath of the invasion of Poland in 1939.<ref>{{cite book| first=Alfred Erich |last=Senn |title=Lithuania 1940: Revolution from Above | url=https://archive.org/details/lithuaniarevolut00senn | url-access=limited |series=On the Boundary of Two Worlds. Identity, Freedom, and Moral Imagination of the Baltics | year=2007 |publisher=Rodopi |isbn=978-90-420-2225-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/lithuaniarevolut00senn/page/n211 205]}}</ref>

==Occupation== {{main|Occupation of the Baltic states}} On 15 and 16 June 1940, the Soviet Union presented ultimatums to all three Baltic states, which were then invaded by the Red Army. After the invasions, the previous governments of the Baltic states were replaced by pro-Communist "People's Governments". The new governments then dismissed the existing parliaments (Riigikogu in Estonia, Seimas in Lithuania) and announced new elections to the "People's Parliaments" to be held on 14 and 15 July 1940 (originally, the election in Lithuania was to be held only on 14 July, but due to low turnout, it was also extended to 15 July).<ref name=var>{{cite book |first=Vytas Stanley |last=Vardys |author2=Judith B. Sedaitis |title=Lithuania: The Rebel Nation |publisher=WestviewPress |year=1997 |series=Westview Series on the Post-Soviet Republics |isbn=0-8133-1839-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lithuaniarebelna00vard/page/52 52] |url=https://archive.org/details/lithuaniarebelna00vard/page/52 }}</ref>

==Elections== {| class=wikitable align=right !colspan=3 |Results of the show elections<ref name=mis>{{cite book |title=The Baltic States: Years of Dependence 1940–1990 |first=Romuald J. |last=Misiunas |author2=Rein Taagepera |publisher=University of California Press |edition=expanded |year=1993 |isbn=0-520-08228-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/balticstatesyear00misi/page/26 26–29] |url=https://archive.org/details/balticstatesyear00misi/page/26 }}</ref> |- ! Country || Turnout || Votes for the communist slate |- | Estonia || 81.6% || 92.2% |- | Latvia || 94.7% || 97.6% |- | Lithuania || 95.5% || 99.2% |}

{{see also|1940 Estonian parliamentary election|1940 Latvian parliamentary election|1940 Lithuanian parliamentary election}} Only candidates proposed by legally functioning institutions could run in each election. By that time, all non-communist parties and organizations were outlawed.<ref name=mis/> The local Communist parties emerged from underground with 1,500 members in Lithuania, 500 in Latvia, and 133 in Estonia.<ref>{{cite book |title=The history of the Baltic States |last=O'Connor |first=Kevin |year=2003 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=0-313-32355-0 |page=117 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3b5nU4bnw4C&pg=PA117 }}</ref> Therefore, only the Working People's Leagues proposed candidates, exactly one per each available seat. Most candidates on its slate were non-communists, but this was not considered crucial due to the way Soviet-style regimes operated. Efforts to present alternative candidates were blocked.<ref name=mis/> Repressions and terror were employed against election critics and political activists. For example, in Lithuania, some 2,000 activists were arrested on 11 June.<ref name=var/> People were coerced to vote – those who voted had their passports stamped,<ref name=mis/> while anyone who did not vote was dubbed an "enemy of the people" and could expect future persecutions for "failing their political duties".<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine=Time | title=RUSSIA: Justice in The Baltic | date=19 August 1940 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,764407,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031407/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,764407,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 September 2007 }}</ref> The ballots had only one option – the name chosen by the Communists. According to the rigged results, Working People's Leagues candidates received over 90% of the vote. The Soviet envoy in London released election results even before the voting booths closed.<ref name=var/><ref>{{cite book |last=Mangulis |first=Visvaldis |title=Latvia in the Wars of the 20th century |url=https://archive.org/details/latviainwarsof200000mang |year=1983 |publisher=Princeton Junction: Cognition Books |isbn=0-912881-00-3 |chapter=VIII. September 1939 to June 1941 |chapter-url=http://www.historia.lv/publikacijas/gramat/mangulis/08.nod.htm }}</ref>

==Parliament sessions and aftermath== All three parliaments convened on 21 July 1940. In their first sessions, all three parliaments unanimously adopted resolutions to convert their states to Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR): the Estonian SSR, Latvian SSR, and Lithuanian SSR. They also petitioned the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union to accept these newly established SSRs as constituent republics of the Soviet Union. The parliaments also elected their representatives to go to Moscow and personally present their case in front of the Supreme Soviet.<ref name=var/> Other acts adopted in these early sessions concerned nationalization of virtually all larger enterprises, real estate, and land, and other Sovietization policies.<ref name=mis/> The resolutions were adopted unanimously, with virtually no discussion.

On 1 August, the Baltic delegates arrived to Moscow and petitioned the Supreme Soviet. After apparent deliberation, the Lithuanian request was granted on 3 August, the Latvian request on 5 August, and the Estonian request on 6 August.<ref name=mis/> As a result, the People's Parliaments reorganized themselves as Supreme Soviets of the respective SSRs. Thus the process of legitimizing the occupation was complete.<ref name=var/> Even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia officially maintains that all three Baltic states voluntarily joined the Union.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cold Peace |last=Bugajski |first=Janusz |year=2004 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=0-275-98362-5 |page=109 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YOeeyIT6B4wC&pg=PA109}}</ref>

==See also== * People's Seimas, the parliament in Soviet-occupied Lithuania * {{ill|People's Saeima|lv|Tautas Saeima}}, the parliament in Soviet-occupied Latvia * {{Ill|II Riigivolikogu|et|II Riigivolikogu}} (2nd State Council), the parliament in Soviet-occupied Estonia

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:1940 in Lithuania Category:1940 in Latvia Category:1940 in Estonia Category:1940 in the Soviet Union Category:Historical legislatures Category:Government of the Soviet Union

People's Parliament

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