{{Short description|Political party in Estonia}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}} {{Expand Estonian|topic=hist|date=March 2022}} {{More footnotes|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox political party | country = Estonia | name = Union of Participants in the Estonian War of Independence | native_name = Eesti Vabadussõjalaste Liit | colorcode = #50a7f7 | logo = Vapsid logo.png | caption = Vapsid logo | logo_size = 250px | leader = Andres Larka and Artur Sirk | foundation = 1929 | banned = December 1935 | ideology = Anti-communism<br>Fascism<ref>{{cite web | title=Konstantin Päts | Estonian leader, statesman, reformer | Britannica | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Konstantin-Pats }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Ralph |date=April 1936 |title=Estonia Rejects Dictatorship |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/currenthistory/article-abstract/44/1/97/168204/Estonia-Rejects-Dictatorship?redirectedFrom=PDF |publisher=Current History |access-date=2025-03-18}}</ref><br>Estonian nationalism<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3L6H8eOIb0C&q=vaps+movement+nationalist&pg=PA1|title=The Radical Right in Interwar Estonia|isbn=9780312225988|access-date=14 March 2015|last1=Kasekamp|first1=Andres|date=3 June 2000|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan }}</ref><br/>Right-wing populism | position = Far-right | youth_wing = | headquarters = | europarl = | international = | members = | website = | wing1_title = Paramilitary wing | wing1 = Korrapidajate Üksused<ref name=Kasekamp>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3L6H8eOIb0C&q=vaps+movement+nationalist&pg=PA1|page=127|title=The Radical Right in Interwar Estonia|isbn=9780312225988|access-date=15 July 2025 |last1=Kasekamp|first1=Andres|date=June 1996|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan }}</ref> | seats1_title = Seats in cities (1934)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jd8FBAAAQBAJ&dq=Estonian+%22vapsid%22+elections+%22january%22&pg=PT289|title=The Baltic World 1772-1993: Europe's Northern Periphery in an Age of Change|author=David Kirby|date=15 July 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1317902171}}</ref> | seats1 = {{Percentage bar|40|+40%|c=orange}} }} The '''Vaps Movement''' is the popular name for the '''Union of Participants in the Estonian War of Independence'''<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-623213/Vaps|title=Vaps|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=14 March 2015}}</ref> ({{langx|et|Eesti Vabadussõjalaste Keskliit}}, later {{lang|et|Eesti Vabadussõjalaste Liit}}), a far-right and authoritarian Estonian political organization, whose members were commonly called '''Vaps''' ({{lang|et|vabadussõjalased}}, or colloquially {{lang|et|vapsid}}; singular: {{lang|et|vaps}}). Founded in 1929, born out of associations of veterans of the Estonian War of Independence, emerging as a radical right-wing popular movement.<ref name="EB"/> The leaders of this association were Andres Larka (formal figurehead and presidential candidate) and Artur Sirk.
== History == The Vaps Movement was an anti-communist organisation led by former military officers,<ref name="AK"/> and most of its base were veterans of the 1918–1920 Estonian War of Independence.<ref name="HF"/> Early support for the movement came from campaigns to financially uplift Estonian veterans, and redistribute land previously held by the Baltic German nobility. The organisation advocated a more authoritarian and nationalist government in Estonia.<ref name="HF">[https://books.google.com/books?id=9wHNrF7nFecC A History of Fascism, 1914-1945 By Stanley George Payne] {{ISBN|1-85728-595-6}}</ref><ref>T. Parming, ''The Collapse of Liberal Democracy and the Rise of Authoritarianism in Estonia'', London, 1975</ref> The organisation welcomed Hitler's rise to power, though they later tried to distance themselves from Nazism.<ref name=postimees>[https://arvamus.postimees.ee/4211579/ajaloolane-ka-vapsid-ise-pidasid-end-fasistideks "Ajaloolane: ka vapsid ise pidasid end fašistideks"] Postimees, 18. august 2017</ref> The league rejected racial ideology and openly criticized the Nazi persecution of Jews<ref name="AK"/> and did not adopt a goal of territorial expansion.<ref>Marandi, Rein "Must-valge lipu all : Vabadussõjalaste liikumine Eestis 1929-1937. 1. Legaalne periood (1929-1934)" Stockholm : Centre for Baltic Studies at the University of Stockholm, 1991</ref> However, Sirk also made antisemitic statements and the movement rejected potential support of the Jews because they are "dirty".<ref name=postimees/> ''Võitlus'' did occasionally attack Jews as conspirators against the movement.<ref>Kasekamp (1996), p 111</ref> Vaps also had a paramilitary wing called ''Korrapidajate Üksused'' created after Socialists disrupted a Vaps meeting. The paramilitary wing was commanded by Captain Heinrich-Balduin Dunkel and members were expected to fight to the death.<ref name=Kasekamp/>
They wore a black beret as their uniform headgear, and used the Roman salute. Moderate members such as Johan Pitka gradually left the organisation. The organisation issued its own newspaper, ''Võitlus'' ('The Struggle').
[[File:VapsMovement.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Vaps Movement meeting in Pärnu, Artur Sirk speaking]] The movement strongly supported constitutional reform that would enable a strong president to address national problems. Estonian patriots began advocating such a change in the mid 1920s. In October 1933 the government was forced to allow the Vaps movement to put forward its own referendum on constitutional reform, after watered down centre-right proposals failed to win support.<ref>{{citation|title=Fascism by Popular Initiative: The Rise and Fall of the Vaps Movement in Estonia|author=Andres Kasekamp|work=Journal of Comparative Fascist Studies (voeventl 4)|pages=157–158}}</ref> This was approved by 72.7 percent of the voters.<ref name="EB"/> The organization was banned by the government of Jaan Tõnisson (who opposed the constitutional reform) under a state of emergency imposed before the referendum, but after this the organization was re-established and became more patriotic. 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 on 12 March 1934 (in certain parts, this had been in effect since 1918). The Vaps Movement was disbanded and its leading figures were arrested in December 1935.
On 6 May 1936, 150 members of the league went on trial; 143 of them were convicted and sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment. They were granted an amnesty and freed in 1938, by which time the league had lost most of its popular support. By 1 January 1938, a new constitution took effect and new parliament was elected in February 1938.<ref>S. Payne, ''A history of Fascism, 1914-1945'', Routledge, 1995</ref><ref name="estonica">[http://www.estonica.org/est/lugu.html?menyy_id=639&kateg=8&alam=79&leht=9 Eesti Vabariigi arengulugu aastatel 1918–1940]</ref> The new constitution combined a strong President with a partly elected and partly appointed, officially non-partisan, Parliament.<ref name="HF"/>
[[File:Estonian League of Freedom Fighters - Vaps Movement - Roman salute 1.jpg| thumb | 220px | General Andres Larka speaking 1933.]]
The movement maintained good relations with Finnish fascist movements such as the Lapua Movement, Patriotic People's Movement and Academic Karelia Society.<ref name="AK">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3L6H8eOIb0C|title=The Radical Right in Interwar Estonia|isbn=9780312225988|access-date=14 March 2015|last1=Kasekamp|first1=Andres|date=3 June 2000|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan }}</ref>
As of 2019, the Vaps movement had no known active members. In 2009, Jüri Liim reportedly submitted a formal application to restore the original Vaps Movement.<ref>Postimees 15 April 2009 22:27: [https://www.postimees.ee/?id=107535Reporter.ee: Jüri Liim taastab vapsiliikumise]</ref> The application was not successful, and the Vaps Movement has not been legalised in Estonia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.postimees.ee/?id=139219|title=Vabadussõjalaste Keskliit jätkab tegevust ajaloolise nimega|date=7 July 2009|work=Postimees|access-date=14 March 2015}}</ref>
==See also== *Estonian War of Independence *History of Estonia *Lapua Movement *List of political parties in Estonia
==References== {{Reflist}} *Andres Kasekamp. 2000. ''The Radical Right in Interwar Estonia''. London: Palgrave Macmillan, {{ISBN|0-312-22598-9}} *{{cite book |title=Conditions of democracy in Europe, 1919-39: systematic case-studies |editor-last=Berg-Schlosser |editor-first=Dirk |editor2=Jeremy Mitchell |last=Varrak |first=Toomas |year=2000 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=0-312-22843-0 |pages=109–128 |chapter=Estonia: Crisis and 'Pre-Emptive Authoritarianism |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLt_99rQiSQC&pg=PA106 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLt_99rQiSQC}}
==External links== *[http://vapsid.weebly.com Webpage about Vaps Movement] *[https://books.google.com/books?id=U3L6H8eOIb0C "The radical right in interwar Estonia" By Andres Kasekamp]
{{Political parties in Estonia}} {{Estonia topics}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1929 establishments in Estonia Category:1930s disestablishments in Estonia Category:Anti-communist organizations in Estonia Category:Banned far-right political parties Category:Defunct political parties in Estonia Category:Estonian nationalism Category:Political history of Estonia Category:Veterans' organizations Category:Political parties established in 1929 Category:Political parties disestablished in 1934 Category:Right-wing populism in Estonia Category:Proto-fascist organizations