1924 Communist putsch in Estonia

90 years ago, on December 1, 1924, an uprising took place in Estonia inspired by Moscow. A sabotage group that arrived from the USSR, which included the leaders of the communist parties of Estonia and Latvia, together with supporters in Tallinn, captured several strategic objects - Toompea Castle, the residence of the state elder, the main post office, the Baltic Station and several military units and police stations. If the uprising was successful, Estonia and Latvia were to be invaded by the Red Army, which included units made up of Estonian and Latvian emigrants. About 300 people participated in the uprising.

The putsch did not receive any widespread support and was crushed on the same day by the forces of the cadets of the military school in Tondi, with the support of the police and civilian volunteers. The commander of the division, General Ernst Pydder, led the suppression of the uprising, who happened to be in Tallinn that day. He sent a telegram to the Comintern with a proposal to drown the organizers of the failed coup in the Moscow River. The rebels killed 21 people, including the Minister of Railways Karl Kark, while they themselves lost 20 killed and 4 who died of wounds. 155 death sentences were pronounced, about a hundred participants in the uprising were shot. Its leaders, led by Jan Anvelt, fled to the USSR, where most of them died during the period of terror in 1937-1938.