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Kindral Johan Laidoner ja Eesti Vabariigi hukk 1939-1940
Kahtlemata on Johan Laidoner üks tuntumaid eales elanud eestlasi. Ta sündis 1884 Viljandimaal Viiratsis, pärast karjääri Vene sõjaväes naasis Eestisse ja sai Vabadussõjas Eesti vägede ülemjuhatajana rahvuskangelaseks. 1934. aastal sooritas koos Konstantin Pätsiga riigipöörde. 1940. aastal küüditati koos abikaasaga Venemaale ja pärast pikka vanglateed suri 1953 Vladimiris. Tuntud ning kuivad faktid. Milline oli Laidoner inimesena? Milline poliitikuna? Kas Vabadussõja kangelane reetis hiljem oma rahva huvid? Kas Eesti pidanuks 1940. aastal Nõukogude Liidule vastu hakkama?
Neile lõputuid vaidlusi põhjustavatele küsimustele otsib selles raamatus vastuseid soome ajaloolane Martti Turtola. Eesti keeles on varem ilmunud tema raamat "President Konstantin Päts".
Neile lõputuid vaidlusi põhjustavatele küsimustele otsib selles raamatus vastuseid soome ajaloolane Martti Turtola. Eesti keeles on varem ilmunud tema raamat "President Konstantin Päts".
296 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2008
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March 25, 2023
In Kindral Johan (read: Yohan) Laidoner ja Eesti Vabariigi hukk 1939-1940 (General Johan Laidoner and the End of Estonian Republic 1939-1940), Martti Turtola, a Finnish historian, debunks popular myths about the annexation of Estonia by the USSR.
As Western historians think, the mutual assistance treaties that resulted from Molotov-Ribbentrop secret protocol surprised the representatives of the Baltic countries and Finland. For example, in his book The Devils' Alliance: Hitler's Pact with Stalin, 1939-1941, Roger Moorhouse describes the scene vividly when Ribbentrop sees Karl Selter (Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs), horrified and amused, rushing past Ribbentrop in the Kremlin after receiving the mutual assistance treaty. Martti Turtola's research proves this scene inaccurate: Karl Selter and his bosses knew about the upcoming agreement beforehand and were prepared to accept all its terms.
Konstantin Päts and Johan (read: Yohan) Laidoner came to power after a bloodless military coup d'état on 12 March 1934. Konstantin Päts, a Prime Minister, after that a President, appointed Johan Laidoner as commander-in-chief in violation of the law. For the next five years, the pair ruled as dictators, suppressing the freedom of speech, persecuting political opponents, and, at the same time, creating an obedient society and army.
Unlike Finland, which, due to its geographical position, was bent toward alliances with other Scandinavian countries and England, Estonia had no powerful equal partners around it. With the start of WW2 in Europe, the Päts-Laidoner duo had to choose a side: Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia. The hate toward everything German - Estonia has been under the rule of Teutonic order for centuries - won over the fear of Sovietization. Till the last moment, even after the military occupation of Estonia by the Soviet army in June 1940, these men believed that Estonia could have saved its sovereignty in some capacity, becoming a Soviet protectorate.
In march 1939, in his speech to the army high command, Laidoner argued in favor of a fight to the last drop of blood against any intruders. The whole nation should have taken arms to rebel. However, Päts and Laidoner surrendered Estonia without a single shot in the autumn of 1939, when the first 25 000 Soviet soldiers were distributed on military bases throughout the country. At the time and later, the explanations for the surrender were:
Finland's and Latvia's refusal to help,
the Estonian army's poor condition,
the fear of destruction of Estonia and its people,
the fast pace of events that prevented Päts and Laidoner from acting wisely, and
the signing of the treaty was a political maneuver to save time until Germany attacked Soviet Russia.
In his research, Martti Turtola proves all explanations to be wrong and proposes his version of events: the treaty was a logical step in Päts-Laidoner's foreign policy because they had already chosen the Soviet Union as their partner-to-be.
I'm amazed that the book was translated into only Estonian (the original language is Finnish). It contradicts every other text on the matter written in the English language that I read. It also contradicts the official Estonian narrative: Päts is a wise politician, and Laidoner is a national hero of the Estonian War for Freedom (1918-1920). My 4-star rating refers not to the text's content per se but to unnecessary quotes from other authors: this author wrote this (section), that author stressed that (excerpt), and so on. This way of citation reminds me of university students' papers.
All in all, I highly recommend the book for reading if you know Estonian or Finnish.
As Western historians think, the mutual assistance treaties that resulted from Molotov-Ribbentrop secret protocol surprised the representatives of the Baltic countries and Finland. For example, in his book The Devils' Alliance: Hitler's Pact with Stalin, 1939-1941, Roger Moorhouse describes the scene vividly when Ribbentrop sees Karl Selter (Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs), horrified and amused, rushing past Ribbentrop in the Kremlin after receiving the mutual assistance treaty. Martti Turtola's research proves this scene inaccurate: Karl Selter and his bosses knew about the upcoming agreement beforehand and were prepared to accept all its terms.
Konstantin Päts and Johan (read: Yohan) Laidoner came to power after a bloodless military coup d'état on 12 March 1934. Konstantin Päts, a Prime Minister, after that a President, appointed Johan Laidoner as commander-in-chief in violation of the law. For the next five years, the pair ruled as dictators, suppressing the freedom of speech, persecuting political opponents, and, at the same time, creating an obedient society and army.
Unlike Finland, which, due to its geographical position, was bent toward alliances with other Scandinavian countries and England, Estonia had no powerful equal partners around it. With the start of WW2 in Europe, the Päts-Laidoner duo had to choose a side: Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia. The hate toward everything German - Estonia has been under the rule of Teutonic order for centuries - won over the fear of Sovietization. Till the last moment, even after the military occupation of Estonia by the Soviet army in June 1940, these men believed that Estonia could have saved its sovereignty in some capacity, becoming a Soviet protectorate.
In march 1939, in his speech to the army high command, Laidoner argued in favor of a fight to the last drop of blood against any intruders. The whole nation should have taken arms to rebel. However, Päts and Laidoner surrendered Estonia without a single shot in the autumn of 1939, when the first 25 000 Soviet soldiers were distributed on military bases throughout the country. At the time and later, the explanations for the surrender were:
Finland's and Latvia's refusal to help,
the Estonian army's poor condition,
the fear of destruction of Estonia and its people,
the fast pace of events that prevented Päts and Laidoner from acting wisely, and
the signing of the treaty was a political maneuver to save time until Germany attacked Soviet Russia.
In his research, Martti Turtola proves all explanations to be wrong and proposes his version of events: the treaty was a logical step in Päts-Laidoner's foreign policy because they had already chosen the Soviet Union as their partner-to-be.
I'm amazed that the book was translated into only Estonian (the original language is Finnish). It contradicts every other text on the matter written in the English language that I read. It also contradicts the official Estonian narrative: Päts is a wise politician, and Laidoner is a national hero of the Estonian War for Freedom (1918-1920). My 4-star rating refers not to the text's content per se but to unnecessary quotes from other authors: this author wrote this (section), that author stressed that (excerpt), and so on. This way of citation reminds me of university students' papers.
All in all, I highly recommend the book for reading if you know Estonian or Finnish.
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