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Estland
Eestimaa
1917–1918
Estland was located approximately on the later territory of Estonia (above, green), declarated February 23, 1918.
Estland was located approximately on the later territory of Estonia (above, green), declarated February 23, 1918.
CapitalTallinna
Common languagesEstonian
Low German
GovernmentRepublic
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Soviets of Estland (Eestimaa Nõukogude Täitevkomitee esimees) 
• 5 November (23 October) 1917 - 4 March 1918
Jaan Anwelt
Land Councillor (Maanõunik) 
• 28 November (15 November) 1917 - 24 February 1918
Jaan Poska
LegislatureMaapäev
History 
• Established
November 28, 1917 (de jure)
November 5, 1917 (de facto) 1917
• Disestablished
February 24, 1918 (de jure)
March 4, 1918 (de facto) 1918
CurrencyRussian ruble of the Russian Provisional Government
Preceded by
Succeeded by
File:ProvisionalGovt.gif Russian Provisional Government
Estonia

Estonia (also Estland, Estonian: Eestimaa, Low German: Ehstland, Russian: Эстляндия )as an unified and separate political entity first emerged as a result of the Russian Revolution of 1917. For most of its history, Estonia was divided between two states or provinces. The Reval Governorate in the north corresponded to the historic Estland (Eestimaa). Most Estonians however lived in Livonia. After the February Revolution of 1917 the Reval Governorate was extended on April 12 (March 30 Old Style) to include the native Estonian ares of northern Livonia. Elections for provinsional parliament, Maapäev was organized, with the Menshevik and Bolshevik fractions of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party becoming the largest parties. On November 5, 1917, two days before the October Revolution in Saint Petersburg, Estonian Bolshevik leader Jaan Anwelt led his leftist revolutionaries to the revolution in Tallinn, then the capital of Estland, and took the political power. In November 7 (October 25), 1917. On November 28 (November 15) 1917 the Menshevik dominated Maapäev, refusing to recognize the new Bolshevik rule, proclaimed itself the supreme legal authority of Estland. It was soon however disbanded by the the Bolsheviks. In 1918 elections for a Constitutional Assembly were arranged, anti-Bolshevik parties again winning the majority.

In Febryary, after the collapse of the peace talks between the Soviet Russia and the German Empire Estonia was occupied by Germans. Bolshevik forces retrated to Russia. On 23 February 1918, one day before German forces entered Tallinn, the Elders of the Maapäev emerged from underground and made a formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Estonia. Although it took and almost a year for Estonia to be liberated from German occupation, this data is still selebrated as Estonia's independence day.

See also