The Union of Participants in the Estonian War of Independence During 1929–1934

The Union of Participants in the Estonian War of Independence (better known as the Vaps Movement) operated in the political field of the first Republic of Estonia in 1929–1934. The movement was reactionary and actively criticized the government as well as promoted various nationalist ideas. During the coup d’état of 1934, the movement was suppressed and accused of preparing a fascist uprising to seize power in the country. As a result, the Vaps were labelled as “Estonian Nazis”. However, since the 1990s this view has been questioned, primarily by Estonian historians. The article examines the conditions of the emergence and activities of the Union of Participants in the Estonian War of Independence in the context of its radicality and similarity to the fascist movements of that period. It studies the organization’s structure and management, the Vaps’ ideas about the social order, the “ideal” state and the role of religion, as well as their attitude towards other ethnic groups and countries and towards the Marxist and fascist movements. According to the author, the classification of the Vaps as “Estonian Nazis” that was traditionally accepted in Soviet historiography is flawed due to the serious differences between the movement’s main ideological theses and fascist ideology during the period under study, both in the case of Italy and Germany and in the case of Estonia’s regional neighbours. In particular, the author identified the following key differences of the movement from other contemporary fascist parties in Europe: no clearly expressed authoritarian ideas, no Führerprinzip in the organization, no antipathy towards other nations, and no aggressive foreign policy ambitions.