EESTI KAITSEAMETKONDADE OHUHINNANG VÄLISRÜNNAKU VÕIMALIKKUSE KOHTA ENNE JA PÄRAST 1. DETSEMBRI RIIGIPÖÖRDEKATSET AASTAL 1924

THREAT ASSESSMENT OF ESTONIAN DEFENCE AUTHORITIES ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF A FOREIGN ATTACK BEFORE AND AFTER THE COUP ATTEMPT OF 1. DECEMBER 1924.

Abstract

At the time of publishing this article, a hundred years have passed since the coup attempt, which was a severe shock
to the newly independent Republic of Estonia. The uprising, which took place in the
early hours of December, occurred during a period when efforts were underway to
restore the activities of the Estonian Defence League. A trial had just concluded for
149 communists, and intense mutual espionage was taking place between Estonia
and the Soviet Union. The coup plotters had received support from the Soviet Union.
Although, in the 1920s, the Red Army was seen in Estonia as the most likely military
threat, the likelihood of the materialisation of this threat has not been studied in
depth. This article attempts to shed light on how likely Estonian defence authorities
considered a Red Army attack, both before and immediately after the coup attempt,
based on archival sources.