No. 39

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The Biographies of the 1st Riigikogu

  • Aadu Must

    Aadu Must

    Member of the Riigikogu, Professor of Archival Studies, University of Tartu

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Parliament of Estonia the Riigikogu, the National Library of Estonia has published an e-publication of the biographies of the members of the 1st Riigikogu.

Members of the 1st Riigikogu

Author Piret Viljamaa,
Editors Rita Hillermaa and Gerli Randjärv,
Designer Margit Plink.
National Library of Estonia 2019
Web publication: http://www.digar.ee/id/nlib-digar:388859

The publication contains the biographies of all 168 persons who belonged to the 1st Riigikogu. The mandate of the first composition lasted from 20 December 1920 to 30 May 1923, and ten political party lists were elected to the parliament.

The extent of individual biographies varies, about some persons, there are few biographical materials. The membership in committees, other compositions of the Parliament and the Government is also mentioned.

In order to illustrate dry facts, cartoons and quotations have been added. The publication can be found on the homepages of the National Library of Estonia and the Riigikogu, and in online catalogue ESTER.

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The publication is also commented by Aadu Must, Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu and Professor of Archival Studies at the University of Tartu. In his opinion, it is good that the publication is not a single and separate piece, but a reference work that is in a good synergy with the latest historical literature, including the recent book on the history of the Estonian parliamentarism by Jaak Valge (Valge 2019). The National Library deserves great recognition for this work, and has proven itself as the Parliament Library.

The publication is a contribution to the biographical literature of Estonia. It balances dignity and humaneness. It is great that the compiler has not been afraid to add a little humour, and even satire, to the work.

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