Estonian Radical Democratic Party

The Estonian Radical Democratic Party (Estonian: Eesti Radikaal-Demokraatlik Erakond, ERDE) was a political party in Estonia.

History

The party had its roots in the Tallinn Radicals, who had formed in the early 1900s around Konstantin Päts and his Teataja newspaper.^[1] By 1917 the group had coalesced into the Radical Democratic Party, which won four seats in the Estonian Provincial Assembly in 1917. In the Provincial Assembly the party was a member of the Democratic Bloc alongside the Estonian Democratic Party and the Rural League.

A rightwards shift in the party in 1918 resulted in Päts leaving to join the Rural League, leaving Ado Birk as the most prominent party member.^[1] The Bloc contested the 1918 elections together, winning around 23% of the vote. Prior to the 1919 elections the ERDE merged with the Democratic Party to form the Estonian People's Party.^[1]

References

1. Vincent E McHale (1983) Political parties of Europe, Greenwood Press, p389 ISBN 0-313-23804-9