Aleksander Kesküla facts for kids

Aleksander Eduard Kesküla (born March 21, 1882, in Saadjärve Parish, died June 17, 1963, in Madrid, Spain) was an Estonian politician and a person who wanted big changes. He played a part in important events during a time of great change in Europe.

Kesküla's Education

Aleksander Kesküla was a very educated person. He studied politics and economics at several famous universities. These included the University of Tartu, University of Berlin, University of Zürich, University of Leipzig, and University of Bern.

Early Political Ideas

In 1905, Kesküla was part of a group called the Bolsheviks. He used the secret name "Kivi." At this time, he wanted to cause disagreements within the Russian empire.

Working for Estonian Goals

By 1913, Aleksander Kesküla became a strong Estonian nationalist. This meant he deeply cared about Estonia's independence. He wanted Estonia to have an important role in world politics.

Helping Germany's Plans

Between 1914 and 1915, Kesküla shared information with the German government. He told them about Lenin's plans. He hoped that the Bolsheviks' actions would help break up the Russian empire. His goal was to create many new independent countries, including Estonia.

Money for Lenin

Historians have different ideas about how much money Kesküla helped transfer. Some research suggests that a large amount of German money, possibly between 200,000 and 500,000 German Reichsmark, reached Lenin. Kesküla was seen as a way for this money to be moved.

Later, a researcher named Michael Futrell interviewed Kesküla. Kesküla said he had very little direct contact with Lenin. He claimed he passed money to Lenin through another Estonian, Arthur Siefeldt. This money was given in small, secret amounts to the Bolsheviks. However, other researchers believe Kesküla did not give the Germans much useful information. They also think he did not deliver large sums of money to the Bolsheviks.

Efforts for Estonian Independence

In 1918, Kesküla set up the Estonian Office in Stockholm. His aim was to get support from the Entente countries for Estonia to become independent. He worked in this role until the official Estonian delegation told him to stop. The Estonian delegation was unsure about Kesküla. They thought he might be working for Germany.

Kesküla's Vision for Estonia

A main idea for Kesküla was the Baltic Sea region. He believed Estonia originally belonged to the Nordic countries. However, he thought that German rule in the 13th century pulled Estonia into a different cultural area, Central Europe.

He felt Estonia reconnected with its Nordic roots in the 16th and 17th centuries. But then, in the 18th century, it came under the control of the Russian empire. Kesküla strongly believed Estonia should separate from Russia. He wanted it to rejoin the Nordic countries, which were becoming more united.

Later Life

In his later years, Aleksander Kesküla became a teacher of politics. He taught several young Spanish scientists about political ideas.