Viktor Kingissepp facts for kids
Viktor Eduard Kingissepp was an important Estonian politician. He was a leader of the Estonian Communist Party. He was born on March 24, 1888, and passed away on May 4, 1922.
Early Life and Political Start
Viktor Kingissepp was the son of a factory worker. When he was a schoolboy in Arensburg (now called Kuressaare), he joined a group that studied Marxist ideas. Later, he helped create the Estonian part of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in St. Petersburg.
During a war with Germany, he worked on a medical train. After the February Revolution, he went back to Petrograd (which was St. Petersburg). There, he joined the Bolsheviks and the Red Guards. These groups were very important in the Russian Revolution.
His Role in Revolutions
After the Bolshevik Revolution, Viktor Kingissepp became a deputy chairman. He worked with the Estonian Revolutionary Soviet in Reval (now called Tallinn). When the German army took over Estonia, he went back to Petrograd.
He then joined the Cheka, which was a security organization. In August 1918, he was involved in the arrest of Fanny Kaplan. She had tried to harm Lenin, a key leader.
In November 1918, Kingissepp returned to Estonia. His goal was to organize the Estonian Communist Party, which was not allowed at the time. He led its first big meeting in November 1920.
His Final Days and Legacy
On May 3, 1922, after a large May Day event in Tallinn, the Estonian Political Police arrested him. He was executed that same night.
After his death, the Soviet Russian government honored him. They renamed the town of Yamburg to Kingisepp. The Estonian town of Kuressaare on Saaremaa island was also renamed Kingissepp for a time. Many towns in Estonia also had streets named after him during the Soviet era.
