The United Baltic Duchy, Estonia, and Popular Sovereignty

• In Event: World War I and the Post-War Period in the Eastern Baltics (II)

Abstract

My presentation looks at the episode of the United Baltic Duchy during the 1918 German occupation of Estonia and Latvia. The Duchy was a collaborative effort between Imperial Germany and Baltic Germans, aiming to establish a German puppet state in the territories of the former Baltic provinces as a means of masking German annexationism.
I will particularly focus on the methods used to feign popular sovereignty and self-determination during the Duchy’s creation. By 1918, these principles had been firmly established in international politics, requiring new states to demonstrate the support of the majority of the population.
Focusing on Estonia, I highlight the challenges faced by German occupation authorities in enlisting local support. The use of tokenism, involving hand-picked Estonian representatives in various political processes, and special constitutional operations, such as orchestrated political ceremonies, were employed to simulate popular support. At the same time, genuine cooperation proved elusive.
Ultimately, the Duchy project was unsustainable. Its reliance on faked popular will and Germany's defeat in World War I contributed to its demise. But this and similar attempts to fake popular sovereignty can be usefully compared to strategies used in subsequent geopolitical situations, such as the creation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics on occupied Ukrainian territory in 2014.

Short Bio

Mart Kuldkepp (b. 1983) is Professor of Estonian and Nordic History at University College London (UCL). His research mainly concerns Baltic and Nordic political history in the 20th century, with a particular interest in the First World War in the Baltic Sea Region, and the history of Baltic-Nordic political and diplomatic contacts.

Author

• Mart Kuldkepp, UCL