Artur Sirk
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Artur Sirk (September 25, 1900-August 2, 1937) was an Estonian political and military figure.
A native of rural Järvamaa, Sirk took part of in the Estonian War of Independence and remained a soldier until 1926 when he became as a lawyer in Tallinn. In 1929 he set up what would become the Vaps Movement, initially as an ex-servicemen's association. Sirk's speech at their 1932 conference gave the impetus for a change in direction as he called for a party that could take advantage of citizen's initiative to ensure the transfer to authoritarianism. The group came close to power in 1933 before being banned by Konstantin Päts the following year. Sirk was arrested as part of this ban although he escaped to Finland, where he had allies in the Lapua Movement. He eventually settled in Luxembourg, unable to return for various mooted but ultimately aborted Vaps coup attempts.[1]
Sirk died after a fall from a hotel window in Echternach. Estonian historians including Pusta[2] and Tomingas[3] have argued that the death was an act of defenestration by agents of Päts, although local police in Luxembourg stated that it was a suicide.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Philip Rees, Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890, p. 361
- ^ K. Pusta, Saddiku Paevik, Gesilingen, 1964, vol. 1
- ^ W. Tomingas, Vaikiv Ajustu Eestis, New York, 1961
- ^ Rees, op cit
