Maatamees ('Landless Peasant') was an Estonian-language newspaper published from Reval (Tallinn), Autonomous Governorate of Estonia, Russia between and 22 February 1918.Eesti nõukogude entsüklopeedia, Volume 5. Valgus, 1973. p. 11Paul Vihalem. Eesti kodanlus imperialistide teenistuses, 1917–1920. Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus, 1960. p. 729 The newspaper was an organ of the Rural Sections of the North Baltic Committee of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks).Великая Октябрьская Социалистическая Революция: 7 мая-25 июля 1917 года. Изд-во Академии наук СССР, 1957. p. 450 Maatamees had a circulation of about 4,000 copies.Исторический архив, Issue 5. Изд-во Академии наук СССР, 1957. pp. 43, 45 All in all, 84 issues of Maatamees were published.
Editorial team Hans Pöögelmann, a revolutionary writer who had recently returned from exile in the United States, was the editor of Maatamees.Endel Sõgel. Eesti kirjanduse ajalugu: Köide, 1 raamat. Aastad 1917–1929. Kirjastus Eesti Raamat, 1965. p. 17 The editorial board included Jaan Anvelt and Jaan Sihver, the latter being a former political forced labourer and having moved from Moscow to Reval in July 1917.Aleksandr Mikhaĭlovich Prokhorov. Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Volume 23. Macmillan, 1973. p. 449Виктор Андреевич Маамяги. История Эстонской ССР: С марта 1917 года до начала 50-х годов. Изд-во "Ээсти Раамат", 1971. p. 40, 187, 189 Viktor Kingissepp was an active contributor to the newspaper.
Launching of Maatamees and July Days The decision to launch a publication for mobilizing support for the party among the Estonian peasantry was taken at a plenum of North Baltic Organizations of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks) held in Reval 18–19 June 1917.Estimaa Kommunistlik Partei. Keskkomitee. Partei Ajaloo Instituut. Ülevaade Eestimaa Kommunistliku Partei ajaloost, Volumen 1. Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus, 1961. p. 227-228 In July 1917 Matamees began weekly publication. During the July Days, the Bolshevik organs in Estonia Kiir and Utro Pravdy were closed down by the local soviet following orders from .Evan Mawdsley. The Russian Revolution and the Baltic Fleet: War and Politics, February 1917 – April 1918. Springer, 28 September 1978. p. 75 Maatamees was able to continue publication, albeit it had a different, more rural readership than the banned Bolshevik newspapers.Karl Siilivask. Suur Oktoober Eestis. Valgus, 1977. p. 38, 57, 63
August 1917 – thrice weekly From August 1917 onwards, Maatamees was published thrice weekly.Институт марксизма-ленинизма (Москва, Россия). Шестой съезд РСДРП (большевиков), август 1917 года: протоколы. Гос. изд-во полит. ли-ры, 1958. p. 148 On 13 August 1917, following the holding of the Conference of North Baltic Organizations of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks), a Convention of Estonian Landless Peasants was held in Reval. The Convention took Bolshevik positions and a Provisional Executive Committee of the Estonian Landless Peasants with representatives of all rural districts was elected. Furthermore, a 3-member Central Bureau was elected, consisting of Pöögelmann, Sihver and Johannes Heintuk. The Convention recognized Maatamees as the organ of the peasantry.Juhan Kahk, Karl Siilivask. Eesti NSV ajalugu: populaarne ülevaade. Perioodika, 1987. p. 106R. Juursoo, Raimo Pullat. A Brief History of the Estonian Working Class. Perioodika, 1981. p. 36
Profile The newspaper published texts of Lenin, decisions of the higher party bodies and news pieces drafted by a network of rural correspondents. During the campaigning for the 1917 Russian Constituent Assembly election, the final version of the local Bolshevik electoral platform was published in Maatamees by mid-October.Вопросы истории Эстонской ССР, Volume 6. Tartu Riiklik Ülikool, Tartuskiĭ gos. universitet, 1970. pp. 318–319 Maatamees had a Latvian language counterpart, Laukstrādnieku Cīņa ('Struggle of Farm Workers').А. М Совокин. Революция пролетарская, революция народная. Изд-во полит. лит-ры, 1987. p. 165
Closure The publishing of Maatamees was ended at the onset of the German occupation of Estonia.
References
External links Maatamees archive, at Archival Library of Estonian Literary Museum