The Estonian Salvation Committee ( or Päästekomitee) was the executive body of the Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

n Provincial Assembly that issued the Estonian Declaration of Independence

Estonian Declaration of Independence

The Estonian Declaration of Independence, also known as the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia , is the founding act of the Republic of Estonia from 1918. It is celebrated on 24 February, the National Day or Estonian Independence Day....

.

The Salvation Committee was created on February 19, 1918 by the Provincial Assembly in a situation where Russian forces were retreating and forces of Imperial Germany were advancing in Estonia during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. The committee was granted full decision-making powers to ensure the continued activity of the Provincial Assembly. Members of Salvation Committee were Konstantin Päts

Konstantin Päts

Konstantin Päts VR I/1 and III/1 was the most influential politician of interwar Estonia. He was one of the first Estonians to become active in politics and started an almost 40-year political rivalry with Jaan Tõnisson, first through journalism with his newspaper Teataja, later through politics...

, Jüri Vilms

Jüri Vilms

Jüri Vilms was a member of the Estonian Salvation Committee and the first Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia. Empowered by Maapäev the Salvation Committee issued the Estonian Declaration of Independence on February 24, 1918 in the middle of a political power vacuum created by the...

 and Konstantin Konik

Konstantin Konik

Konstantin Konik M.D. was an Estonian politician and surgeon, member of the Estonian Salvation CommitteeKonstantin Konik was born to a working class family, his father made living as a carter...

. It drafted a declaration of independence that was approved by elders of the Provincial Assembly. The Salvation Committee publicly proclaimed Estonia an independent and democratic republic, on February 23 in Pärnu

Pärnu

Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga...

 and on February 24 in Tallinn

Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

. ESC appointed the Estonian Provisional Government

Estonian Provisional Government

The Estonian Provisional Government was formed on February 24, 1918 by the Salvation Committee appointed by Maapäev the Estonian Province Assembly. The Provisional Government was led by Konstantin Päts...

 on February 24, 1918.

See also

• Estonian Provincial Assembly
• History of Estonia
  History of Estonia
  Estonia was settled near the end of the last glacial era, beginning from around 8500 BC. Before the German invasions in the 13th century proto-Estonians of the Ancient Estonia worshipped the spirits of nature...
  
  
• Estonian Declaration of Independence
  Estonian Declaration of Independence
  The Estonian Declaration of Independence, also known as the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia , is the founding act of the Republic of Estonia from 1918. It is celebrated on 24 February, the National Day or Estonian Independence Day....