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Nikolay KarotammEstonian Soviet party and government figure.
Date of Birth: 23.10.1901
Country:  Estonia |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Political Career
- Role in Estonia after 1940
- Partisan Leader and Secretary of the Central Committee
- Controversial Role in Deportations
- Downfall and Later Life
Early Life and Education
Nikolai Karotamm was born into a peasant family in Estonia. In 1925, he moved to the Soviet Union and enrolled in the Communist University of National Minorities of the West. He graduated in 1931 and continued his studies in an aspirantura program.
Political Career
In 1928, Karotamm joined the Estonian Communist Party (EKP) and engaged in underground work in Estonia. From 1933 onwards, he held teaching and editorial positions in Moscow.
Role in Estonia after 1940
After Estonia's incorporation into the USSR in 1940, Karotamm served as the editor of the newspaper "Kommunist," the first secretary of the Tartu District Committee of the EKP, and the second secretary of the Central Committee of the EKP.
Partisan Leader and Secretary of the Central Committee
During the Great Patriotic War, Karotamm headed the Estonian Staff of the Partisan Movement. Following the liberation of Estonia in 1944, he became the first secretary of the Central Committee of the EKP, replacing Karl Säre who had defected to the Germans.
Controversial Role in Deportations
Karotamm played a pivotal role in the mass deportations of 80,000 Estonians to Siberia in March 1949. The exact number of deportees remains disputed, with estimates ranging from 20,702 (according to the "Memento" human rights organization) to 80,000.
Downfall and Later Life
Due to his involvement in the deportations, Karotamm was removed from his post and replaced by Johannes Käbin, who was appointed from Moscow. Unlike many other purged party leaders, Karotamm was not arrested but was allowed to work in Moscow.
Karotamm later studied at the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU and worked at the Institute of Economics of the USSR Academy of Sciences. He earned a doctorate in economics in 1964. Karotamm passed away in 1969.
