History
- 1918 – The Estonian Defence League was preceded by Estonia's first armed home defence organisation: Omakaitse the Citizens' Defence Organisation (German Bürgerwehr) against the public disorder accompanying the Russian Revolution.
- 1918 – On 11 November the Citizens' Defence Organisation was renamed the Estonian Defence League which performed the tasks of a national guard in the War of Independence.
- 1924 – The attempted Communist coup on December 1 dispelled any doubts about the necessity for the Defence League. Development of the Defence League for the performance of tasks of national defence was started.
- 1925 – In October the Estonian Defence League magazine "Kaitse Kodu!" ("Defend Your Home!") was founded.
- 1926 – On 19–20 June the first Estonian Defence League Festival took place in Tallinn, to be followed by six more such events held before 1940.
- 1927 – To develop the Defence League and give it a family dimension, the Commander of the Defence League approved the temporary statutes of the Women's Home Defence.
- 1928 – The Body of Elders decided to invite the boy scout organisation the Young Eagles to join the Defence League.
- 1931 – The Government of the Republic approved the Statutes of the Defence League which have remained in force until the present day.
- 1932 – The Girl Scout organisation Home Daughters was established at the Women's Home Defence.
- 1934 – To regulate the life and work of the organisation, House Rules of the Defence League were adopted.
- 1940 – With the Soviet occupation starting from 17 June, the liquidation of both the Republic of Estonia and the Defence League started.
- 1974 – Defence League in exile was founded by Avdy Andresson, Estonian Minister of War in exile.
- 1990 – The Defence League was re-founded on 17 February at Järvakandi on popular initiative in order to defend Estonia's independent statehood.
- 1991 – On 4 September the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia reinstated the rights of the Defence League as a legal person.
- 1992 – On 28 April the Defence League was included in the Defence Forces as a national defence organisation.
In 1999 the Estonian Parliament adopted the Law of Kaitseliit, which provided the position of Kaitseliit in society and national defence and also described it’s main tasks, structure, legal basis for operations and control and co-operation with other persons.
Read more about this topic: Estonian Defence League
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