Communist Party of Estonia (1990)

The Communist Party of Estonia (1990) (CPE (1990)), also known as the Communist Party of Estonia on the Platform of the CPSU, was a splinter group that emerged from the Communist Party of Estonia (CPE) in March 1990. This split occurred during a period of increasing pressure for independence from the Soviet Union, and reflected differing views within the CPE regarding Estonia’s future.

The CPE (1990) represented a faction within the original CPE that remained loyal to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and opposed Estonia's pursuit of independence. This contrasted with the majority of the CPE, which, under the leadership of Vaino Väljas and later Enn-Arno Sillari, increasingly supported greater autonomy and eventual independence for Estonia. The CPE, as a whole, had already distanced itself somewhat from Moscow prior to the definitive split.

The formation of the CPE (1990) was partly driven by concern among some party members that the CPE was abandoning its ideological principles and becoming too nationalistic. The new party sought to maintain Estonia's connection to the Soviet Union and uphold traditional communist values.

After Estonia declared independence in August 1991, the CPE (1990) was banned, along with other communist organizations. Its influence in Estonian politics subsequently declined significantly. Remnants of the party regrouped under different names, often associated with left-wing or socialist ideologies, but have never regained significant political power in post-Soviet Estonia.

The creation of the Communist Party of Estonia (1990) symbolizes the internal divisions and ideological struggles that occurred within communist parties across the Soviet Union and its satellite states during the late 1980s and early 1990s as the Soviet system weakened and national aspirations grew stronger.