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The country's first big political challenge came in 1924 during an attempted
communist takeover. In the depths of a nationwide economic crisis, leaders of
the Estonian Communist Party (Eestimaa Kommunistlik Partei--EKP), in close
contact with Communist International (Comintern--see Glossary) leaders from
Moscow, believed the time was ripe for a workers' revolution to mirror that of
the Soviet Union. On the morning of December 1, some 300 party activists moved
to take over key government outposts in Tallinn, while expecting workers in the
capital to rise up behind them. The effort soon failed, however, and the
government quickly regained control. In the aftermath, Estonian political unity
got a strong boost, while the communists lost all credibility. Relations with
the Soviet Union, which had helped to instigate the coup, deteriorated sharply.
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