The baltic states not only exited the soviet federation on a strong wave of nationalist sentiment, therefore, but also had a destination, both historically and for the future. The report focuses on soviet policies and practices that are perceived. Nationbuilding, ethnicity and language politics in transition countries, edited. Baltic states, northeastern region of europe containing the countries of estonia, latvia, and lithuania, on the eastern shores of the baltic sea. Dec 12, 2012 baltic nations offer ex soviet states a western model. The friedrichebert foundation moscow, the center for applied policy research munich, and the centre for russian studies, tallinn started a trilateral dialogue among russia, the eu and the. The issue of the soviet unions annexation of the baltic states continues to be a source of contention between russia and its eu baltic neighbors, particularly latvia and estonia, which have denied citizenship to thousands of their ethnic russian residents, over what they call the illegal soviet occupation. Soviet foreign policy in the 1930s in the 1930s, stalin found himself worried about hitler, who had proclaimed in mein kampf that slavic peoples were untermenschen sub. When the baltic countries became independent, russiasoviet union lost ports and air defense locations in the region. European national policies series the baltic sates and. Our news analysis and commentaries provide readers with insight essential to understanding the three baltic countries and their neighbors.
Since the very beginning of the emergence of the soviet rule, baltic countries followed a different path from the other components of the soviet union. Migration and the new austeriat the baltic model and the. Osupport firmly the baltic states against any encroachments on their legitimate interests and, above all, security. Only lithuania drew on the soviet union as a partner. The sovietization of the baltic states refers to the sovietization of all spheres of life in estonia, latvia and lithuania when they were under control of the soviet union. Along with germany, ussr was excluded by their former countries. They were not invited to the paris peace conference, and when civil war broke out in. It highlights the storytelling or historywriting function of trials of international crimes. The baltic countries after two decades of independence a chievements, s etbacks, i nternal c hallenges ponars eurasia policy memo no. European union eu, the world trade organization, and the organization for. Baltic region, which, though part of the soviet union, exhibits many similarities.
Aug 31, 2017 they used to be better 10 years ago, but after russian incursion into georgia in 2008 the relations started to deteriorate and became really bad in 2014 when russia took over crimea and parts of eastern provinces in ukraine. Finland, iceland, norway, and sweden, which the russian ministry of foreign affairs collectively refers to as northern. Lithuania gained the regions of vilnius and klaipeda, but estonia and latvia ceded some eastern territories to the russian ssr. The baltic states are three countries in northern europe to the east of the baltic sea and the south of the gulf of finland. But, it different manner of attitude does not show the international journal of russian studies, no. Russian energy policy toward neighboring countries congressional research service 2 this latter phenomenon has been accompanied by an authoritarian political system under the tight control of president vladimir putin, a former officer of the soviet kgb intelligence service. Soviet union forces invade of the three states in 1939, and those states were soon. With offices in tallinn and vilnius and its headquarters in riga, the baltic times remains the only panbaltic english language newspaper offering complete coverage of regional events. The baltic countries and their years of independence, 1918. The situation of the baltic states also illustrates what happens if. Sovietization of the baltic states project gutenberg self. Russobaltic relations after the soviet union rabia arabaci kariman summary from the very beginning of the soviet regime, baltic states had a different place and issue in the russian agenda. The united states and nato should take action to mitigate the risks that a nato deployment in the baltics will increase the potential for lowlevel russian aggression. Russification and sovietization there remains another matter integral to the study of russian and soviet nationalities policies.
The world bank data indicates that decrease in industry was noticeable in all countries facing a transition economy, but latvia experienced. How the baltic republics fare in the soviet union foreign. Russian policy openly advocated economic warfare against these countries and regularly denounced their policies toward resident russian populations. The occupation of the baltic states refers to the military occupation of the three baltic states. Estonia, latvia and lithuania by the soviet union under the auspices of the molotovribbentrop pact on 14 june 1940 followed by their incorporation into the ussr as constituent republics, unrecognised internationally by most countries. Although in the united states and especially in asia and africa the colonial character of soviet nationality policy is not yet fully recognized, the nature of soviet colonialism, thanks to increased research, has been better and better understood. On 22 june 1941 nazi germany attacked the ussr and within. I am referring to the event remembered as the human chain. A welldocumented but pedestrian history of soviet policy toward the baltic states from the time of their establishment to their incorporation into the soviet union. What the west can expect and what it could do occasional paper. Pdf ethnic conflicts in baltic countries in the post. Since that time, latvia, lithuania, and estonia have enjoyed independence, emerging into the light such that their individuality is once again discernible. Dissent and nationalism in the soviet baltic rand corporation.
In 1991 the newly independent baltic states were already among europe s smallest countries only lichtenstein, iceland, malta, and luxembourg were smaller than estonia. They are bounded on the west and north by the baltic sea, on the east by russia, on the southeast by belarus, and on the southwest by poland and an exclave of russia. Thus, the research object of the paper is the official rhetoric and implemented foreign policy of b. Baltic states simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The biggest difference in the history was that the baltic countries were occupied by the soviet union in 1940 during the second world war, but not the nordic countries with the exception of karelia, a part of finland which later joined the russian sfsr. Summary following russias invasion of ukraine in 2014, the baltic statesestonia, latvia, and. This was especially the case in baltic countries that have experienced among the highest rates of emigration across the eu countries eurostat 20b. I have strived to introduce key terms and concepts without getting overly technical regarding nato processes. Russian policy on nato expansion in the baltics wilson. For example, russian businesses invested in a network of the. The friedrichebert foundation moscow, the center for applied policy research munich, and the centre for russian studies, tallinn started a trilateral dialogue among russia, the eu and the baltic states dedicated to enhancing potential for cooperation. The post soviet nations after independence ian bremmer i n his introductionto this volume, lowell barrington details potential fault lines within nationalist movements, grouped along issues of territory and membership. Baltijos valstybes, also known as the baltic countries, baltic republics, baltic nations, or simply the baltics, is a geopolitical term, typically used to group the three sovereign states in northern europe on the eastern coast of the baltic sea. Simply put, russias policy toward the baltic states is a textbook manifestation of great power chauvinism which is even more wrongheaded now.
Russian sensitivities are mentioned among the reasons for natos reluctance to include the baltic states in the first phase of the alliances enlargement. Mar 01, 20 download european national policies series the baltic sates and central asia eucamnationalpoliciesbrief11. Russian and soviet nationalities policy in the baltic. Baltic states under soviet rule 19441991 wikipedia. Occupation of the baltic states military wiki fandom. In general, soviet foreign policy was most concerned with superpower relations and, more broadly, relations between the members of nato and the warsaw pact, but during the 1980s soviet leaders pursued improved relations with all regions of the world as part of its foreign policy objectives. Following annexation of the countries as republics of the soviet union, came the sovietization of all aspects of life in the baltics. Download european national policies series the baltic sates and central asia eucamnationalpoliciesbrief11.
Russian intelligence justifies soviet annexation of baltic. Obring the human rights policies of the baltic states into conformity with international standards, usingosce, the european union, and other international. Minorities and civil society in the baltic region vdu. Nationalists may claim territory of neighboring states based on historical ties or former ownership, while ethnic minorities. Russian policies toward the nordicbaltic region carnegie. The soviet union was supposed to be a society of true democracy, but in many ways it was no less repressive than the czarist autocracy that preceded it. The languages that are spoken in these countries are different. Soviet foreign policy in the 1920s ussr was unpopular with the west after leaving ww1 in early 1918 with the treaty of brest. In thus reversing the course of modern baltic history, moscow separated the baltic countries not only from western europe, toward which. Why did the baltic states become soviet republics when. First of all, it becomes clear that the baltic states, despite their small size, are of strategic importance to russia. Baltics and russian formations, it can be argued that european neighbourhood policy.
The occupation of the baltic states involved the military occupation of the three baltic statesestonia, latvia and lithuaniaby the soviet union under the auspices of the 1939 molotovribbentrop pact in june 1940. Obamas administration during the ukraine crisis, focusing on factor of the baltic states in particular. Baltic nations offer exsoviet states a western model. What does the neoclassical realist theory just described imply for russias baltic policy. Baltic states baltic states independence and the 20th century. Our aim is to publish research from top american and european analysts on the baltics, but also to showcase leading experts from estonia, latvia, and lithuania. From the very outset of the process, the creation of what became the soviet bloc was surrounded by mysteries and mythologies, many of which were deliberately concocted by both. The collection of articles concerns of the causes, form of existences and mechanizes of realization of ethnic conflicts in latvia, lithuania and estonia in 199120. The baltic states are bounded on the west and north by the baltic sea, which gives the region its name, on the east by russia, on the southeast by belarus, and on the southwest by poland and an exclave of russia. First, it provides a theoretically informed account of russias baltic policy. After the breakup of the soviet union, the baltic states struggled to make a transition to a market economy from the system of soviet national planning that had been in place since the end of world war ii. For a study of russian and soviet nationalities policy, the aforementioned evidence is significant enough to overlook the controversy implicit in the use of the baltic construct. In november 1917, at the time of the bolshevik revolution in petrograd now st.
Following the collapse of the soviet union the baltic states. The three baltic stateslithuania, latvia, and estoniahave long languished in semiobscurity, victims of their geographic remoteness visavis the rest of europe and of the actions of powerful neighbors who have annexed these countries, invaded them, or. The soviet union and the establishment of communist. Cooperative security in the baltic sea region european union. Since the collapse of the soviet union in 1991, russia has been reshaping. After the war, the soviets established new borders for the baltic republics. Overall, i find that this frameworkwhich combines international, regional, and domestic factorsgoes a long way toward explaining the course of russias baltic policy from the mid1990s to the present. The foreign policy research institutes baltic initiative, which is being formally launched this month, will cover these issues in depth through our baltic bulletin and baltic briefs. The collapse of the german and russian empires during world war i allowed the baltic peoples to establish independent states. By their culture and history, the baltic countries are close to the nordic countries. When soviet union expanded in 1939 and 1940, into bessarabia, karelia, the baltic countries, and galicia as well as western byelorussia, it incorporated it all into the union and made them into autonomous republics. Russian and soviet nationalities policy in the baltic states.
The second period covers 1944 when the soviet forces pushed the german out, until 1991 when independence was declared. Why did the baltic states become soviet republics when east. This chapter analyses the attempts of three baltic states estonia, latvia, and lithuania to prosecute offences against international law committed in their territories by the soviet authorities during and after world war ii. They had reacted harshly soviet practices although they have some inevitable links with russia from the political, commercial, sociological points of views. Although russia and the former republics of the ussr are now independent, disinformation. The authors employ geopolitical analysis to identify the core characteristics of natos current policy towards the baltic sea region. The first period deals with the occupation from june 1940 to july 1941 when the german occupation began. European and the baltic countries for dividing the eu and weakening trans. They were then annexed into the soviet union as constituent republics in august 1940, though most western powers and nations never recognised their incorporation. Appropriation of industry and business affected the middle class, which was a small percentage of the population.
Baltic states independence and the 20th century britannica. On june 17, 1940, soviet forces occupied estonia and latvia. In some cases, russians took on the nationalities of their adopted baltic countries and were thus counted among the ethnic majorities. The underlying geology is sandstone, shale, and limestone, evidenced by hilly uplands that alternate with lowlying. These three countries at the eu border with russia regained their independence from the soviet union. January 1998 one of the key issues in the debate over nato enlargement is the question of the relationship between nato and the baltic states and how an expansion of the alliance would affect russias relations with lithuania, latvia, and estonia. The majority of states refused to recognize the soviet incorporation of the baltic states. Lithuania, latvia, and estonia had gained their independence after world war one. The baltic states and russia are both working on a return to europe. Discussion of the defense of the baltic states against russian aggression must also include consideration of what a successful end state would look like should a war be fought in the region, as well as how to take advantage of russias selfidentified weaknessits own public. I wondered how the baltic states can have such strong nationalism despite the long soviet domination, despite the harsh policy of sovietization oriented to repress any form of nationalism. In thus reversing the course of modern baltic history, moscow separated the baltic countries not only from western europe, toward which they had.
Nato should do more to strengthen the baltic countries security forces and thereby reduce the potential for russian covert action. By aurelien poissonnier summary the baltic countries estonia, latvia and lithuania share common features and a similar history. The paper aims to discuss implications of ukrainian crisis to united states foreign policy towards the baltic states. The united states never recognized the soviet unions forcible incorporation of the baltic states in 1940, and it applauded the restoration of their independence in 1991. As a consequence of the policy of nonrecognition of the soviet seizure of these countries, combined with the resistance by the baltic people to the soviet regime, the uninterrupted functioning of rudimentary state organs in exile in combination with the fundamental legal principle of ex injuria jus non oritur, that no legal benefit can be. The baltic countries after two decades of independence. The shared experience of the baltic peoples under russian and soviet. They are, from north to south, estonia, latvia and lithuania. Large numbers of the inhabitants of the baltic countries fled westwards before the soviet forces arrived in 1944. In the glasnost period, the baltic states, like other soviet republics, asserted their sovereignty but their international status did not change as a result at the time of the nttnptm coup ditat in moscow on 19 august 1991, the international status of the baltic states was as follows. After world war ii, as part of the goal to more fully integrate baltic countries into the soviet union, mass deportations were concluded in the baltic countries and the policy of encouraging soviet immigration to the baltic states continued. Mar 22, 2017 my testimony will focus on the security and defense aspects of u.
The baltic states of estonia, latvia and lithuania, which had been independent between the two world wars, were annexed by the kremlin in june of 1940, during the dramatic days when paris fell to the germans, and became republics of the soviet union. Baltic states are the only former soviet republics that are rated by freedom. Russias european agenda and the baltic states the web site. All three countries have sent troops to iraq and afghanistan.
The three baltic countriesestonia, latvia, and lithuaniaendured many hardships in the half century from 1939 to 1991. Projections of unremitting demographic decline through 2050 raise questions about their future viability as independent states. The soviet union and the establishment of communist regimes. During the soviet occupation, latvia, lithuania, and estonia were forcefully and entirely integrated into the soviet economy, resulting in a significant economic crisis after the collapse of the ussr. Soviet war crimes in the baltic states oxford scholarship. A common history was again imposed on all three states by the long period of soviet domination over the baltic countries, which came to an end only with the breakup of the ussr in 1991. Introduction to soviet politics, 2nd edition, for a. Naturally, giving in would open the floodgates to an unlimited amount of soviet soldiers but the senselessness of military resistance left the countries with no real choice. They used to be better 10 years ago, but after russian incursion into georgia in 2008 the relations started to deteriorate and became really bad in 2014 when russia took over crimea and parts of eastern provinces in ukraine.
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