Table of Contents
- 1 Why did the USSR want the Baltic states?
- 2 How did the Baltic states win their independence?
- 3 How was the Baltic Way Organised?
- 4 When did the Soviet Union annexed the Baltic states?
- 5 Was the Baltic Way about communism?
- 6 What was the Baltic revolution?
- 7 How did the Baltic states gain their independence from the USSR?
- 8 How did the Baltics resist the Soviet occupation of Estonia?
- 9 What was the result of the Baltic Entente?
Why did the USSR want the Baltic states?
The Soviets demanded the conclusion of a treaty of mutual assistance to establish military bases in Estonia. The Estonians were thus coerced to accept naval, air and army bases on two Estonian islands and at the port of Paldiski. The corresponding agreement was signed on 28 September 1939.
How did the Baltic states win their independence?
The collapse of the German and Russian empires during World War I allowed the Baltic peoples to establish independent states. The road to independence was similar in all three. In 1918, while the Baltic homelands were under German occupation, national councils declared independence and established governments.
How and in what ways did the Baltic states resist Soviet rule?
The Baltic partisans resisted Soviet rule by armed struggle for a number of years. The Estonian Forest brothers, as they were known, enjoyed material support among the local population. The Soviets had already carried out deportations in 1940–41, but the deportations between 1944 and 1952 were much larger in number.
How was the Baltic Way Organised?
The Baltic Way was organised by the national movements of the Baltic states: the Estonian Rahvarinne, the Latvian Popular front of Latvia and the Lithuanian Sajūdis.
When did the Soviet Union annexed the Baltic states?
1940
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.
How did the Baltics gain independence from the USSR?
On 6th September 1991, the Soviet Government finally recognized the independence of all three Baltic states. It was followed by complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all Baltic States. It was completed first in Lithuania on 31st August 1993, followed by the Estonia and Latvia on 31 August 1994.
Was the Baltic Way about communism?
Photo courtesy of Vabamu. The Baltic Way was organised over six weeks by the popular front parties from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – the first non-communist political movements since the annexation of the three states by the Soviet Union.
What was the Baltic revolution?
Baltic War of Liberation, (1918–20), military conflict in which Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania fended off attacks from both Soviet Russia and Germany.
How did the Baltic states become part of the Soviet Union?
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.
How did the Baltic states gain their independence from the USSR?
After their annexation by Nazi Germany, the USSR reoccupied the Baltic territories in 1944 and maintained control there until the Baltic states regained their independence nearly 50 years later in the aftermath of the Soviet coup of 1991 .
How did the Baltics resist the Soviet occupation of Estonia?
The Baltic partisans resisted Soviet rule by armed struggle for a number of years. The Estonian Forest brothers, as they were known, enjoyed material support among the local population. The Soviets had already carried out deportations in 1940–41, but the deportations between 1944 and 1952 were much larger in number.
Why were people from the Baltic countries called local Russians?
People who moved from Russia before 1940 annexation and knew the local language were named as “local Russians”, for they had better relations with locals than those who settled later. Baltic communists had supported and participated the 1917 October Revolution in Russia. However, many of them died during the Great Purge in the 1930s.
What was the result of the Baltic Entente?
On 12 May 1990 the leaders of the Baltic republics signed a joint declaration known as the Baltic Entente. By mid-June, after unsuccessful economic blockade of Lithuania, the Soviets started negotiations with Lithuania and the other two Baltic republics on condition they agreed to freeze their declarations of independence.