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The Baltic Sea

The term Baltic Republics referred to the three Soviet Republics of Estonian SSR, Latvian SSR, and Lithuanian SSR. They were so-called in Soviet contexts because they made up most of that country's coast on the Baltic Sea. The sovereign nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, who had gained sovereignty in 1918, were occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. After a period of German belligerent occupation from 1941 to 1944-1945, the three countries were re-integrated as constituent parts by the Soviet Union. They regained their independence in 1991 and are now sometimes jointly referred to as the Baltic States. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Baltic states and the Baltic Sea The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a term which nowadays refers to three countries in Northern Europe: Estonia Latvia Lithuania Prior to World War II, Finland was sometimes considered, particularly by the Soviet Union, a fourth Baltic state. ... Baltic can refer to: The Baltic Sea Council of the Baltic Sea States - an intergovernmental organization Baltic sea countries - countries with access to the Baltic Sea The Baltic region (Balticum) Baltic States - the independent countries of Estonia Latvia Lithuania Baltic Republics - term refers to the three Baltic states under the... Map of the Baltic Sea (translated from the Ostsee. ... Map of the Baltic Sea (translated from the Ostsee. ... Evolution of the Soviet Republics from 1922 to 1958. ... State motto: Kõigi maade proletaarlased, ühinege (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Official language Estonian, Russian (de facto) Capital Tallinn Chairman of the Supreme Council Arnold Rüütel (at the time of regaining independence) Established In the USSR:  - Since  - Until July 21, 1940 August 6, 1940 August 20, 1991... State motto: Visu zemju proletārieÅ¡i, savienojieties! Official language Latvian, Russian (de facto). ... State motto: Lithuanian: Visų Å¡alių proletarai, vienykitÄ—s! Translation: Workers of the world, unite! Capital Vilnius Official language None. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. ... Year 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... This term is generally used for the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) in the first phases of World War II. // History of the occupation Before the beginning of World War II Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed an ostensible non-aggression treaty known as... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Baltic states and the Baltic Sea The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a term which nowadays refers to three countries in Northern Europe: Estonia Latvia Lithuania Prior to World War II, Finland was sometimes considered, particularly by the Soviet Union, a fourth Baltic state. ...

The United States and other Western democracies considered the forcible incorporation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into the Soviet Union illegal, and, at least formally, did not consider the three Baltic countries to be constituent parts of the Soviet Union. The same legal interpretation is shared by the current governments and majority of the population in the three countries.

During the Soviet period, the three Republics were usually referred to as "Pribaltika" in Russian. This term rooted in Russian history and approximately means "(area) near the Baltic (sea)".

The sixteen (after 1956, fifteen) Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR) that made up the USSR in the post-War period, including (according to Soviet law) the three Baltic Republics, formally kept a form of sovereignty, retaining the option to leave the Union. In practice the USSR was however a highly centralized state ruled from Moscow. The Soviet Union conducted a policy of russification by encouraging Russians and other Russian-speaking ethnic groups of USSR to settle in the Baltic Republics. Today, over one-quarter of the population of Estonia are Russian-speakers. In Latvia the figure is closer to one-third and in its capital (Riga) ethnic Russians now outnumber ethnic Latvians. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In its final decades of its existence, the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR), often called simply Soviet republics. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... Map of Latvia Coordinates: Founded 1201 Mayor Aivars Aksenoks Area    - City 307. ...

According to Soviet law, the three local languages (Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian) had the status of official languages in the three respective "Republics" and they were used in schools and local administrative apparatus in parallel with Russian (which was the official language of whole USSR in all but name). However, as the Russian-speaking settlers from USSR formed an ever larger part of the population and typically were neither encouraged nor motivated to learn the local language, almost everybody had to learn Russian to some extent and use it whenever communicating with Russian-speakers in daily life.

Soviet cultural policy, which encouraged multiculturalism, allowed Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians to preserve a high degree of Europe-oriented national identity. In Soviet times this made them appear as the "West" of the Soviet Union in the cultural and political sense, thus as close to emigration a Russian could get without leaving the USSR. Having regained independence, the strong national identity, and the fact of already having independent nationhood before the War, facilitated the Baltic States' transition into sovereign nations with a liberal constitutional order.

See also

• Baltic Sea
• Northeastern Europe
• Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
• Forest Brothers
• Baltia (Roman mythology)

The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. ... The Baltic Sea Northeastern Europe is a compromise terminology to refer to the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. ... Molotov signs the German-Soviet non-aggression pact. ... Young Lithuanian Forest Brothers in 1947 The Forest Brothers (also: Brothers of the Forest, Forest Brethren; Forest Brotherhood; in Estonian: metsavennad, in Latvian meža brāļi, in Lithuanian miško broliai) were Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian guerillas (partisans) who fought against Soviet rule during the Soviet invasion and occupation... Baltia was a legendary island in Roman mythology, said to be in northern Europe. ...

References