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. 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. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ...

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 the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. In the secret appendix of the pact, Germany and the Soviet Union divided up Eastern Europe into spheres of influence: in Northern Europe, Finland, Estonia, Latvia (and, according to a later adjustment, Lithuania) were designated as falling in the Soviet zone. Poland was to be partitioned in the event of its "political rearrangement." World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Molotov (lower left), Ribbentrop (in black) and Stalin (far right) The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, also known as the Hitler-Stalin pact or Nazi-Soviet pact and formally known as the Treaty of Nonaggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was a non-aggression treaty between the German... A sphere of influence is a metaphorical region of political influences surrounding a country. ... Northern Europe is marked in blue Northern Europe is a name of the northern part of the European continent. ...

After the occupation and partition of Poland, the Soviet Union started pressuring Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to accept territorial adaptions and Soviet bases on their soil. Eventually all states except Finland signed pacts of "defence and mutual assistance", which permitted the Soviet Union to station troops on their soil. After moving Red Army units into the Baltic states, the Soviet Union tried to occupy Finland by force in the Winter War of 1940, but had to settle for annexing Finnish Karelia and renting an isolated base in Hanko at the southwestern cape of Mainland Finland. Red Army flag The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya in Russian), the armed forces organised by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... The Winter War (also known as the Soviet-Finnish War or the Russo-Finnish War) broke out when the Soviet Union attacked Finland on November 30, 1939, three months after the start of World War II. As a consequence, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on... Finnish Karelia, historically also Swedish Karelia or Carelia, is a historical province in eastern Finland. ... The word Hanko may refer to Hanko, Finland, town and municipality Hanko Peninsula Hanko, a Japanese signature stamp Hanko is sometimes a misspelling of Hankou (汉口), China This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The spring of 1940 saw the German occupation of Denmark and Norway as well as a blitz through the Low Countries to France. These actions activated Soviet foreign policy towards the Baltic states, this time demanding political concessions: the removal of anti-Soviet elements from governments and free transition (transit?) rights for Red Army personnel. The pressure culminated in demands for new elections. The elections were conducted by local communists loyal to the Soviet Union and all non-communist candidates were disqualified. Outright fraud was also used in some voting places, to hide the fact that parts of the population were boycotting the rigged elections. The result was that all three Baltic states had communist majorities in their parliaments, and in August these three parliaments appealed to the Soviet government to become parts of the Soviet Union. These appeals were satisfied - these republics were annexed to the Soviet Union. 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Operation Weserübung was the German codename for Nazi Germanys assault on Denmark and Norway during World War II and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. ... Blitzkrieg relied on close cooperation between infantry and panzers (tanks). ... The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... Annexation is the legal merging of some territory into another body. ...

The events in the Baltic Republics were not isolated. Also in Finland and the Scandinavian peninsula the great powers demanded adjustments of neutrality and sovereignty: Germany had pressured Sweden to grant transit rights for material and personnel transportation between Norway and ports of southern Sweden during the fighting in Norway, and achieved this after Norway's defeat. Immediately thereafter, the Soviet Union began to pressure Finland for transfer rights over land between the Hanko naval base and the Soviet border, established as a Finnish concession in the Moscow Peace Treaty, as well as for control of the Petsamo nickel mine. In August, Finland granted transfer rights to German troops travelling between Northern Norway and ports of Gulf of Bothnia in a diplomatic effort to improve relations with Nazi Germany that had been chilly since the mid-1930s, due to ideological differences, which was clearly demonstrated when the Third Reich sided with the Soviet Union during the Winter War. Finland now managed to increase the political contacts with Germany, which was seen as the only hope against Soviet occupation. In September, Finland and the Soviet Union came to an agreement on Hanko transitations. When the Soviet foreign minister, Molotov, in November 1940, requested German acceptance, and passive support, for finishing the invasion of Finland, Hitler declined as he saw Finland as a potential ally in the upcoming invasion of the Soviet Union. The negotiations for Petsamo mines stalled for several months, until indirect German support allowed the Finns to let those negotiations lapse. Scandinavia, Fennoscandia, and the Kola Peninsula. ... The matter of German troop transfer through Sweden and Finland was an important theme in Allied propaganda during World War II, and remains after the war one of the more controversial aspects of modern Scandinavian history beside Finlands co-belligerence with Nazi Germany in the Continuation War, and the... The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on March 12, 1940. ... The area of Petsamo (Pechenga in Russian) in northern Lapland, indigenously inhabited by Samis, came to Finland in 1920 and to the Soviet Union in 1944. ... Categories: Finland geography stubs | Sweden geography stubs | Seas | Baltic Sea ...

Germany occupied the Baltic Republics after Operation Barbarossa commencing the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. In the one year of Soviet occupation, from June 1940 to June 1941, approximately 50,000 people were imprisoned or executed. Original German plan Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the German codename for Nazi Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that commenced on June 22, 1941. ...

German occupation policy in the area was also harsh. German authorities collaborated with some nationalist elements in the area who helped the Germans because they saw them as a chance to avoid domination by the USSR and communists. Other nationalists turned against the Germans as their occupation became increasingly brutal. In 1944 and 1945, the Red Army reoccupied the Baltic states and they became republics within the Soviet Union. The Soviet occupation remained fairly brutal until Stalin's death in 1953.   Joseph Stalin? (December 21, 1879 – March 5, 1953) was the leader of the Soviet Union from mid-1920s to his death in 1953 and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922-1953), a position which had later become that of party leader. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Historical considerations

The fate of small countries in Northern Europe varied considerably. Denmark and Norway were occupied by Germany; Sweden had to make some concessions but with skillful foreign policy and a credible military it was able to stay out of the war.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union and it was 50 years before they regained their independence. The United States,in conformity with the principles of Stimson Doctrine (Sumner Welles' Declaration of July 23, 1940), as well as a number of other Western countries never formally recognized the annexation, but did not interfere. Three Baltic States in 1940-1991 continued to exist as states de jure according of international law all time of its factual occupation and annexation. Therefore some diplomatic and consular representations of the Baltic States continued to function in 1940 - 1991 in some Western countries (USA, Australia, etc.), dealing with a limited part of state functions of the Republic of Estonia, Republic of Latvia, and Republic of Lithuania accordingly. In July - August 1940, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian envoys who continued to be accredited to the USA and UK governments made official protests against Soviet occupation and annexation of their countries. Members of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian diplomatic services in Western countries continued to formulate and express the official opinion of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and protected the interests of these countries and their citizens abroad all time during 1940-1991, i. e., until the restoration of independence of the Baltic States. The Stimson Doctrine is a policy of the United States government, enunciated in a note of January 7, 1932 to Japan and China, of non-recognition of international territorial changes effected by force. ... Sumner Welles (1892-1961) was Under Secretary of State in US 1937-1943 during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. ... Look up De jure in Wiktionary, the free dictionary De jure (in Classical Latin de iure) is an expression that means based on law, as contrasted with de facto, which means in fact. The terms de jure and de facto are used like in principle and in practice when one... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 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 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. ...

Finland was geographically much worse placed than Sweden, and had to suffer two wars: the (Winter War and the Continuation War) with territorial losses, and had to bend its foreign policy for the Soviet Union after the war (Finlandization), but it remained independent, capitalist and had a democratic political system after World War II. The Winter War (also known as the Soviet-Finnish War or the Russo-Finnish War) broke out when the Soviet Union attacked Finland on November 30, 1939, three months after the start of World War II. As a consequence, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on... The Continuation War was fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II; from the Soviet bombing attacks on June 25, 1941, to cease-fire September 4, 1944 (on the Finnish side) and September 5 (on the Soviet side). ...

Timeline of the occupation

• December, 1938 Elections of local council in Memel bring absolute majority to Nazis (26 of 29 seats).
• March 23, 1939 Germany occupies Memel region from Lithuania.
• August 23, 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed. Pact gave Soviets free hand in Estonia, Latvia and Finland.
• September 24, 1939 Soviet Union demands rights to establish bases in Estonia.
• September 28, 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop pact modified so that most of Lithuania was moved to the Soviet sphere.
• September 28, 1939 Estonia gives in to Soviet demands of bases.
• October 2, 1939 Soviet Union demands mutual assistance pact with Latvia.
• October 5, 1939 Latvia gives in to Soviet bases.
• October 5, 1939 Soviet Union starts negotiations with Finland for bases and territory exchanges.
• October 10, 1939 Lithuania gives in to Soviet bases.
• October 11, 1939 NKVD issues basic order (No 001223) for deportations of anti-Soviet elements from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Russia.
• October 18, 1939 First Red Army units enter Estonia.
• November 13, 1939 Finland rejects Soviet demands.
• November 30, 1939 Winter War against Finland starts.
• December 1, 1939 Terijoki Government, Soviet puppet government of Finland is created in occupied Terijoki border county near Leningrad.
• January 29, 1940 Soviets "forget" Terijoki government.
• March 13, 1940 Winter War ends with Moscow Peace Treaty.
• April 9, 1940 Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
• June 10, 1940 Germany occupies Norway.
• June 14, 1940 Paris falls to Germans.
• June 14, 1940 Soviet air force shoot down Finnish passenger plane "Kaleva" flying from Tallinn to Helsinki.
• June 14, 1940 Soviet air and naval blockade of Estonia starts.
• June 14, 1940 Soviet Union gives ultimatum to Lithuania to form a new government and allow free access for Red Army. The president of Lithuania, Antanas Smetona, proposes armed resistance but as he doesn't get support from government or armed forces, he resigns. Prime minister Antanas Merkys assumes presidential duties.
• June 15, 1940 Soviet Union occupies Lithuania. President Smetona flees through Germany first to Switzerland then to USA, 1941, where he dies on January 9, 1944, in Cleveland.
• June 15, 1940 at 03:00 Soviet troops storm and capture Latvian border posts Masļenkos (Maslenkis) and Smaiļi.
• June 16, 1940 Similar ultimatums were given to Estonia and Latvia.
• June 17, 1940 Estonia and Latvia gave in to the Soviet demands and are occupied.
• June 18, 1940 Sweden and Germany sign treaty allowing transfer of German soldiers from Norway using Swedish territory.
• June 20, 1940 New Latvian government of Moscow-approved ministers is formed.
• June 21, 1940 New Estonian government containing only left-wing activists is formed. Soviets arrange a number of Red Army backed demonstrations in several cities.
• June 22, 1940 France surrenders.
• July 8, 1940 Sweden and Germany sign treaty allowing transfer of German war material between Norway and ports in Southern Sweden.
• July 14-July 15, 1940 Elections in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where non-communist candidates were disqualified, harassed and beaten.
• July 17, 1940 The acting president of Lithuania, Antanas Merkys, is imprisoned and deported to Saratov, Soviet Union. He dies March 5, 1955.
• July 21-July 23, 1940 New Estonian assembly transforms Estonia according to Soviet style.
• July 21, 1940 New Latvian Saeima accepts wide nationalisation and Sovietization decrees.
• July 22, 1940 The president of Latvia, Kārlis Ulmanis, is arrested and deported to Russia, never returning. He died in a prison in Krasnovodsk on September 20, 1942.
• July 30, 1940 The president of Estonia, Konstantin Päts, is imprisoned by NKVD and deported to Russia where he dies in the mental hospital of Kalinin on January 18, 1956.
• August 3, 1940 Soviet Union annexes Lithuania.
• August 5, 1940 Soviet Union annexes Latvia.
• August 6, 1940 Soviet Union annexes Estonia.
• September 6, 1940 Soviet Union gets troop and material transfer rights from Finland between Hanko and Soviet border.
• September 22, 1940 Germany gets troop and material transfer rights from Finland between northern Norway and ports of Gulf of Bothnia.
• November 12, 1940 Germany refuses Soviet Union demands for right to handle Finland as they will in negotiations in Berlin.
• June 14, 1941 First mass deportations from Estonia (10 000), Latvia (15 000) and Lithuania (18 000) to Siberia.
• June 22, 1941 Operation Barbarossa, Germany invades Soviet Union.
• June 25, 1941 Continuation War starts between Finland and Soviet Union.

The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... Molotov (lower left), Ribbentrop (in black) and Stalin (far right) The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, also known as the Hitler-Stalin pact or Nazi-Soviet pact and formally known as the Treaty of Nonaggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was a non-aggression treaty between the German... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years). ... 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December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Finnish Democratic Republic (Finnish: Suomen Kansanvaltainen Tasavalta) was a short-lived Communist regime in those minor parts of Finland that were occupied by the Soviet Union during the Winter War. ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on March 12, 1940. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... County Harju County Mayor Tõnis Palts Area 158. ... Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa District Helsinki City manager Jussi Pajunen Official languages Finnish, Swedish Area  - total  - land ranked 342nd 185. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... Antanas Smetona (August 10, 1874 - January 9, 1944) was the first president of Lithuania from April 4, 1919 to June 19, 1920. ... Antanas Merkys was President of Lithuania (1940). ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... 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Türkmenbaşy is a city in Turkmenistan, part of the Balkan Welayaty, on the shore of the Caspian Sea. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... Konstantin Päts Konstantin Päts (February 23, 1874 - January 18, 1956) was a politician and the first President of Estonia. ... Kalinin refers to: Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin The city of Tver, which from 1931 to 1990 was named after Kalinin. ... January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... The word Hanko may refer to Hanko, Finland, town and municipality Hanko Peninsula Hanko, a Japanese signature stamp Hanko is sometimes a misspelling of Hankou (汉口), China This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years). ... Categories: Finland geography stubs | Sweden geography stubs | Seas | Baltic Sea ... November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... Original German plan Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the German codename for Nazi Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that commenced on June 22, 1941. ... June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... The Continuation War was fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II; from the Soviet bombing attacks on June 25, 1941, to cease-fire September 4, 1944 (on the Finnish side) and September 5 (on the Soviet side). ...

See also

• Forest Brothers
• Military rule
• Occupation of Latvia

The tone of this article is inappropriate for an encyclopedia article. ... US General Douglas MacArthur (left), military ruler of Japan 1945-1952, next to Japans defeated Emperor Military rule may mean several things in modern terms: When a country or area is conquered after invasion and placed under Belligerent occupation, also known as Military occupation (see list of military occupations). ... Soviet Occupation and Annexation of Latvia 1939-1940 Historical Background Latvia declared its independence on November 18, 1918. ...

External links

• Museum of occupations of Estonia — Project by the Kistler-Ritso Estonian Foundation
• The Occupation museum of Latvia
• Could the Baltic States have resisted to the Soviet Union?
• What Happened in Lithuania in 1940? — Article by Alfred Erich Senn
• Crimes of Soviet Communists — Wide collection of sources and links