The Baltic states in the period between the two world wars became the object of the struggle of the great European powers (England, France and Germany) for influence in the region. In the first decade after Germany's defeat in World War I, there was a strong Anglo-French influence in the Baltic states, which later, in the early 1930s, was hindered by the growing influence of neighboring Germany. He, in turn, tried to resist the Soviet leadership, taking into account the strategic importance of the region. By the end of the 1930s. Germany and the USSR became, in fact, the main rivals in the struggle for influence in the Baltics.

Failure "Eastern Pact" was caused by the difference of interests of the contracting parties. Thus, the Anglo-French missions received detailed secret instructions from their general staffs, which determined the goals and nature of the negotiations - in the note of the French General Staff it was said, in particular, that, together with a number of political benefits that would receive England and France in connection with the annexation of the USSR, this would allow it to be drawn into the conflict: “it is not in our interests for it to remain out of the conflict, keeping its forces intact”. The Soviet Union, which considered at least two Baltic republics - Estonia and Latvia - as a sphere of its national interests, defended this position at the negotiations, but did not meet with understanding among its partners. As for the governments of the Baltic states themselves, they preferred guarantees from Germany, with which they were bound by a system of economic agreements and non-aggression pacts. According to Churchill, “An obstacle to the conclusion of such an agreement (with the USSR) was the horror that these same border states experienced before Soviet help in the form of Soviet armies that could pass through their territories in order to protect them from the Germans and simultaneously include them in the Soviet-communist system. After all, they were the fiercest opponents of this system. Poland, Romania, Finland and the three Baltic states did not know what they feared more - German aggression or Russian salvation. " ...

Simultaneously with the negotiations with Great Britain and France, the Soviet Union in the summer of 1939 stepped up steps towards rapprochement with Germany. The result of this policy was the signing of a non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR on August 23, 1939. According to secret additional protocols to the treaty, Estonia, Latvia, Finland and eastern Poland were included in the Soviet sphere of interests, Lithuania and western Poland were included in the sphere of German interests); by the time the treaty was signed, the Klaipeda (Memel) region of Lithuania had already been occupied by Germany (March 1939).

1939. War begins in Europe

Mutual Assistance Pacts and the Treaty of Friendship and Border

The independent Baltic states on the map of the Small Soviet Encyclopedia. April 1940

As a result of the actual division of Polish territory between Germany and the USSR, the Soviet borders moved far to the west, and the USSR began to border on the third Baltic state - Lithuania. Initially, Germany intended to turn Lithuania into its protectorate, but on September 25, in the course of Soviet-German contacts on the settlement of the Polish problem, the USSR offered to start negotiations on Germany's renunciation of claims to Lithuania in exchange for the territory of Warsaw and Lublin Voivodeships. On that day, the German ambassador to the USSR, Count Schulenburg, sent a telegram to the German Foreign Ministry in which he said that he had been summoned to the Kremlin, where Stalin pointed to this proposal as a subject of future negotiations and added that if Germany agreed, “the Soviet Union immediately will take up the solution of the problem of the Baltic states in accordance with the protocol of 23 August. "

The situation in the Baltic states themselves was alarming and contradictory. Against the background of rumors about the impending Soviet-German division of the Baltic, which were denied by diplomats of both sides, part of the ruling circles of the Baltic states were ready to continue rapprochement with Germany, many were anti-German and counted on the USSR's help in maintaining the balance of power in the region and national independence, while The underground left forces were ready to support the annexation to the USSR.

Meanwhile, on the Soviet border with Estonia and Latvia, a Soviet military group was created, which included the forces of the 8th Army (Kingisepp direction, Leningrad VO), 7th Army (Pskov direction, Kalinin VO) and 3rd Army (Belorussian Front).

In conditions when Latvia and Finland refused to provide support to Estonia, England and France (which were at war with Germany) were unable to provide it, and Germany recommended to accept the Soviet proposal, the Estonian government agreed to negotiations in Moscow, as a result of which on September 28 A Mutual Assistance Pact was signed, providing for the creation of Soviet military bases on the territory of Estonia and the deployment of a Soviet contingent of up to 25 thousand people there. On the same day, the Soviet-German treaty "On Friendship and Border" was signed, which fixed the partition of Poland. According to the secret protocol to him, the conditions for the division of spheres of influence were revised: Lithuania fell into the sphere of influence of the USSR in exchange for Polish lands east of the Vistula, which were taken over by Germany. At the end of negotiations with the Estonian delegation, Stalin told Selter: “The Estonian government acted wisely and for the benefit of the Estonian people by concluding an agreement with the Soviet Union. With you it could have turned out as with Poland. Poland was a great power. Where is Poland now? "

On October 5, the USSR suggested that Finland also consider the possibility of concluding a pact of mutual assistance with the USSR. Negotiations began on October 11, but Finland rejected the USSR's proposals on both the pact and the lease and exchange of territories, which led to the Mainil incident, which became the reason for the USSR's denunciation of the non-aggression pact with Finland and the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940.

Almost immediately after the signing of the agreements on mutual assistance, negotiations began on the basing of Soviet troops in the Baltic.

The fact that the Russian armies were to stand on this line was absolutely necessary for the security of Russia against the Nazi threat. Be that as it may, this line exists and an Eastern Front has been created, which Nazi Germany would not dare to attack. When Mr. Ribbentrop was summoned to Moscow last week, he had to learn and accept the fact that the implementation of Nazi plans in relation to the Baltic countries and Ukraine must be finally stopped.

Original text (English)

That the Russian armies should stand on this line was clearly necessary for the safety of Russia against the Nazi menace. At any rate, the line is there, and an Eastern front has been created which Nazi Germany does not dare assail. When Herr von Ribbentrop was summoned to Moscow last week it was to learn the fact, and to accept the fact, that the Nazi designs upon the Baltic States and upon the Ukraine must come to a dead stop.

The Soviet leadership also stated that the Baltic countries did not comply with the signed treaties and were pursuing an anti-Soviet policy. For example, the political alliance between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (the Baltic Entente) was characterized as having an anti-Soviet orientation and violating agreements on mutual assistance with the USSR.

A limited contingent of the Red Army (for example, in Latvia, its number was 20,000) was introduced with the permission of the presidents of the Baltic countries, and agreements were concluded. So, on November 5, 1939, the Riga newspaper "Gazeta for all" in the article "Soviet troops entered their bases" published a message:

On the basis of the friendly agreement concluded between Latvia and the USSR on mutual assistance, the first echelons of Soviet troops proceeded on October 29, 1939 through the border station Zilupe. A guard of honor with a military orchestra was lined up to meet the Soviet troops ...

A little later in the same newspaper on November 26, 1939, in the article "Freedom and independence" dedicated to the celebrations of November 18, the President of Latvia published a speech by President Karlis Ulmanis, in which he indicated:

... The recently concluded mutual assistance treaty with the Soviet Union strengthens the security of our and its borders ...

Summer 1940 ultimatums and the ouster of the Baltic governments

The entry of the Baltic states into the USSR

New governments lifted bans on communist parties and demonstrations and called early parliamentary elections. In the elections held on July 14 in all three states, the victory was won by the pro-communist Blocs (Unions) of the working people - the only electoral lists admitted to the elections. According to official data, the turnout in Estonia was 84.1%, while 92.8% of the votes were cast for the Union of Working People, in Lithuania the turnout was 95.51%, of which 99.19% voted for the Union of Working People, in Latvia the turnout was 94.8%, 97.8% of the votes were cast for the Bloc of Working People. Elections in Latvia, according to V. Mangulis, were rigged.

The newly elected parliaments already on July 21-22 proclaimed the creation of the Estonian SSR, the Latvian SSR and the Lithuanian SSR and adopted the Declaration of entry into the USSR. On August 3-6, 1940, in accordance with the decisions of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, these republics were admitted to the Soviet Union. From the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian armies, the Lithuanian (29th rifle), Latvian (24th rifle) and Estonian (22nd rifle) territorial corps were formed, which became part of the PribOVO.

The entry of the Baltic states into the USSR was not recognized by the United States, the Vatican and a number of other countries. Recognized him de jure Sweden, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, India, Iran, New Zealand, Finland, de facto - Great Britain and a number of other countries. In exile (in the USA, Great Britain, etc.), some diplomatic missions of the pre-war Baltic states continued to operate; after World War II, the Estonian government in exile was established.

Effects

The annexation of the Baltic to the USSR delayed the emergence of the Baltic states allied to the Third Reich, planned by Hitler

After the Baltic states became part of the USSR, the socialist economic transformations that had already been completed in the rest of the country and repressions against the intelligentsia, clergy, former politicians, officers, and wealthy peasants moved here. In 1941, “in connection with the presence in the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian SSRs of a significant number of former members of various counter-revolutionary nationalist parties, former police officers, gendarmes, landowners, manufacturers, high-ranking officials of the former state apparatus of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and other subversive anti-Soviet work and used by foreign intelligence services for espionage purposes ”, the population was deported. ... A significant part of the repressed were Russians living in the Baltics, mainly White emigres.

In the Baltic republics, just before the start of the war, an operation was completed to evict the "unreliable and counter-revolutionary element" - a little more than 10 thousand people were deported from Estonia, about 17.5 thousand from Lithuania from Latvia - according to various estimates from 15.4 to 16.5 thousands of people. This operation was completed by June 21, 1941.

In the summer of 1941, after the German attack on the USSR, in Lithuania and Latvia in the first days of the German offensive, the “fifth column” performances took place, which resulted in the proclamation of short-lived “loyal to Great Germany” states, in Estonia, where Soviet troops defended for a longer time, this process almost immediately was replaced by the inclusion in the Reichkommissariat Ostland like the other two.

Contemporary politics

Differences in the assessment of the events of 1940 and the subsequent history of the Baltic countries within the USSR are a source of unrelenting tension in relations between Russia and the Baltic states. In Latvia and Estonia, many issues related to the legal status of Russian-speaking residents - settlers of the 1940-1991 era have not yet been settled. and their descendants (see Non-citizens (Latvia) and Non-citizens (Estonia)), since only citizens of the pre-war Republics of Latvia and Estonia and their descendants were recognized as citizens of these states (in Estonia, citizens of the Estonian SSR who also supported the independence of the Republic of Estonia in the referendum on March 3, 1991) , while the rest were struck in their civil rights, which created a situation, unique for modern Europe, of the existence of discrimination regimes on its territory. ...

The European Union bodies and commissions have repeatedly made official recommendations to Latvia and Estonia, in which they pointed out the inadmissibility of continuing the legal practice of segregating non-citizens.

A special public resonance in Russia was received by the facts of the initiation of criminal cases by the law enforcement agencies of the Baltic states against former employees of the Soviet state security agencies living here, accused of participating in repressions and crimes against the local population during World War II. The illegality of these charges was confirmed in the international Strasbourg court

The opinion of historians and political scientists

Some foreign historians and political scientists, as well as some modern Russian researchers, characterize this process as the occupation and annexation of independent states by the Soviet Union, carried out gradually, as a result of a series of military-diplomatic and economic steps and against the backdrop of World War II unfolding in Europe. In this regard, the term is sometimes used in journalism soviet occupation of the Baltic Statesreflecting this point of view. Modern politicians also talk about incorporation, how about a softer connection option. In the opinion of the ex-Latvian Foreign Minister Janis Jurkans, “It is the word incorporation". Baltic historians emphasize the facts of violation of democratic norms during the early parliamentary elections, which took place at the same time in all three states under conditions of a significant Soviet military presence, as well as the fact that the elections held on July 14 and 15, 1940, allowed only one list of candidates nominated by the Bloc of Working People, and all other alternative lists were rejected. Baltic sources believe that the election results were falsified and did not reflect the will of the people. For example, the text posted on the website of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides information that “ In Moscow, the Soviet news agency TASS gave information about the mentioned election results already twelve hours before the start of the vote count in Latvia.". He also cites the opinion of Dietrich André Loeber - one of the former soldiers of the Brandenburg 800 sabotage and intelligence unit of the Abwehr in 1941-1945 - that the annexation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was fundamentally illegal: since it is based on intervention and occupation. ... From this it is concluded that the decisions of the Baltic parliaments to enter the USSR were predetermined in advance.

Soviet, as well as some modern Russian historians insist on the voluntary nature of the Baltic states' joining the USSR, claiming that it was finalized in the summer of 1940 on the basis of decisions of the supreme legislative bodies of these countries, which received the widest electoral support in the elections for the entire existence of independent Baltic states. Some researchers, without calling the events voluntary, also disagree with their qualification as occupation. The Russian Foreign Ministry considers the accession of the Baltic States to the USSR as in line with the norms of international law of that time.

Otto Latsis, renowned scientist and publicist, in an interview with Radio Liberty Free Europe in May 2005, stated:

Took place incorporation Latvia, but not the occupation "

see also

Notes

1. Semiryaga M.I... - Secrets of Stalinist diplomacy. 1939-1941. - Chapter VI: Anxious summer, M .: Higher school, 1992. - 303 p. - Circulation 50,000 copies.
2. Guryanov A.E. The scale of the deportation of the population deep into the USSR in May-June 1941, memo.ru
3. Michael Keating, John McGarry Minority nationalism and the changing international order. - Oxford University Press, 2001. - P. 343 .-- 366 p. - ISBN 0199242143
4. Jeff Chinn, Robert John Kaiser Russians as the new minority: ethnicity and nationalism in the Soviet successor states. - Westview Press, 1996. - P. 93. - 308 p. - ISBN 0813322480
5. Big Historical Encyclopedia: For schoolchildren and students, page 602: "Molotov"
6. Treaty between Germany and the USSR
7. http://www.historycommission.ee/temp/pdf/conclusions_ru_1940-1941.pdf 1940-1941, Conclusions // Estonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity]
8. http://www.am.gov.lv/en/latvia/history/occupation-aspects/
9. http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/policy/4641/4661/4671/?print\u003don
10. • "Resolution regarding the Baltic States adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe" 29 September 1960
    • Resolution 1455 (2005) "Honoring of obligations and commitments by the Russian Federation" 22 June 2005
11. (English) European Parliament (January 13, 1983). "Resolution on the situation in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania". Official Journal of the European Communities C 42/78.
12. (English) European Parliament resolution on the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe on 8 May 1945
13. (English) European Parliament resolution of 24 May 2007 on Estonia
14. Russian Foreign Ministry: West recognized the Baltics as part of the USSR
15. USSR Foreign Policy Archive. The case of the Anglo-Franco-Soviet negotiations, 1939 (vol. III), fol. 32 - 33. quoted from:
16. USSR Foreign Policy Archive. The case of the Anglo-Franco-Soviet negotiations, 1939 (vol. III), fol. 240. cited in: Military literature: Research: Zhilin P.A.How Nazi Germany prepared an attack on the Soviet Union
17. Winston Churchill. Memoirs
18. Meltyukhov Mikhail Ivanovich. Stalin's missed chance. The Soviet Union and the Struggle for Europe: 1939-1941
19. Telegram No. 442 of September 25 Schulenburg at the German Foreign Ministry // To be announced: USSR - Germany. 1939-1941: Documents and materials. Comp. Y. Felshtinsky. M .: Mosk. worker, 1991.
20. The Pact of Mutual Assistance between the USSR and the Republic of Estonia // Plenipotentiaries inform ... - M., International Relations, 1990 - pp. 62-64
21. Pact of Mutual Assistance between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Republic of Latvia // Plenipotentiaries inform ... - M., International Relations, 1990 - pp. 84-87
22. Agreement on the transfer of the city of Vilna and the Vilna region to the Republic of Lithuania and on mutual assistance between the Soviet Union and Lithuania // Plenipotentiaries inform ... - M., International Relations, 1990 - pp. 92-98

On April 15, 1795, Catherine II signed the Manifesto on the accession of Lithuania and Courland to Russia

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russia and Zhamoyskoye was the official name of the state that existed from the 13th century to 1795. Nowadays, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine are located on its territory.

According to the most common version, the Lithuanian state was founded around 1240 by Prince Mindovg, who united the Lithuanian tribes and began to progressively annex the fragmented Russian principalities. This policy was continued by the descendants of Mindaugas, especially the Grand Dukes Gedimin (1316 - 1341), Olgerd (1345 - 1377) and Vitovt (1392 - 1430). Under them, Lithuania annexed the lands of White, Black and Red Russia, and also won the mother of Russian cities - Kiev from the Tatars.

The official language of the Grand Duchy was Russian (this is how it was called in the documents, Ukrainian and Belarusian nationalists call it, respectively, “Old Ukrainian” and “Old Belarusian”). Since 1385, several unions have been concluded between Lithuania and Poland. The Lithuanian gentry began to adopt the Polish language, the Polish coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuanian culture, to convert from Orthodoxy to Catholicism. The local population was subjected to religious harassment.

Several centuries earlier than in Moscow Russia, serfdom was introduced in Lithuania (following the example of the possessions of the Livonian Order): Orthodox Russian peasants became the personal property of the Polonized gentry, who converted to Catholicism. Religious uprisings were raging in Lithuania, and the remaining Orthodox gentry appealed to Russia. In 1558 the Livonian War began.

During the Livonian War, suffering tangible defeats from the Russian troops, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569 went to the signing of the Union of Lublin: Ukraine completely departed from the principality of Poland, and the lands of Lithuania and Belarus that remained in the principality were included with Poland in the confederate Rzeczpospolita, obeying foreign policy of Poland.

The results of the Livonian War of 1558-1583 consolidated the position of the Baltic states for a century and a half before the outbreak of the Northern War of 1700-1721.

The annexation of the Baltic to Russia during the Northern War coincided with the implementation of Peter's reforms. Then Livonia and Estonia became part of the Russian Empire. Peter I himself tried to establish relations with the local German nobility, the descendants of German knights, in a non-military way. Estonia and Vidzem were the first to be annexed following the results of the war in 1721. And only 54 years later, following the results of the third partition of the Rzecz Pospolita, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Duchy of Courland and Semigalsk became part of the Russian Empire. This happened after Catherine II signed the manifesto on April 15, 1795.

After annexation to Russia, the nobility of the Baltic states, without any restrictions, received the rights and privileges of the Russian nobility. Moreover, the Eastsee Germans (mainly the descendants of German knights from the Livonian and Courland provinces) were, if not more influential, then, in any case, no less influential than the Russians, a nationality in the Empire: numerous dignitaries of the Empire were of Ostsee origin. Catherine II carried out a number of administrative reforms regarding the management of provinces, the rights of cities, where the independence of the governors increased, but the actual power, in the realities of the time, was in the hands of the local, Baltic nobility.

By 1917, the Baltic lands were divided into Estland (center in Reval - now Tallinn), Livonia (center - Riga), Courland (center in Mitava - now Jelgava) and Vilna province (center in Vilna - now Vilnius). The provinces were characterized by a great mixed population: by the beginning of the 20th century, about four million people lived in the provinces, about half of them were Lutherans, about a quarter were Catholics, and about 16% were Orthodox. The provinces were inhabited by Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Germans, Russians, Poles, in the Vilnius province there was a relatively high proportion of the Jewish population. In the Russian Empire, the population of the Baltic provinces was never subjected to any discrimination. On the contrary, serfdom was abolished in the Estland and Livonian provinces, for example, much earlier than in the rest of Russia - already in 1819. Provided that the local population knew the Russian language, there were no restrictions on admission to the civil service. The imperial government actively developed the local industry.

Riga shared with Kiev the right to be the third most important administrative, cultural and industrial center of the Empire after St. Petersburg and Moscow. The tsarist government had great respect for local customs and legal order.

But the Russian-Baltic history, rich in traditions of good-neighborliness, turned out to be powerless in the face of modern problems in relations between countries. In 1917-1920, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) gained independence from Russia.

But already in 1940, after the conclusion of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Baltic states were included in the USSR.

In 1990, the Baltic states proclaimed the restoration of state sovereignty, and after the collapse of the USSR, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania received both de facto and legal independence.

Glorious history, what did Russia get? Fascist marches?

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia gained independence after the 1917 revolution in Russia. But Soviet Russia and later the USSR never gave up their attempts to regain these territories. And according to the secret protocol to the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, in which these republics were attributed to the Soviet sphere of influence, the USSR got a chance to achieve this, which it did not fail to take advantage of.

Realizing the Soviet-German secret agreements, the Soviet Union in the fall of 1939 began preparations for the annexation of the Baltic countries. After the Red Army occupied the eastern provinces in Poland, the USSR began to border with all the Baltic states. Soviet troops were moved to the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. At the end of September, these countries were offered in an ultimatum form to conclude treaties of friendship and mutual assistance with the USSR. On September 24, Molotov told Estonian Foreign Minister Karl Selter who arrived in Moscow: "The Soviet Union needs to expand its security system, for which it needs access to the Baltic Sea ... Do not force the Soviet Union to use force in order to achieve its goals."

On September 25, Stalin informed the German ambassador, Count Friedrich-Werner von der Schulenburg, that "the Soviet Union will immediately take up the solution of the problem of the Baltic states in accordance with the protocol of August 23."

The agreements on mutual assistance with the Baltic states were concluded under the threat of the use of force.

On September 28, the Soviet-Estonian pact of mutual assistance was signed. A 25,000-strong Soviet military contingent was brought into Estonia. Stalin told Selter when he left Moscow: “It could have happened with you, as with Poland. Poland was a great power. Where is Poland now? "

On October 5, a mutual assistance pact was signed with Latvia. The 25,000-strong Soviet military contingent entered the country.

And on October 10, the "Agreement on the transfer of the city of Vilna and the Vilnius region and on mutual assistance between the Soviet Union and Lithuania" was signed with Lithuania. When Lithuanian Foreign Minister Juozas Urbshis declared that the proposed terms of the treaty were tantamount to the occupation of Lithuania, Stalin objected that “the Soviet Union does not intend to threaten the independence of Lithuania. On the contrary. The deployed Soviet troops will be a real guarantee for Lithuania that the Soviet Union will protect it in the event of an attack, so that the troops will serve the security of Lithuania itself. " And he added with a grin: "Our garrisons will help you suppress the communist uprising if it happens in Lithuania." 20 thousand Red Army soldiers also entered Lithuania.

After Germany defeated France with lightning speed in May 1940, Stalin decided to expedite the annexation of the Baltic states and Bessarabia. On June 4, strong groupings of Soviet troops, under the guise of exercises, began to move to the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. On June 14, Lithuania, and June 16 - Latvia and Estonia, were presented with ultimatums of a similar content, demanding to admit to their territory large-scale Soviet military contingents, 9-12 divisions in each of the countries, and to form new, pro-Soviet governments with the participation of the Communists, although the number the number of Communist Parties in each of the republics was 100-200 people. The pretext for the ultimatums was provocations, as if carried out against the Soviet troops stationed in the Baltic States. But this pretext was sewn with white thread. It was alleged, for example, that the Lithuanian police had kidnapped two Soviet tankmen, Shmovonets and Nosov. But on May 27, they returned to their unit and announced that they had been kept in the basement for 24 hours, trying to get information about the Soviet tank brigade. At the same time, Nosov mysteriously turned into Pisarev.

The ultimatums were accepted. On June 15, Soviet troops entered Lithuania, and on June 17, into Latvia and Estonia. In Lithuania, President Antanas Smetana demanded to reject the ultimatum and provide armed resistance, but, not receiving the support of the majority of the cabinet, fled to Germany.

In each of the countries, from 6 to 9 Soviet divisions were introduced (previously, each country had a rifle division and a tank brigade). There was no resistance. The creation of pro-Soviet governments based on Red Army bayonets was presented by Soviet propaganda as "people's revolutions", which were presented as demonstrations with the seizure of government buildings, organized by local communists with the help of Soviet troops. These “revolutions” were carried out under the supervision of representatives of the Soviet government: Vladimir Dekanozov in Lithuania, Andrei Vyshinsky in Latvia and Andrei Zhdanov in Estonia.

The armies of the Baltic states could not offer real armed resistance to Soviet aggression either in the fall of 1939, much less in the summer of 1940. In three countries, 360 thousand people could be put under arms in case of mobilization. However, unlike Finland, the Baltics did not have their own military industry, there were not even sufficient supplies of small arms to arm such a number of people. If Finland could also receive supplies of weapons and military equipment through Sweden and Norway, then the path to the Baltic through the Baltic Sea was closed by the Soviet fleet, and Germany respected the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and refused to help the Baltic states. In addition, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia did not have border fortifications, and their territory was much more accessible for invasion than the territory of Finland covered with forests and swamps.

The new pro-Soviet governments held elections to local parliaments on the principle of one candidate from an indestructible bloc of non-party members to one seat. Moreover, this bloc in all three Baltic states was called the same - "Union of Working People", and the elections were held on the same day - July 14. People in civilian clothes who were present at the polling stations took note of those who crossed out candidates or threw empty ballots into the ballot boxes. The Nobel laureate, Polish writer Czeslaw Milosz, who was in Lithuania at the time, recalled: “You could vote in the elections for the only official list of“ working people ”- with the same programs in all three republics. They had to vote, since each voter was stamped in the passport. The absence of a stamp attests that the passport holder is an enemy of the people who evaded the elections and thereby revealed his enemy essence. " Naturally, the communists received more than 90% of the votes in all three republics - 92.8% in Estonia, 97% in Latvia, and even 99% in Lithuania! The turnout was also impressive - 84% in Estonia, 95% in Latvia and 95.5% in Lithuania.

It is not surprising that on July 21-22, three parliaments approved a declaration on Estonia's entry into the USSR. By the way, all these acts contradicted the constitutions of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which stated that the issues of independence and changes in the state system can only be resolved through a nationwide referendum. But Moscow was in a hurry to annex the Baltic states and did not pay attention to formalities. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR satisfied the applications written in Moscow for admission to the Union of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia during the period from 3 to 6 August 1940.

At first, many Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians saw the Red Army as a defense against German aggression. The workers were delighted with the opening of factories that were inactive due to the World War and the resulting crisis. However, soon, already in November 1940, the population of the Baltics was completely ruined. Then the local currencies were equated to the ruble at sharply undervalued rates. Also, the nationalization of industry and trade led to inflation and shortages of goods. The redistribution of land from wealthier peasants to the poorest, forced relocation of farmers to villages and repression against the clergy and intelligentsia provoked armed resistance. Detachments of "forest brothers" appeared, so named in memory of the rebels in 1905.

And already in August 1940, the deportations of Jews and other national minorities began, and on June 14, 1941, it was the turn of Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians. 10 thousand people were deported from Estonia, 17.5 thousand people from Lithuania and 16.9 thousand people from Latvia. 10,161 people were relocated and 5,263 were arrested. 46.5% of the deported were women, 15% were children under 10 years of age. The total number of deceased victims of deportation was 4884 people (34% of the total), of which 341 people were shot.

The capture of the Baltic countries by the Soviet Union was not fundamentally different from the capture of Austria by Germany in 1938, Czechoslovakia in 1939 and Luxembourg and Denmark in 1940, which was also carried out peacefully. The fact of occupation (in the meaning of the seizure of territory against the will of the population of these countries), which was a violation of international law and an act of aggression, was recognized as a crime at the Nuremberg trials and imputed to the main Nazi war criminals. As in the case of the Baltic states, the Anschluss of Austria was preceded by an ultimatum to establish a pro-German government in Vienna, headed by the Nazi Seyss-Inquart. And it has already invited German troops to Austria, which were not previously in the country at all. The annexation of Austria was carried out in such a way that it was immediately incorporated into the Reich and divided into several Reichsgau (regions). Likewise, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, after a short period of occupation, were incorporated into the USSR as union republics. The Czech Republic, Denmark and Norway were turned into protectorates, which did not prevent both during the war and after it from talking about these countries as occupied by Germany. This wording was also reflected in the 1946 Nuremberg Trial verdict of the main Nazi war criminals.

Unlike Nazi Germany, whose consent was guaranteed by a secret protocol of 23 August 1939, most Western governments regarded the occupation and annexation as illegal and de jure continued to recognize the existence of the independent Republic of Latvia. As early as July 23, 1940, US Deputy Secretary of State Sumner Welles condemned the "dishonest processes" by which "the political independence and territorial integrity of the three small Baltic Republics ... were thoughtfully destroyed in advance by one of their more powerful neighbors." Non-recognition of the occupation and annexation continued until 1991, when Latvia regained its independence and full independence.

In Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the introduction of Soviet troops and the subsequent annexation of the Baltic states to the USSR are considered one of the many Stalinist crimes.

In June 1940, events began, which were previously called "the voluntary entry of the Baltic peoples into the USSR", and since the end of the 1980s are increasingly called the "Soviet occupation of the Baltic states." During the years of Gorbachev's "perestroika", a new historical scheme began to be introduced. According to it, the Soviet Union occupied and forcibly annexed three independent democratic Baltic republics.

Meanwhile, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by the summer of 1940 were by no means democratic. And for a long time. As for their independence, it has been rather ghostly since its announcement in 1918.

1. The myth of democracy in the interwar Baltic states

Initially, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were parliamentary republics. But not for long. Internal processes, first of all - the growth of the influence of the left forces, striving to "do as in Soviet Russia", led to a reciprocal consolidation of the right. However, this short period of parliamentary democracy was also marked by the repressive policy of the top. So, after the unsuccessful uprising organized by the communists in Estonia in 1924, more than 400 people were executed there. For small Estonia, the figure is significant.

On December 17, 1926, in Lithuania, the parties of nationalists and Christian Democrats, relying on groups of officers loyal to them, carried out a coup d'etat. The putschists were inspired by the example of neighboring Poland, where the founder of the state, Josef Piłsudski, established his sole authority earlier in the same year. The Lithuanian Sejm was dissolved. At the head of the state was Antanas Smetona, the leader of the nationalists, who was the first president of Lithuania. In 1928, he was officially proclaimed "the leader of the nation", unlimited powers were concentrated in his hands. In 1936, all parties in Lithuania, except for the Nationalist Party, were banned.

In Latvia and Estonia, right-wing authoritarian regimes were established somewhat later. On March 12, 1934, the state elder - the head of the executive branch of Estonia - Konstantin Päts (the first prime minister of independent Estonia) canceled the re-election of parliament. In Estonia, the coup was caused not so much by the left as by the ultra-right. Päts banned the pro-Nazi organization of veterans ("vaps"), which he believed threatened his power, and carried out mass arrests of its members. At the same time, he began to implement many elements of the "vaps" program in his politics. Having received parliamentary approval for his actions, Päts dissolved it in October of the same year.

The Estonian parliament has not met for four years. All this time, the republic was ruled by a junta consisting of Päts, commander-in-chief J. Laidoner and head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs K. Eerenpalu. All political parties were banned in March 1935, except for the pro-government “Union of the Fatherland”. The Constitutional Assembly, for which there were no alternative elections, adopted a new Estonian constitution in 1937, giving extensive powers to the president. In accordance with it, in 1938 a one-party parliament and President Päts were elected.

One of the “innovations” of “democratic” Estonia was “camps for quitters,” as the unemployed were called. A 12-hour working day was established for them, the guilty were beaten with rods.

On May 15, 1934, the Prime Minister of Latvia, Karlis Ulmanis, carried out a coup d'etat, abolished the constitution and dissolved the Seim. President Kviesis was given the opportunity to sit out until the end of the term (in 1936) - he actually did not decide anything. Ulmanis, the former prime minister of independent Latvia, was proclaimed "the leader and father of the nation." More than 2,000 opposition members were arrested (although almost all were soon released - Ulmanis's regime turned out to be "soft" compared to its neighbors). All political parties were banned.

In the authoritarian regimes in the Baltics, some differences can be established. So, if Smetona and Päts largely relied on one and only permitted party, then Ulmanis - on a formally non-partisan state apparatus plus a developed civilian militia (aiszargov). But they had more in common, to the point that all three dictators were people who were at the head of these republics at the very dawn of their existence.

The elections to the Estonian parliament in 1938 can serve as a striking characteristic of the "democratic character" of the bourgeois Baltic. They were attended by candidates from the only party - "Fatherland Union". At the same time, the local election commissions were instructed by the Minister of the Interior: "Those who are known to be known to vote against the National Assembly should not be allowed to vote ... They must be immediately taken into the hands of the police." This ensured a "unanimous" vote for candidates from a single party. But in spite of this, in 50 out of 80 constituencies, it was decided not to hold elections at all, but simply to announce the election of the only candidates to parliament.

Thus, long before 1940, the last signs of democratic freedoms were eliminated throughout the Baltics and a totalitarian state system was established.

The Soviet Union only had to make a technical replacement of the fascist dictators, their pocket parties and political police with the mechanism of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the NKVD.

2. The myth of the independence of the Baltic states

The independence of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia was proclaimed in 1917-1918. in a difficult environment. Most of their territory was occupied by German troops. Kaiser's Germany had its own plans for Lithuania and the Ostsee Territory (Latvia and Estonia). At the Lithuanian Tariba (National Council), the German administration forced an "act" to call the Württemberg prince to the Lithuanian royal throne. In the rest of the Baltic States, the Baltic Duchy was proclaimed, headed by a member of the Mecklenburg ducal house.

In 1918-1920. The Baltic States, with the help of first Germany and then England, became a springboard for deploying the forces of the internal Russian civil war. Therefore, the leadership of Soviet Russia took all measures to neutralize them. After the defeat of the White Guard army of Yudenich and other similar formations in the north-west of Russia, the RSFSR hastened to recognize the independence of Latvia and Estonia and in 1920 signed interstate treaties with these republics, guaranteeing the inviolability of their borders. At that time, the RSFSR even concluded a military alliance with Lithuania against Poland. Thus, thanks to the support of Soviet Russia, the Baltic countries defended their formal independence in those years.

With de facto independence, things were much worse. The agrarian and raw materials component of the Baltic economy forced to look for importers of products of the Baltic agriculture and fishing in the West. But the West was in little need of the Baltic fish, and therefore the three republics were more and more mired in the quagmire of subsistence economy. The result of economic backwardness was the politically dependent position of the Baltic states.

Initially, the Baltic countries were oriented towards England and France, but after the Nazis came to power in Germany, the ruling Baltic cliques began to draw closer to the growing Germany. The culmination of all was the mutual assistance treaties concluded by all three Baltic states with the Third Reich in the mid-1930s ("Score of World War II". M .: "Veche", 2009). Under these treaties, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were obliged to turn to Germany for help in the event of a threat to their borders. The latter had in this case the right to send troops into the territory of the Baltic republics. Likewise, Germany could "legally" occupy these countries if a "threat" to the Reich arose from their territory. Thus, the "voluntary" entry of the Baltic states into the sphere of German interests and influence was formalized.

This circumstance was taken into account by the leadership of the USSR in the events of 1938-1939. The conflict between the USSR and Germany in these conditions would entail the immediate occupation of the Baltic by the Wehrmacht. Therefore, during the negotiations on August 22-23, 1939 in Moscow, the question of the Baltic was one of the most important. It was important for the Soviet Union to protect itself from this side from any surprises. The two powers agreed to draw the border of spheres of influence so that Estonia and Latvia fell into the Soviet sphere, Lithuania - into the German sphere.

The result of the treaty was the approval by the Lithuanian leadership on September 20, 1939 of the draft treaty with Germany, according to which Lithuania was "voluntarily" transferred under the protectorate of the Third Reich. However, already on September 28, the USSR and Germany agreed to change the boundaries of the spheres of influence. In exchange for the strip of Poland between the Vistula and the Bug, the USSR received Lithuania.

In the fall of 1939, the Baltic countries had an alternative - to be under Soviet or German protectorate. The history did not provide them with anything third at that moment.

3. The myth of the occupation

The period of establishing the independence of the Baltic States - 1918-1920. - was marked in them by the civil war. Quite a significant part of the population of the Baltic region, with arms in hand, advocated the establishment of Soviet power. At one time (in the winter of 1918-1919), the Lithuanian-Belarusian and Latvian Soviet Socialist Republics and the Estland "Labor Commune" were proclaimed. The Red Army, which included national Bolshevik Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian units, occupied most of the territories of these republics for some time, including the cities of Riga and Vilnius.

The support of anti-Soviet forces by the interventionists and the impossibility for Soviet Russia to provide sufficient assistance to its supporters in the Baltic led to the retreat of the Red Army from the region. Red Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians were deprived of their homeland by the will of fate and were scattered across the USSR. Thus, in the 1920s and 1930s, that part of the Baltic peoples that most actively supported Soviet power ended up in forced emigration. This circumstance could not but affect the mood in the Baltic States, deprived of the "passionate" part of its population.

Due to the fact that the course of the civil war in the Baltics was determined not so much by internal processes as by changes in the alignment of external forces, it is absolutely impossible to establish exactly who was there in 1918-1920. there were more - supporters of Soviet power or supporters of bourgeois statehood.

Soviet historiography attached great importance to the growth of protest sentiments in the Baltics at the end of 1939 - the first half of 1940. They were interpreted as the ripening of socialist revolutions in these republics. The implication was that the workers' actions were led by the underground communist parties there. In our time, many historians, especially the Baltic ones, tend to deny facts of this kind. It is believed that protests against dictatorial regimes were sporadic, and dissatisfaction with them did not automatically mean sympathy for the Soviet Union and the communists.

Nevertheless, given the previous history of the Baltics, the active role of the working class of this region in the Russian revolutions of the early 20th century, widespread dissatisfaction with dictatorial regimes, it should be admitted that the Soviet Union had a strong "fifth column" there. And it consisted clearly not only of communists and sympathizers. It was important that the only real alternative to entering the USSR at that time, as we have seen, was entering the German Reich. During the civil war, the hatred of Estonians and Latvians towards their age-old oppressors, the German landlords, was quite clearly manifested. Thanks to the Soviet Union, Lithuania returned its ancient capital, Vilnius, in the fall of 1939.

So the sympathy for the USSR among a significant part of the Balts at that time was determined not only and not so much by left-wing political views.

On June 14, 1940, the USSR presented an ultimatum to Lithuania, demanding a change of government to one consisting of people more loyal to the Soviet Union and permission to bring additional contingents of Soviet troops into Lithuania, stationed there under a mutual assistance agreement concluded in the fall of 1939. Smetona insisted on resistance, but the entire cabinet of ministers opposed. Smetona was forced to flee to Germany (from where he soon moved to the United States), and the Lithuanian government accepted Soviet conditions. On June 15, additional contingents of the Red Army entered Lithuania.

The presentation of similar ultimatums to Latvia and Estonia on June 16, 1940 met with no objection from the local dictators. Initially, Ulmanis and Päts formally remained in power and authorized measures to create new government bodies in these republics. On June 17, 1940, additional Soviet troops entered Estonia and Latvia.

In all three republics, governments were formed from people friendly to the USSR, but not communists. All this was carried out in compliance with the formal requirements of the current constitutions. Then parliamentary elections took place. The decrees on new appointments and elections were signed by the Prime Minister of Lithuania, the Presidents of Latvia and Estonia. Thus, the change of power was accomplished in compliance with all procedures required by the laws of independent Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. From a formal legal point of view, all the acts that preceded the entry of these republics into the USSR are irreproachable.

The elections to the Seims of these republics, held on July 14, 1940, gave legitimacy to the accession of the Baltic to the USSR. Only one list of candidates was registered in the elections - from the Union of the Working People (in Estonia - the Bloc of the Working People). This was also fully consistent with the legislation of these countries during the period of independence, which did not provide for alternative elections. According to official data, the voter turnout ranged from 84 to 95%, and 92 to 99% voted for candidates on the only list (in different republics).

We are deprived of the opportunity to learn how the political process would have developed in the Baltic states after the overthrow of the dictatorships, if it had been left to itself. In that geopolitical situation, this was a utopia. However, there is no reason to believe that the summer of 1940 meant for the Baltics the replacement of democracy with totalitarianism. Democracy was gone for a long time. In the worst case, for the Baltics, one authoritarianism has simply been replaced by another.

But at the same time, the threat of destruction of the statehood of the three Baltic republics was prevented. What would have happened to her if the Baltics had come under the control of the German Reich was demonstrated in 1941-1944.

In the plans of the Nazis, the Balts were subject to partial assimilation by the Germans, partial eviction to lands cleared of Russians. There was no question of any Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian statehood.

Under the conditions of the Soviet Union, the Balts retained their statehood, their languages \u200b\u200bas official ones, developed and enriched their national culture.

The past summer gave rise to another rampant Russophobia in the Baltic countries. For exactly 75 years ago, in the summer of 1940, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ...

The current rulers of the Baltic states claim that it was a violent action by Moscow, which, with the help of the army, overthrew the legitimate governments of all three republics and established a tough "occupation regime" there. Unfortunately, this version of events is supported by many contemporary Russian historians.

But the question arises: if there was an occupation, then why did it pass without a single shot, without stubborn resistance of the "proud" Balts? Why did they capitulate so obediently to the Red Army? After all, they had an example of neighboring Finland, which on the eve, in the winter of 1939-1940, fierce battles, was able to defend its independence.

Does this not mean that the modern Baltic rulers, to put it mildly, are lying when they talk about "occupation" and do not want to admit the fact that in 1940 the Baltic States voluntarily became Soviet?

Misunderstanding on the map of Europe

Prominent Russian lawyer Pavel Kazansky wrote in 1912: "We live in an amazing time when artificial states, artificial peoples and artificial languages \u200b\u200bare being created." In full measure, this statement can be attributed to the Baltic peoples and their state formations.

These peoples have never had their own statehood! For centuries, the Baltic States have been the arena of struggle between Swedes, Danes, Poles, Russians and Germans. At the same time, no one reckoned with the local peoples. Especially the German barons, who since the time of the Crusaders were the ruling elite here, who saw little difference between aborigines and livestock. In the 18th century, this territory finally ceded to the Russian Empire, which actually saved the Balts from final assimilation by the German rulers.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the political forces that clashed in a deadly struggle on the Baltic land also initially did not take into account the "national aspirations" of Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians. On the one hand, the Bolsheviks fought, and on the other, the White Guards, where Russian and German officers united.

Thus, the White Corps of Generals Rodzianko and Yudenich operated in Estonia. In Latvia - the Russian-German division of Von der Goltz and Prince Bermond-Avalov. And the Polish legions attacked Lithuania, claiming to restore the medieval Rzecz Pospolita, in which the Lithuanian statehood was completely subordinated to Poland.

But in 1919, a third force intervened in this bloody mess - the Entente, that is, the military alliance of England, France and the United States. Not wishing to strengthen either Russia or Germany in the Baltics, the Entente, in fact, established three independent republics - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. And to prevent "independence" from collapsing, a powerful British navy was sent to the shores of the Baltic.

Under the muzzle of naval guns, Estonian "independence" was recognized by General Yudenich, whose soldiers fought for a united and indivisible Russia. The Poles also quickly understood the Entente's hints and therefore left Lithuania, although leaving behind the city of Vilnius. But in Latvia, the Russian-German division refused to recognize the "sovereignty" of the Latvians - for which, near Riga, it was shot with naval artillery fire.

In 1921, the Bolsheviks also recognized the "independence" of the Baltic states ...

For a long time, the Entente tried to establish democratic political regimes in the new states on the Western model. However, the absence of state traditions, an elementary political culture led to the fact that corruption and political anarchy flourished in the Baltic countries with unprecedented color, when governments were changed five times a year.

In a word, there was a complete mess typical of third-rate Latin American countries. In the end, following the model of the same Latin America, coups d'etat took place in all three republics: in 1926 - in Lithuania, in 1934 - in Latvia and Estonia. Dictators sat at the head of the state, driving the political opposition into prisons and concentration camps ...

No wonder diplomats of Western countries have contemptuously nicknamed the Baltic States "Misunderstanding on the map of Europe."

Soviet "occupation" as salvation from Hitler

Twenty years ago the Estonian historian Magnus Ilmjärva tried to publish documents in his homeland concerning the period of pre-war “independence”. But ... he was refused in a rather harsh manner. Why?

Because after a long work in the Moscow archives, he managed to obtain sensational information. It turns out that the dictator of Estonia Konstantin Päts, the dictator of Latvia Karl Ulmanis, the dictator of Lithuania Antanas Smetona were ... Soviet spies! For the services rendered by these rulers, the Soviet side in the 30s paid them 4 thousand dollars a year (according to modern prices, this is somewhere around 400 thousand modern dollars)!

Why did these champions of "independence" agree to work for the USSR?

Already in the early 1920s, it became clear that the Baltic countries were bankrupt neither politically nor economically. Germany began to exert an ever-increasing influence on these states. German influence especially increased with the rise to power of the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler.

We can say that by 1935 the entire economy of the Baltics passed into the hands of the Germans. For example, 3,529 out of 9 thousand 146 companies operating in Latvia were owned by Germany. All the largest Latvian banks were controlled by German bankers. The same was observed in Estonia and Lithuania. In the late 1930s, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop reported to Hitler that "All three Baltic states send 70 percent of their exports to Germany, with an annual value of about 200 million marks."

Germany did not hide the fact that it was planning to annex the Baltic states, as before Austria and Czechoslovakia were annexed to the Third Reich. Moreover, the "fifth column" in this process was to serve as a large German Baltic community. In all three republics, the "Union of German Youth" operated, openly calling for the establishment of a German protectorate over the Baltic states. At the beginning of 1939, the Latvian consul in Germany anxiously reported to his leadership:

“Latvian Germans attended the annual Nazi rally in Hamburg, where the entire leadership of the Reich visited. Our Germans were dressed in SS uniforms and behaved very militantly ... Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler spoke at the congress, who reproached the German barons that during their seven-century domination in the Baltic States they made a big mistake by not destroying Latvians and Estonians as a nation. Hitler urged not to repeat such mistakes in the future! "

The Germans also had their agents in the Baltic political elite. Especially among the military, who worshiped the German military school. Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian generals were ready to sacrifice the independence of their countries in order to join the ranks of the victorious German army, which began campaigns of conquest in Europe in 1939 ...

The rulers of the Baltics were in a panic! Therefore, they automatically chose the USSR as their ally, whose leadership, in turn, did not at all smile at the prospect of turning the Baltic states into a bridgehead for Nazism.

As noted by the historian Ilmyarva, Moscow began to "feed" the Baltic dictators a long time ago, from about the beginning of the 20s. The bribery scheme was very commonplace. A front company was created through which large sums of money were transferred to the needs of this or that dictator.

In Estonia, for example, in 1928, a mixed Estonian-Soviet joint-stock company was created for the sale of petroleum products. And the legal adviser there was ... the future dictator Konstantin Päts, who was given a very decent monetary "salary". Now some historians are even convinced that Moscow in general financed the coups d'état that brought its wards to power.

In the early 1930s, with the help of their spy rulers, the Soviet leadership managed to prevent the creation of a military alliance of the Baltic countries, directed against the USSR under the aegis of the Entente. And when the pressure of fascist Germany increased on the Baltic States, Joseph Stalin decided to annex it to the Soviet Union. Moreover, now, fearing Germany, the rulers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were ready to work for Moscow already without money.

The annexation of the Baltic states was the first part of the secret Soviet operation "Thunderstorm", which provided for a plan to counter German aggression.

"Call me with you..."

In August 1939, Stalin concluded a non-aggression pact with Hitler. According to the annex to the treaty, the Baltics passed into the sphere of influence of the USSR. And in the fall of the same year, Moscow signed an agreement with the Baltic countries on the deployment of Red Army troops on their territory. And no matter what the Baltic nationalists say today, the Red Army units were brought in with the full consent of the local governments to the sounds of Soviet and national anthems. Judging by the reports of our commanders, the local population met the Russian soldiers quite well.

The troops entered the Baltics in the fall of 1939. And in the summer of 1940, Stalin demanded that local rulers allow political opposition to participate in the elections. The Kremlin's calculation turned out to be correct. Since olden times, Marxists have enjoyed great influence in the political life of the Baltics. It is no accident that during the October Revolution there were many Estonians and Latvians among the leadership of the Bolsheviks: the latter even formed whole regiments of the Red Army.

Years of anti-communist repression in the independent Baltic countries only strengthened the position of the communists: when they were allowed to participate in elections in 1940, they turned out to be the most united political force - and the majority of the population voted for them. The Seimas of Lithuania and Latvia, the State Duma of Estonia in July 1940 came under the control of the popularly elected Red deputies. They also formed new governments, which turned to Moscow with a request to reunite with the USSR.

And the spy dictators were overthrown. They were treated like a spent unnecessary tool. The Estonian Päts died in the Tver psychiatric hospital, the Latvian Ulmanis perished somewhere in the Siberian camps. Only the Lithuanian Smetona at the last moment managed to escape first to Germany, and then to the USA, where he spent the rest of his days in complete silence, trying not to attract attention to himself ...

Anti-Soviet sentiments arose in the Baltics later, when Moscow, instilling the communist idea, began to carry out repressions against the local intelligentsia, and to nominate communists of non-Baltic origin to leading posts. It was on the eve and during the Great Patriotic War.

But that is another story. The main thing remains the fact that in 1940 the Baltic States SAMA sacrificed their independence ...

Igor Nevsky, specially for the "Ambassador Prikaz"