The Baltics - Tallinn & Riga

Lenin flag, Song Festival Grounds - Tallinn

This flag portrays V.I. Lenin, leader of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution that seized power in Russia and established the Soviet state. His image was ubiquitous in the Soviet Union at the time of my visit, as you will see in photos to come.

Continuing my brief summary of the historical background:

By and large, the people of the Baltic nations resented and feared the Soviet occupation of their countries and incorporation into the USSR. Some cooperated with the German occupation during the Second World War, seeing it as the lesser of two evils. Many fled to Finland or the west, until Soviet re-occupation of the Baltics late in the war closed off most avenues of escape. (Recall the man I met on the ferry as we approached Tallinn - see page 3.1.) Armed resistance by partisans known as "Forest Brothers" continued for years - supported by the CIA and other western security services. 

Soviet rule was harsh, particularly in the early years. The Soviet security services executed thousands during and shortly after the war. Under Stalin, hundreds of thousands of people were deported to Siberia and other remote parts of the Soviet Union. The majority of the deportees were women and children. The combined effects of war, flight and deportations reduced the native population of the Baltic countries by at least one million people - more than 10% of the total pre-war population.

Local government was placed in the hands of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian communists who had lived in exile in Soviet Russia during the 1920's and 1930's. Use of the Russian language was emphasized in schools, the work place and government. The familiar features of the Soviet system were imposed: Political parties were outlawed. Dissent was punished. Foreign travel was largely prohibited. Private ownership of business enterprise was eliminated. Agriculture was collectivized. Religious expression was suppressed, and cultural traditions were discouraged or co-opted to serve Soviet purposes. 

Beginning in the late 1940's, the Soviet government made major efforts to expand industry in the Baltic countries. Workers were recruited in large numbers from Russia and other Soviet republics. By the time of my visit 20 years later, about one-third of the people living in Estonia and Latvia were ethnically Russian, Ukrainian or Belarusian. Virtually all of the new arrivals spoke Russian as their primary language.