How did the Baltic states become part of the Soviet Union?
The Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which had been independent between the two world wars, were annexed by the Kremlin in June of 1940, during the dramatic days when Paris fell to the Germans, and became republics of the Soviet Union.
Why did the Soviets want the Baltic states?
The Soviets demanded the conclusion of a treaty of mutual assistance to establish military bases in Estonia. The Estonians were thus coerced to accept naval, air and army bases on two Estonian islands and at the port of Paldiski. The corresponding agreement was signed on 28 September 1939.
How did the Baltic states resist Soviet rule?
The Baltic partisans resisted Soviet rule by armed struggle for a number of years. The Estonian Forest brothers, as they were known, enjoyed material support among the local population. The Soviets had already carried out deportations in 1940–41, but the deportations between 1944 and 1952 were much larger in number.
How did the Baltics gain independence from the USSR?
On 6th September 1991, the Soviet Government finally recognized the independence of all three Baltic states. It was followed by complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all Baltic States. It was completed first in Lithuania on 31st August 1993, followed by the Estonia and Latvia on 31 August 1994.
When did Stalin annex the Baltics?
1940
1940. Soviet Union annexed the Baltic states. By decision of the USSR’s Supreme Soviet, Estonia (6 August), Latvia (5 August) and Lithuania (3 August) became Soviet Socialist Republics.
What did the Soviets do to Lithuania?
President Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union declared the Lithuanian independence movement as illegal on March 13, 1990. The Soviet Union cut off the supply of oil and gas to Lithuania on April 18, 1990.
Who occupied Estonia?
the Soviet Union
The Republic of Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union in June 1940. On 12 June 1940, the order for a total military blockade of Estonia by the Soviet Baltic Fleet was given.
Is Baltic Russian?
The Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The Baltic states are bounded on the west and north by the Baltic Sea, which gives the region its name, on the east by Russia, on the southeast by Belarus, and on the southwest by Poland and an exclave of Russia.
Why did Lithuania leave the Soviet Union?
The Soviet Union had seized the Baltic state of Lithuania in 1939. Lithuanian nationalists took the repudiation of the Brezhnev Doctrine as a signal that a declaration of independence might be accepted. On March 11, 1990, Lithuania declared that it was an independent nation, the first of the Soviet republics to do so.
Why did Lithuania join the Soviet Union?
The Soviets threatened that if Lithuania refused to host the bases, Vilnius could be annexed to Belarus. In these circumstances a Lithuania–USSR agreement on mutual assistance was signed in Moscow on 10 October 1939, allowing a Soviet military presence in Lithuania.