Baltic States

One calls Baltic States three Pays of the east of the the Baltic:

Estonia is generally gathered with the Latvia and the Lithuania in a geopolitical unit called Baltic States but whose exact name should be country the Baltic (because Baltic States, strictly speaking, is only the Latvia and the Lithuania).

Geography

The Baltic States account for with them three 175  000  km ², with a population of 7  419  000 inhabitants. Bordered by the the Baltic in the west, they divide their borders with the Russia, the Bielorussia and the Poland. To note that the Oblast de Kaliningrad, old the Königsberg German, wedged between the Lithuania and the Poland, belongs to the Russia.

The relief of this area is relatively not very broken, punctuated of many lakes and ponds, in particular in north, and of hills in Lithuania.

History

Throughout their history, the three countries knew a domination of various European empires, punctuated by the rare ones and short periods of independence. If the Estonia and the Latvia knew their first independence only in 1918, Lithuania inherited the long story of the Grand-Duchy of Lithuania which, to the Middle Ages extended from the the Baltic with the Black Sea.

See also: History of Estonia, History of Latvia, History of Lithuania.

Prehistory

The ancestors of the Estonians, of origin Finno-ougrien do not settle in the area from -4000. The remainder of the zone is thereafter occupied by Indo-European people of origin , the proto Baltes. These new occupants practice the Agriculture and the trade of the Ambre.

the Middle Ages

Until the 13th century, various pagan people occupy the territories of the current Baltic States: Estonian, Osiliens, Livoniens, Lettigaliens, Couroniens, Semigalliens, Seloniens, Prussian Samogitiens and .

In the years 1190, the papacy gives its support for the increase in a church missionary at Livoniens, it is the beginning of the process of christianization.

In 1201, Albert de Buxhoevden is sent by évêché of Bremen in Livonie where it founds the town of Rīga. It organizes around him the order of the Carry-Sword.

In the 30 years space (he dies in 1229), the bishop Albert de Rīga, with the Chevaliers carry-swords, minor military order, conquers Livonie. This one then gathers current Latvia and the south of Estonia.

On their side, the Danes started a series of conquests in Poméranie, Prussia and Estonia - where they take Reval.

The Knights of Dobrzyń, another minor order, try to convert the pagan Prussians but fail. They are replaced soon by the Chevaliers Teutoniques come to the call from Conrad de Mazovie of which the duchy is threatened by these Prussians.

The Knights are not long in constituting a State, their Master is recognized Prince d' Empire in 1226 by the emperor Frederic II and their grounds papal stronghold in 1234 by the pope Gregoire X.

In 1236, the order of the Carry-Sword, or order livonien, is built-in the order teutonic after the rout of Saule against the Lithuanians. It keeps nevertheless an semi-autonomous organization.

In Estonian territory, the progress of the Order livonien is stopped by the prince Alexandre Nevski of Novgorod the April 5th 1242 with the Bataille of the lake Peïpous. In 1346, Denmark sells the North of Estonia with the Order livonien.

13th at the 17th century, the Baltic States will belong to the zone of influence of the Hanse, with in particular Rīga which was the principal Eastern counter. In 1260, following their defeat with Durben the Prussians revolt a time.

Large Lithuania

The expansion of Lithuania begins after collapse from the Rus' from Kiev following the tataro-Mongolian invasions. The court of Lithuania is then relatively open on the religious level what supports the fastening of the orthodoxe territories Slaves and having escaped with the influence tatare.

Starting from 1252, Mindaugas creates a duchy which will extend to the 14th century from the Baltic to the Black Sea. In 1410, Lithuanians and Pole manage to demolish the Knights teutonic with Tannenberg. The Union of Lublin of 1589 involves the fusion of Lithuania with the Poland whereas Estonia and Latvia remain under the influence of the Hanseatic League

The union with militant catholic Poland sounds the end of the religious tolerance. If the Lithuanian nobility follows the example of its prince and with Catholicism it converts quickly is not the case of the small people which remain attached to his beliefs. Vis-a-vis official catholic proselytism the orthodoxe populations will turn gradually to the Russian neighbor.

Russia and Poland-Lithuania clash at the time of the following centuries for the political and religious control of the people of old the Rus' of Kiev. Between 1610 and 1612 of the Polish troops occupy Moscow and a catholic Slavic union seems imminent. 1612 mark the apogee of the expansion polono-Lithuanian in the east. The Russian re-establishment will be followed of an opposite movement towards the west, being pressed on the populations of the orthodoxe territories of Poland-Lithuania.

Russian domination

After the Swedish defeat in the Great War of North, Livonie (Estonia and Latvia) is built-in the Russian empire. Nevertheless, by preoccupations with an effectiveness, the germano-Baltic barons continue to exert their influence on the Baltic companies on behalf of the Tsar. In 1795, at the time of the third division of Poland, Lithuania is it also attached to Russia. The Baltic States find their freedom after the First World War. They have, at the beginning, of great difficulties of making recognize their independence by the Alliés which prefer to spare a possible victory of Russia " blanche" against the Bolsheviks. The growing conviction of the victory of the Communistes pushes the western powers to accept Baltic independences like a " cord sanitaire" in Europe.

The 20th century

As of the August 23rd 1939, the the USSR sign with the Germany the Treated Ribbentrop-Molotov pact reciprocal germano-Soviet of non-aggression which delimits the poles of influence of the two powers. This treaty places the Baltic States inside the sphere of influence of the USSR. This one thus begins the Second world war like allied from Germany and appendix part of the Poland, then the Baltic States. The three countries will remain annexed by the Soviet Union between 1944 and 1990, and become republics of the Union. This annexation, even after war, is not recognized internationally, and the three countries are regarded as occupied territories. The USSR which claims a voice at the general meeting of UNO for each one of its fifteen republics obtains only twelve from them. But it not recognition does not have an other consequence during the cold war.

The policy of Glasnost of Mikhail Gorbatchev, introduced in 1986, made it possible protest movements to speak and to express criticisms with regard to the central capacity. Baltic groups of opposition then start to claim the independence of these countries by requiring explanations on the annexation whose they were the object in 1940 and by thus pointing the absence of legitimacy of the Soviet domination on the Baltic States.

The August 23rd 1989, the Baltic Way brought together the inhabitants of the three nations for independence. This act, strongly relayed in Occident, was the most visible demonstration of the basic movement claiming the independence of these three countries. As of 1989, economic independence is declared there, involving in reaction a drastic economic embargo of Moscow on Lithuania, in order to make of them an example, and strong pressures on all the countries to require their maintenance in the Soviet Union.

But Moscow balks to employ the military force and the single feat of arms intervenes in January 1991. The strategic buildings of the capitals, the such seats of televisions, are taken by storm by the troops of the Soviet ministry of the Interior, whereas many civilians are massed around to defend them. The shootings which follow kill fifteen people and wound a hundred of it.

Shortly after (February-March 1991), of the official consultations are organized (the constitutions republics left the the USSR do not authorize the référenda), showing the strong mobilization of Baltic for their independence: 90% in Lithuania, 77% in Estonia and 73% in Latvia. The failure of the Soviet Putsch of August 1991 - where the hard line of the Communists does not manage to take the pouvoir  - allows the Baltic States to declare their independence political, that many Western countries hasten to recognize. Having lost any room for maneuver, Moscow is seen obliged to follow the movement and recognizes their independence the September 4th 1991, three months before the Soviet Union does not disappear.

Today, the relations with Russia remain complex, the three countries have important minorities Russian speakers (6% in Lithuania, 35% in Latvia and 25% in Estonia). This minority, which suffers sometimes from exclusion, fears integration with the European Union which she sees like an additional rupture with the Russian fatherland, after the independence of 1990. The enclave of Kaliningrad is also a source of disagreements between Lithuania and Russia.

The 21e century

In 2003, the three Baltic States are allowed like members of the European Union (with 7 other countries). They took their place as from 2004 in the political authorities of the European Union and NATO.

Policy

Taking up the idea of the treaty of agreement and mutual co-operation of 1934, the Baltic Conseil is created in 1990 little before independences. Today the co-operation between the three states covers about all the fields, this co-operation is in particular visible internationally for defense, the fight against criminality and the monitoring of the borders.

The Scandinavian countries established bonds privileged with the Baltic states which have a statute of observers to the meetings of the Scandinavian Conseil. The three states are also members of the Conseil of the States of the Baltic created in 1992.

Since 1991, the shared political will of these three countries is to turn the back on the Russian sphere of influence definitively to anchor the Baltic States within the European world. This resulted in the refusal to integrate the Communauté of the independent States (CEI), fuzzy structure formed on ashes of the the USSR in December 1991, by the candidature for an adhesion with the NATO, which encounters a strong opposition of Russia, and by the candidature for an adhesion for the European Union. The three Baltic States came to a conclusion positively by referendum in 2003 about their adhesion with the European Union, which took place on May 1st 2004.

Economy

GDP of the three combined countries represents approximately 65 billion euros.

Before the bursting of the USSR, the standard of living of these countries was higher than that of all the other Soviet socialist republics. The transition towards the market economy was difficult since between 1989 and 1996 the GDP had dropped by 28,3% for Estonia, 46,55% for Latvia and of 58,4% for Lithuania. In 2004, the GDP per capita of these three countries was lower than the average of the country having adhered to the European Union this same year, with respectively 91,3%,69,5% and 80,4% of this average in 2003. These countries were the first in Europe to again adopt a Impôt atsingle rate in the middle of the Années 1990.

The commercial exchanges towards the European Union are privileged since 2001. The energy supply (Oil and Natural gas) is always depend on Russia, because of existence of a network of pipelines. Today, a third of the commercial exchanges is made with the Scandinavian Pays, Iceland excluded.

For the future these countries have several assets: an high degree of formation, the urban heritage and the geographical location or the quality of the infrastructures. With the row of the handicaps one can quote an important pollution inherited the USSR.

Culture

The Estonian is a Finno-ugric language (related with the Finnois), whereas the Latvian and the Lituanien are Indo-European Langues Baltic group. The three languages use the Latin alphabet. Lithuania is with catholic majority whereas Latvia and Estonia are Protestant.

There exists nevertheless a Baltic, visible cultural unit for example in the Hanseatic Architecture of the big cities like Tallinn, Rīga, Vilnius or Kaunas.

Populations Russian speakers are still present, to see herebefore.

See too

Internal bonds

External bond

  • Baltic States, a ground disputed by Georges Castellan, Professor emeritus at the National institute of the languages and Eastern civilizations.

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