Baltika, also Baltika(German Baltikum) is a region in Northern Europe that includes the territories of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, as well as the former East Prussia. From the name of this territory comes the name of one of the Indo-Germanic language groups - the Balts .

The indigenous population of the Baltic countries, as a rule, does not use the term "Baltic", considering it a relic of the Soviet era, and prefers to talk about the "Baltic countries". In Estonian there is only the word Baltimaad (Baltic countries), it is translated into Russian as Baltic, Baltic or Baltic. In the Latvian and Lithuanian languages, the word Baltija is used in relation to the region.

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Lithuania (lit. Lietuva)

The official name of the Republic of Lithuania (lit. Lietuvos Respublika) is a state in Europe, on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. In the north it borders with Latvia, in the southeast - with Belarus, in the southwest - with Poland and the Kaliningrad region of Russia. Member of NATO (since 2004), EU (since 2004), WTO, UN. A country that has signed the Schengen Agreement. From 1919 to 1939 Kaunas was the capital. The capital of modern Lithuania is Vilnius (from 1939 to the present). The national emblem is Chase or Vytis (lit. Vytis) - a white horseman (Knight) on a red background, the national flag is yellow-green-red.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

In the XIII-XIV centuries, the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania grew rapidly and reached the shores of the Black Sea. At the same time, the Lithuanian princes fought a hard fight with the Teutonic Order, which was defeated in 1410 in the Battle of Grunwald by the combined forces of the Lithuanian lands and Poland.

In 1385, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila under the Treaty of Kreva undertook to unite Lithuania and Poland in a personal union if he was elected king of Poland. In 1386 he was crowned king of Poland. In 1387, Lithuania was baptized and adopted Western Christianity as its official religion. Since 1392, Lithuania was actually ruled by the Grand Duke Vytautas (Vytautas; Vytautas), Jagaila's cousin and formal governor. During his reign (1392-1430) Lithuania reached the peak of its power.

Casimir Jagiellon expanded the international influence of the Jagiellonian dynasty - he subjugated Prussia to Poland, placed his son on the Czech and Hungarian thrones. In the years 1492-1526, there was a political system of the Jagiellonian states, covering Poland (with vassals Prussia and Moldova), Lithuania, Czech Republic and Hungary.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

In 1569, a union was concluded with Poland in Lublin (on the eve of the Ukrainian lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were annexed to Poland). According to the Act of the Union of Lublin, Lithuania and Poland were ruled by a jointly elected king, and state affairs were decided in a common Sejm. However, the legal systems, army and government remained separate. In the 16th-18th centuries, noble democracy prevailed in Lithuania, polonization of the nobility took place and its rapprochement with the Polish nobility. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was losing its Lithuanian national character, and Polish culture was developing there.

As part of the Russian Empire

In the 18th century, after the Northern War, the Polish-Lithuanian state fell into decay, falling under the protectorate of Russia. In 1772, 1793 and 1795, the entire territory of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was divided between Russia, Prussia and Austria. Most of the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was annexed to Russia. Attempts to restore statehood caused the transfer of the Polish-Lithuanian nobility to the side of Napoleon in 1812, as well as the uprisings of 1830-1831 and 1863-1864, which ended in defeat. In the second half of the 19th century, a national movement began to form.

Latvia, Republic of Latvia

(Latvian. Latvija, Latvijas Republika) - the Baltic state, capital - Riga (721 thousand people, 2006). Geographically belongs to Northern Europe. The country got its name from the ethnonym of the people - Latvians (Latvian. Latvieši). Member of the EU and NATO, member of the Schengen agreements. Latvia first emerged as an independent state in 1918 (the 1920 Riga Peace Treaty between the RSFSR and Latvia). From 1940 to 1991 it was part of the USSR as the Latvian SSR.

1201 - Bishop Albert von Buxgewden founded the city of Riga on the site of Livonian villages. To better organize the introduction of the lands of the Livs and Latgalians to the bosom of the church (and at the same time their political conquest), he also founded the Order of the Swordsmen (after the defeat in the Battle of Saul - the Livonian Order as part of the Teutonic Order), which later became an independent political and economic force; the order and the bishop often fought with each other. [source?] In 1209, the bishop and the order agreed on the division of the captured and not yet captured lands. On the map of Europe, the state formation of the German crusaders appeared - Livonia (after the name of the local ethnos of the Livs). It included the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia. Many Livonian cities later became members of the thriving North European Trade Union, the Hansa. However, subsequently, torn apart by the internecine clashes of the Order, the Riga bishopric (from 1225 - the Riga archbishopric) and other, more insignificant bishops, as well as their vassals, Livonia began to weaken, which drew increased attention to it from the surrounding states - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russia and later also Sweden and Denmark. Moreover, Livonia (especially Riga, which was the largest of the cities of the Hanseatic Trade Union), due to its geographical position, has always been an important trading region (in the past, part of the “Way from the Varangians to the Greeks” ran through its lands).

17th century

During the 17th century - the formation of the Latvian nation as a result of the consolidation of separate peoples: Latgalians, Selonians, Semigallians, Curonians and Livonians. Some Latgalians still retain their original language, although in Latvia and even among the Latgalians themselves there are so many dialects and dialects that many historians and linguists consider this language one of the “big” dialects of Latvian. [Source?] This is the official position of the state , on this side, reinforced by a very strong sense of patriotism among Latvians (three stars on the coat of arms of Latvia and in the hands of the Freedom woman at the top of the monument of the same name in the center of Riga symbolize the three regions of Latvia - Kurzeme-Zemgale, Vidzeme and Latgale)

XVIII century

1722 - as a result of the Northern War, part of the territory of modern Latvia is ceded to the Russian Empire. 1795 - during the third partition of Poland, the entire territory of present-day Latvia was united into Russia.

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 Mindaugas, 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 part of the confederate Rzeczpospolita with Poland, 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 war in 1721. And only 54 years later, following the results of the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 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 joining Russia, the nobility of the Baltic states, without any restrictions, received the rights and privileges of the Russian nobility. Moreover, the Eastsee Germans (mainly descendants of German knights from the Livonian and Courland provinces) were, if not more influential, then at least 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 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. Given the knowledge of the Russian language for the local population, 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 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?

Forgot to see who freed them from the Nazis?

Last year, in the jubilee year, when Crimea returned home,

we remembered in the victory parade of the war of the Sacred bitter smoke,

how our villages were blazing, fear splashed in the eyes of the children,

life became scary, unhappy, everything turned to dust by fire.

Stretched by an eerie line of human flow in the dust of the roads

even the birds disappeared from the fields - the vile enemy stepped on the threshold.

He ranked himself as a supercast, destroying everything around,

bombed, shot, burned without a thought that everything would come back to haunt later.

More than once the Slavic people entered into mortal combat with the enemy -

he was always beaten by the "Trojan Horse" - after all, there was his father's house behind him.

The Swede drowned in the lake slurry, Mamai fled headlong from the fields,

the French were driven to Paris, the Germans were driven "for the mozhay".

Now America is itching to - do not mind European countries

and, thinks that she will manage and get away with her dastardly plan.

They are more obedient than rams to the "tune" of Uncle Sam dance,

ready to support the Ottomans as part of their harem.

They do not feel sorry for their people, because, if "God forbid anything,"

by the will of the "old Freak" they will not be able to do anything,

and they will grab in full when the steel rink passes

because of their weak-willed position, they will forget to look to the East.

And it's a pity that the people close to us were drawn into this dance,

who, together with Russia, without fear, boldly drove away every rabble.

His people, vilely stupefying, in their own country, playing people off,

and greedily pocketing money, changing life abruptly for the worse,

on a chocolate, sweet throne, a decrepit baskak sits,

at a break in the life of the country - a ghoul swells from money.

And Uncle Sam, hiding a grin, blaming Russia for all sins,

does not see death, does not hear crying, does not see blood on his hands.

The main task is more military to approve the budget,

what will happen to Ukraine, to Poland - the problem is no more indifferent.

The overseas chaos cannot last long,

not long for Sam to smile - there is a limit to everything.

And at this time, Russia's difficult spirit only grows stronger,

the more reliable foundations in the country are not to take Russia to fear.

Russia does not want to fight, but you also need to understand

those who rumble with armor that Russia will not be able to break.

Today the world is closer to a split - it is very important to resist here

all from a fatal injection - and this should be understood.

History is full of vices, does not require studying them,

but for ignorance of the lessons, it can be severely punished.

And, the more deadly the means in the hands, the more deceiving desire

war, as once in childhood ... And all will die in punishment.

Russia remembers its brothers.

Non-citizens?

However, it will be intolerant.

Putin will come, put things in order.

V.L. Martynov
Dr. Geogr. sciences, professor
Russian state
Pedagogical University. A.I. Herzen
St. Petersburg

The Baltic republics of the former USSR - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have always been extremely interesting to the population of the rest of the Union. In Soviet times, the Baltics was a kind of "ersatz-West", where residents of the other republics traveled to see the peculiar life and the cities in which Soviet films about foreign Europe were filmed (from "Seventeen Moments of Spring" to "Three Musketeers"). During the years of perestroika, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were the first republics to demand independence. In the 90s, the formation of market economies in these states proceeded faster than anywhere else in the former Soviet Union, and at the beginning of the 21st century. all three Baltic countries have become members of NATO and the European Union. I deliberately use the name "Baltic" in relation to these countries, which was used in Russian throughout the 20th century, since I consider the name "Baltic" to be absolutely non-Russian, and the name "Baltic" in relation to states - funny (the population of the Baltic is fish).

Recently, interest in the Baltic countries has increased again. This was due both to the anti-Russian position taken by the leadership of these countries in connection with the 60th anniversary of the Victory, and to the signing (or non-signing) of border treaties with Estonia and Latvia. It is necessary to dwell on two key points - the formation and the initial development of these states in 1918-1919. and their inclusion in the USSR in 1940 with the subsequent change of borders.

The first thing that is important to understand is that there is no "monolithic" Baltic at all. Namely, this region was perceived and perceived by a significant part of the population of our country as “a single array”. The differences were already apparent during the very formation of these states. The westernmost of them, Lithuania, was created as a puppet state by the German occupation authorities during the First World War on February 16, 1918. The motives for the formation of this quasi-state are not entirely clear, but apparently the Germans intended to play the Lithuanian card against the Polish one. Estonian independence was proclaimed amid the chaos of the German offensive in February 1918, but German troops occupied Reval (Tallinn) a day after independence was proclaimed on February 24, 1918. Almost a year earlier, in April 1917, the Provisional Government issued a law on self-government of the Estland province.

Estonia and especially Lithuania at that time were relatively underdeveloped territories, where both Russians and Germans could allow the existence of puppet governments. The economic and, to a large extent, the political heart of the Baltics was Riga, and with it - the territory of present-day Latvia. For the Germans, Riga was primarily a German city, for Russia - one of the main ports of the Empire. Therefore, there was no special flirtation with regard to Latvia, and a contemporary noted: "Both under the tsarist regime, and under the Germans, the very word" Latvia "- a synonym for the state idea - was strictly prohibited." The independence of Latvia was proclaimed only after the defeat of Germany in the First World War, on November 18, 1918.

However, the Entente states were in no hurry to recognize not only the Baltic states, but also Finland. Thus, France, having recognized the independence of Finland in January 1918, takes it back in October of the same year. And the existence of the independent state of Latvia was temporarily recognized by France only in April 1920. The British government temporarily recognized the Latvian National Council, but the British took this step out of economic considerations in order to control the ports of Riga and Vindava. The United States did not recognize the Baltic republics until 1933. The US position was made very clear in 1920: the US government was convinced that the people of Russia would overcome the hardships and hardships they were suffering from (i.e., overthrow the Bolsheviks and restore the state unity of the Russian Empire ), and categorically refused to recognize the independence of the Baltic states. In 1933, recognizing the Soviet Union, the United States automatically recognized all other states that had formed on the ruins of the Russian Empire as independent. It is curious that from 1940 to 1991 the United States was the only major country in the world that did not recognize the entry of the Baltic republics into the USSR.

It can be assumed that the emergence of new states, bearing the names of hitherto unheard of peoples, was a complete surprise for the Entente and the rest of the world. Of the three Baltic peoples, only the Lithuanians left a trace in history by this time, who created in the XI-XV centuries. a huge state stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. But at the beginning of the XX century. only ethnographers knew that the descendants of these “great Lithuanians” still survived somewhere in the forests of the middle and lower Nemunas basin. The Lithuanians themselves rarely recognized themselves as such - in any case, educated Lithuanians immediately added "-skiy" to their surname and preferred to be listed as Poles.

An Estonian or Latvian, having received an education, changed his surname to the German way and tried to forget about his origin. Educated Finns “crossed” into Swedes. This was the case until the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, when the government of the Russian Empire decided to protect the Baltic peoples under its control from excessive German and Swedish influence, and Finnish, Estonian, and Latvian literary languages ​​began to be created with Russian money. The bulk of the armies of the new states were Russian officers. For example, in 1918 the Bolsheviks were expelled from Yuriev (present-day Tartu) by a detachment under the command of Captain Kupriyanov. I wonder if the authorities of today's Estonia and Latvia remember the Russians who died in the battles for their independence? It is unlikely that there is a street of Captain Kupriyanov in Tartu, although there is definitely a street of Dzhokhar Dudaev (as well as in Riga, where the former street of Cosmonauts became Dudayev street).

What happened to the new states after their formation? Naturally, all three newly formed republics find themselves involved in a civil war, which was of a tripartite nature - in the Baltic states, the forces of the Bolsheviks, national governments and white armies clashed, either fighting among themselves or concluding the most incredible alliances. The most outstanding military successes were achieved by Estonia, whose army not only liberated the territory of the Estonian state from all hostile forces, but also took a decisive part in the capture of Riga, and even occupied Pskov in the war with Soviet Russia.

But in 1920, the Baltic countries, primarily Estonia, began to make efforts to conclude peace treaties with Soviet Russia. The government of the Bolsheviks was striving for the same, which intended in this way to eliminate the threat from the Baltic Sea. For this, the Soviet government is making territorial concessions: Estonia is expanding at the expense of part of the territories of the Petrograd and Pskov provinces (land to the east of the Narva or Narova River; land to the south of Lake Pskov with the main city of Pechora, its Estonian name is Petseri). But the biggest increment, though almost formal, is being received by Lithuania. According to the Soviet-Lithuanian treaty of 1920, the southern border of Lithuania was to run considerably south of the present Lithuanian-Belarusian border: the city of Grodno and its environs were to be transferred to Lithuania. However, the Lithuanian flag held out over Grodno for three days, after which the city was occupied by the Poles. It is not too widely known that in the Soviet-Polish war of 1920 the Lithuanian army fought together with the Red Army against the White Poles. After the defeat of the Red Army, the Poles attacked Lithuania and occupied its capital Vilna (present-day Vilnius). This city was under the rule of Poland until 1939. It should be admitted that Vilna at that time was not a Lithuanian city at all in terms of its population. In the early 1920s, Lithuanians accounted for only 1.2% of the population of Vilna, Poles - 53.6%, Jews - 41%.

But in February 1923 the Lithuanians captured the German city of Memel (present-day Klaipeda), thanks to which Lithuania received a wide access to the Baltic Sea. This city remained part of Lithuania until March 1939, when it was returned to Germany. Contemporaries argued that the Lithuanian occupation of Memel and the adjacent territory (Memel region) took place "with the covert but decisive support of Moscow." It can be assumed that this support was a kind of compensation for an unsuccessful war against Poland: no matter how weak Germany was in the early 1920s, Lithuania could hardly dare to oppose it alone. Kaunas becomes the actual capital of Lithuania, where the authorities of the pre-war Republic of Lithuania stayed until the fall of 1939 - the spring of 1940.

Interwar Lithuania is a very curious state. It was an agrarian state, within which there was essentially only one industrial city - Memel (Klaipeda). “Economically, Lithuania is an absolutely exceptional phenomenon. Due to the absence of industry and natural economy, Lithuania ... does not even print paper money ... Lithuania has every reason to become a peasant state, a republic of agricultural producers. " Of course, in the 1920s and 1930s, Lithuania achieved some success, but nevertheless, by the time the Second World War began, Lithuania's main export item was labor - peasants who were hired as farm laborers in neighboring Latvia or sent to more distant countries. The area of ​​Lithuania in its actual borders during the interwar period was about 50 thousand km 2, the ethnic composition was as follows: Lithuanians - about 70% of the population, Jews - about 12, Poles - 8, Russians - 6, Germans - 4%. The population of the de facto capital of Lithuania, Kaunas, in the mid-1920s was about 100 thousand people.

Latvia, in contrast to Lithuania, before the revolution was one of the most industrially developed parts of the Russian Empire, mainly thanks to Riga. In addition, at the beginning of the XX century. the non-freezing port of Vindava (Ventspils) acquired great importance, through which "all Siberian oil, crushed poultry and 1/3 of the grain cargo passing through the ports of the Baltic Sea were exported abroad." But during the interwar independence, the Latvian economy was constantly and steadily degraded. Before the First World War, 2.5 million people lived in the territories ceded to Latvia (which is approximately equal to the current population of the republic), and in 1919 - 2 million. The number of workers in industrial enterprises decreased by the mid-1920s by more than fourfold, from 93 thousand workers to 22 thousand. The population of Riga, which reached 600 thousand people before the First World War, by the mid-1920s declines to 180 thousand. The question may arise - maybe at a later time the situation has changed for the better? Alas, the acquisition of independence by Latvia did not bring prosperity to it. The sea freight turnover in 1939 was 30.7% of the 1913 level, the population of Liepaja and Ventspils, which were among the main ports of the Russian Empire, decreased by 2 times. The standard of living of the population in interwar Latvia can hardly be considered high. In Riga, the so-called "Ulmanis" houses, built in the 30s, are still preserved. These houses, of course, are multi-storey, but the "amenities" are in the courtyard. In general, it can be argued that the standard of living in the Baltic republics of the interwar period was about the same as in the Soviet Union at that time, although Baltic historians often state the opposite. The area of ​​interwar Latvia was 75 thousand km 2, and the ethnic composition of the population was as follows: 70% of the population were Latvians, 10 were Russians (therefore, it is strange to say that Russians in Latvia are a “non-indigenous population”), 7 are Germans, 6% are Jews.

Relations between the Baltic countries and between these countries and the rest of the world were clearly not warm and cordial. In 1920, Latvia and Estonia began their coexistence as neighbors with a conflict over the city of Valk, which almost turned into a war and was referred to an international commission, which simply divided the city into two parts - Estonian and Latvian. The conflict between Lithuania and Poland was constantly smoldering. Radical forces in interwar Poland constantly advocated a "march to Kovno", that is, for the complete annexation of Lithuania. In the 1930s, Poland had its own aggressive plans. In March 1938, the Polish army was already ready to cross the border of Lithuania, and the Lithuanians managed to escape from the Polish attack only by accepting an ultimatum, humiliating for them, according to which Lithuania forever renounced its claims to Vilnius and recognized the legality of South Lithuania's joining the Polish state.

In general, all three republics - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - belonged to the number of buffer states - "limitrophes". Their main task before the "Great Crisis" was a barrier - the separation of Soviet Russia and Europe. And the Baltic states, especially Latvia, solved this problem very diligently, for which they were supported by Great Britain. But later, the economic policy of the leading states turns towards isolationism and the Baltic countries become useless to anyone, a period of political turmoil begins there, and clearly undemocratic regimes come to power in all three countries.

There are parallels between the 1920s and the present: then Soviet Russia managed to establish much stronger ties with Estonia than with Latvia. Estonia was the first Baltic country to make peace with Soviet Russia. This peace treaty was signed despite the active opposition of the Entente, which even threatened to blockade the Estonian coast. Estonia, like Latvia, experienced de-industrialization and economic degradation during the interwar period. "The Russian-Baltic shipyard ... where 15 thousand workers worked in 1916, completely ceased its activities ... just like the Russian-Baltic shipyard, the Petrovskaya ... car building plant" Dvigatel "was completely destroyed ... "

The most controversial and most difficult period was the entry of the Baltic republics into the USSR. These countries now consider the entry into the USSR an occupation and believe that the beginning of this occupation was laid by secret additional protocols to the Non-Aggression Pact between the USSR and Germany (the "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact"), signed on August 23, 1939. The additional protocols themselves have not survived. texts are published from typewritten copies. Clause 1 of the secret additional protocol concerning the Baltic countries is as follows: “In the event of a territorial and political reorganization of the regions that are part of the Baltic states (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), the northern border of Lithuania is at the same time the border of the spheres of interests of Germany and the USSR. At the same time, the interests of Lithuania in relation to the Vilna region are recognized by both parties ”10. If we translate this phrase from diplomatic language into ordinary language, then it means the following: Finland, Estonia and Latvia were to go to the Soviet Union, Lithuania to Germany, while its historical capital Vilna (Vilnius) should be returned to Lithuania.

The agreement between the USSR and Hitlerite Germany on the division of the Baltic states is undoubtedly not a very noble matter. The leadership of the Baltic states was not at all obliged to "surrender" their countries to the Soviet Union; they not only could, but also had to defend them.

However, only Finland ventured into a military confrontation with the Soviet Union, in the winter of 1939/40 and defended its independence. But one should not combine the two Soviet-Finnish wars: 1939-1940. ("Winter war") and 1941-1944. ("The continuation war", as it is called in Finland). In the "winter war" the Soviet Union was the aggressor, but in the war of 1941-1944. the aggressor was Finland, which fought on the side of Nazi Germany. It is curious that in Finland the struggle of the Baltic countries for "independence from the USSR" in the late 80s - early 90s did not enjoy much support, and the widespread opinion in Finnish society was the following: “When we fought, they preferred to surrender. So what do they need now? " Moreover, in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. the Baltic countries were the actual allies of the USSR. Soviet planes that bombed Helsinki took off from Estonian airfields.

In 1939, the governments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, one after another, signed the Pacts of Mutual Assistance with the USSR, according to which Soviet military bases are located in these states. The agreement with Lithuania was different from the rest. In full, it was called like this: "Agreement on the transfer of the city of Vilna and the Vilnius region to the Republic of Lithuania and on mutual assistance between the Soviet Union and Lithuania." Somewhat earlier, on September 28, 1939, the Soviet-German Treaty of Friendship and Border was signed with a secret additional protocol to it. Under this protocol, the Soviet Union renounced the part of Poland due to it under the August 23 treaty, in exchange for which it received the rights to Lithuania. But this protocol, like the previous one, was not at all obligatory for the leadership of the Baltic countries. Their consent to the introduction of Soviet troops was not pulled out by force, it was offered - and the Baltic governments agreed to it. If we assume that all the actions of the Soviet Union, defined by the "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact", were illegal, then it is obvious that Lithuania owns Vilnius illegally and it should be returned to Poland. The Red Army occupied Vilna (Vilnius) during the hostilities against Poland, which began on September 17, 1939, the Lithuanian troops entered their ancient capital on October 28 of the same year. But until Lithuania's annexation to the Soviet Union, its government remained in Kaunas, fearing to move to the Polish-Jewish Vilnius.

Soviet troops began to enter the Baltic countries in October 1939. According to the treaty, up to 25 thousand Soviet soldiers were to be sent to Estonia, the same amount to Latvia, and 20 thousand to Lithuania. In general, this is not much. How Soviet troops entered the Baltic states can be understood from the example of Estonia alone. The entry of Soviet units into Estonia began at 8 am on October 18, 1939. On the border, the Red Army units were met by the commanders of the Estonian divisions, accompanied by their headquarters. "After mutual greetings, the orchestras sang - from our side," Internationale ", from the Estonian side - the Estonian national anthem, at the same time gun salutes were fired from both sides (21 shots each) ..." 11 If the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, as they say the current Estonian authorities, the orchestra and fireworks are a very peculiar way of meeting the invaders. The Red Army entered the Baltic countries and garrisoned at those points that were determined by the relevant interstate agreements.

It is characteristic that in the fall of 1939, against the background of the entry of the Red Army into the Baltic States, nationalist sentiments are growing in these countries. A massive departure of Germans begins from Latvia, welcomed by the Latvian state. “The Latvian public and the ruling circles emphasize the enormous historical significance of the departure of the Germans from Latvia. The constantly inflamed enmity and historical hatred of Latvians towards the Germans suddenly received a detente. Therefore, the Latvian government is also in a hurry to facilitate the departure of the Germans as soon as possible ”12. Indeed, history repeats itself ... One gets the impression that the authorities of independent Latvia do not care who to expel from the country, just to expel. In the interwar period, the Germans were expelled, in modern Latvia - the Russians. The Germans gave rise to the present-day Latvia, having founded Riga, under Russian rule it became one of the most developed and prosperous lands of our vast state. Curiously, if it is still possible to expel the Russians, who will be next?

In the fall of 1939, the top Soviet leadership, apparently, did not intend to advance in relations with the Baltic countries beyond the introduction of troops. In the orders of the USSR People's Commissar for Defense K.E. Voroshilov to the units of the Red Army stationed in the territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Soviet servicemen were prohibited not only from interfering in the internal life of states, but also from conducting any propaganda among the local population: "Any attempt on the part of a soldier, regardless of his position, to pretend" Arkhilev "and carry on communist propaganda, at least among individuals ... will be regarded as an anti-Soviet act ..." 13. Moreover, these orders themselves were definitely not propaganda - their numbers started from zero; the numbers of secret documents begin with this digit; they were intended exclusively for the command staff of the Red Army.

The arrival of the first units of the Red Army in the fall of 1939 was also perceived differently in different Baltic states. "If there is a situation in Estonia ..." welcome ", then Latvia has never said this in its press and generally tries least of all to describe the friendly side of the arrival of Soviet troops" 14. In Lithuania, it was simply hushed up that Vilnius was conquered from Poland by the Soviet Union.

By the beginning of the summer of 1940, a decision was made to annex the Baltic countries to the Soviet Union. In June 1940, Soviet units in the Baltics were united under a common command. The Baltic countries are required to introduce new contingents of Soviet troops, after which the number of Red Army units in each of the Baltic republics was to approximately double the number of their own armies. At the same time, the new units of the Red Army were to be located not in garrisons, but in large cities. Lithuania becomes the first country that was required to send troops. June 15, 1940

The Lithuanian government allows the introduction of new units of the Red Army into its territory. The commander of the Lithuanian army, General V. Vitauskas, orders: "In relation to the advancing Soviet troops, observe all the rules of courtesy and express friendly relations in the same way as it was expressed towards the previously deployed troops." On June 16, 1940, a demand for the introduction of additional Soviet troops was presented to Latvia and Estonia, and in both cases the Soviet side declares that this is a temporary measure. The Latvian government agrees to send additional Soviet troops into Latvia on the same day. On the evening of the 16th, Estonia agrees to the introduction of Soviet troops. Thus, Soviet troops entered the territory of the Baltic states with the full consent of their governments and without firing a single shot. The “people's governments” created after the arrival of the Red Army were initially headed by the old leaders of Latvia and Estonia, and the “continuity of power” was fully respected. How the Red Army entered the Baltic countries can be illustrated by the example of traditionally the most “unfriendly” Latvia: “The authorities of the city of Jakobstadt (Jekabpils) ordered the population not to welcome the Red Army, to consider it a conqueror. But the population greeted the Red Army from windows and courtyards, handed it flowers ... In the cities of Lidzi (Ludza) and Rezitsa (Rezekne) ... residents stood like a wall on the sides of the road, cries of "Long live the Red Army!" Long live Stalin! ”,“ Long live freedom! ”” 16. But apparently, until mid-July 1940, the Soviet leadership did not yet have complete clarity of how exactly to control the Baltic states - by turning its states into "satellites" or by including them into the USSR. It can be assumed that the USSR makes the final decision on the incorporation of the Baltic states by July 10, when the order of the People's Commissar of Defense S.K. Timoshenko is issued on the formation of the Baltic Military District, the center of which was Riga.

In early July, an election campaign begins in all three republics, during which the supreme legislative bodies of these countries are re-elected - the Seimas in Lithuania and Latvia and the State Duma in Estonia. The holding of elections is not typical for the invaders. Hitlerite Germany, which really acted as an occupier and enslaver for many European states, did not hold elections in any of them. The occupiers simply do not need any kind of democratic recognition of their power. In the Baltic countries, the elections have taken place, and the new, fully legally elected supreme bodies of state power proclaim their countries to be Soviet socialist republics and ask for their annexation to the Soviet Union. The fate of the armies of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is very interesting. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense Timoshenko of August 17, 1940, “The existing armies in the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian SSR shall be preserved ... for a period of 1 year ... by transforming each army into a territorial rifle corps. The corps should be named: Estonian Corps - 22nd Rifle Corps, Latvian Corps - 24th Rifle Corps, Lithuanian Corps - 29th Rifle Corps ”17. The strength of each corps "according to the current states of the Red Army" was supposed to be more than 15 thousand people. This order in general negates any talk about "occupation" that is so fashionable in the modern Baltic states - in the history of the 20th century. there was no case that the occupiers not only retained the full strength of the armies of the countries they occupied, but also included these armies in their own armed forces. On September 7, 1940, all citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are recognized as citizens of the USSR, which is completely contrary to the logic of the occupation. Hitlerite Germany never proclaimed its citizens all the subjects of the states destroyed by it.

The question may arise - where did the territorial problems come from between Russia, on the one hand, and Estonia and Latvia, on the other? Indeed, in 1940 the borders were not redrawn, the Baltic republics were accepted into the USSR "as is."

The borders were changed in 1944 in a very interesting way. Parts of the territory of Latvia (Abrensky district with the main city of Abrene, present-day Pytalovo, Pskov region) and Estonia (Petser district, main town Petseri, modern Pechora, Pskov region) were included in the RSFSR by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 23, 1944. . "On the formation of the Pskov region." The actual transfer of these areas to the Pskov Region was completed only by 1945. Part of the territory of Estonia east of the Narva (Narova) River was transferred to the Leningrad Region simultaneously with part of the territories of the then Karelo-Finnish SSR (north of the Karelian Isthmus) in November 1944. The transfer of these territories was also carried out by decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In exactly the same way, the Crimean region was transferred to Ukraine in 1954. Soviet administrative legislation was not distinguished by simplicity and consistency, but based on practice, it can be argued that until the end of the 50s, the issues of establishing borders between the Union republics were under the jurisdiction of the USSR. Thus, both the transfer of territories from Estonia and Latvia to the RSFSR, and the transfer of territories from the RSFSR to other union republics should be recognized as legal and in accordance with the legal norms of that time.

The history of relations between our country and the Baltic states testifies to the fact that we achieved the greatest success when we were together. Geography means that our countries are close to each other. Alas, "together" and "beside" are not always combined. The shadows of the past years stand between Russia and the Baltics. But let's hope that someday these shadows will disappear.

B. Duchenne. Baltic republics. - Berlin: Russian Universal Publishing House,
1921 .-- P. 38.

Military reference book. - M .: State Military Publishing House, 1925 .-- P. 183.

L. Nemanov. From Rapallo to the Berlin Treaty // Russian Economic Collection.
Issue Vi. - Prague, 1926 .-- S. 32.

B. Duchenne... Cit. cit., p. 60.

V. Popov. Essays on the political geography of Western Europe. - M .: Comm. un-t them. J. Sverdlova, 1924 .-- S. 133.

Data on: L. D. Sinitsky. A short textbook of the geography of the USSR and border states. - M .: Worker of education, 1924 .-- P. 121.

V. Popov. Cit. cit., p. 136.

A.M. Kolotievsky, V.R. Purin, A.I. Yaunputnin... Latvian SSR. - M .: State. publishing house geogr. literature, 1955.

E.A. Brandt... Creation of the economic basis of socialism in the Estonian SSR. - Tallinn: Estonian State Publishing House, 1957. - S. 15-16.

10 The plenipotentiaries are reporting. Collection of documents on the relations of the USSR with Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. - M .: International relations, 1990.

11 Report of the Commander of the Leningrad Military District K.A. Meretskov, People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR K.E. Voroshilov October 19, 1939 // Plenipotentiaries inform. Collection of documents on the relations of the USSR with Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. - M .: International relations, 1990.

12 Letter from the first secretary of the USSR plenipotentiary mission in Latvia M.S. Vetrov to the head of the department of the Baltic countries of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the USSR A.P. Vasyukov "On the repatriation of Latvian Germans" // Ibid.

13 Order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR No. 0162 // Ibid.

14 Letter from the plenipotentiary representative of the USSR in Latvia I.S. Zotov in the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the USSR on December 4, 1939 // Ibid.

15 From the order of the commander of the Lithuanian army, General V. Vitauskas // Ibid.

16 Telegram from the deputy head of the political department of the 3rd Army E. Maksimtsev to the head of the political department of the Red Army L.Z. Mekhlis // Ibid.

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 Zhamoisk 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 Mindaugas, 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 part of the confederate Rzeczpospolita with Poland, 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 war in 1721. And only 54 years later, following the results of the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 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 joining 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 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 Vilno - 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. Given the knowledge of the Russian language for the local population, 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 the 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?