Finding Inspiration in the Baltic States' History of Resilience

My first experience with the Baltic countries was a little over 10 years ago. My daughter was living in Riga, Latvia with her Spanish husband, who is part of the Spanish diplomatic corp. We had a lovely visit and learned a lot about Latvians’ ‘double’ independence, and the Latvian Jews that were sent off to be killed in the Holocaust. Latvians celebrate the day in 1918 when they created their modern state. Early in WWII they were occupied by Germany, and then ‘liberated’ by the USSR. In 1990 they peacefully rose up and shook of the chain of Soviet oppression and became one of the first breakaway republics of the USSR. It was during this visit 10 years ago when I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia and learned so much about their modern history. Fast forward to last year when I was introduced to the author, Ruta Sepetys when I read, I Must Betray You. It’s a powerful work of fiction about the very real and grim existence of the people of Romania, and the fall of the authoritarian, Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989. I’ve continued to read her historical fiction based on that book. In just two sessions I finished, Between Shades of Gray; her book about the forced deportation of Baltic residents to Siberia. The book reinforced history I learned while in Riga, and complemented the history I’ve learned by reading WWII non-fiction books about Stalin, and later books about more recent Soviet Union history. The bottom line is that, as part of his murderous regime, Stalin removed tens and tens of thousands of people from the Baltics and sent them to prison camps in the east. There they struggled in almost unbelievable conditions to stay alive. He then moved Soviet citizens into the Baltic countries. Unfortunately, I’m not sure this tactic has ever stopped in my lifetime, unfortunately. The inspiration I mention in the title of this diary was found in the Author’s Note, at the end of the book. This line jumped out at me: "They chose hope over hate and showed the world that even through the darkest night, there is light.” We are living in horrendous times right now in the US, so it’s no surprise that those words moved me. It continues on to say, “Research it. Tell someone.” So that is what I’m doing with this diary. I’m telling YOU! These three small countries have known recent oppression by the russians. They know their values, and they know the risk they face from Putin. And yet they’re standing strong for sovereignty, self determination, and the NATO alliance, which they joined in 2004. They’ve been through hell and back in the last 100+ years. That they are where they’re at now — leaders in northern European democracies, and defending NATO and Denmark/Greenland is impressive and inspiring. They went through darkness that tore families apart and found the light of self governance, and they found it in a very unique and incredible way — the “Singing Revolution.” In the late 1980s, a massive campaign of civil resistance against Soviet rule, known as the Singing revolution, began. On 23 August 1989, the Baltic Way, a two-million-strong human chain, stretched for 600 km from Tallinn to Vilnius. In the wake of this campaign, Mikhail Gorbachev's central government in Moscow had privately concluded that the departure of the Baltic republics had become "inevitable".[27] This process contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, setting a precedent for the other Soviet republics to secede from the USSR. The Soviet Union recognized the independence of three Baltic states on 6 September 1991. en.wikipedia.org/... Singing is a huge part of the culture of all the Baltic states. During their 2nd fight for independence they would gather and sing patriotic, and cultural Baltic songs. How powerfully cool is that, especially since they began the breakup of the Soviet Union! Today they know they are on the frontlines of possible future russian aggression. J ust look at the map and it’s plain to see. Plus, lots of russians live in these countries, some for several generations, having been sent there by soviet and russian leaders. Their risk is level is extremely high. And yet they are not backing down. So, join me in being inspired by them. By their punching above their weight in all matters democracy and sovereignty! President of Latvia: x Foreign Affairs Minister of Latvia: x Prime Minister of Estonia: x Foreign Affairs Minister for Estonia: x x Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament: x President of Lithuania: x