Baltic Way - WikiHQ

The Baltic Way (; ; ) or Baltic Chain (also "Chain of Freedom") was a peaceful political demonstration that occurred on 23 August 1989. Approximately two million people joined their hands to form a human chain spanning across the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with a combined population of around eight million citizens, who had been subject to the Soviet Union's repression for more than 45 years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. At the time, the three Baltic countries were occupied by the Soviet Union.

The demonstration originated from "Black Ribbon Day" protests held in Western cities in the 1980s. It marked the 50th anniversary of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, in which Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania were (as "spheres of influence") divided between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The Soviet-Nazi pact led to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 and the Soviet invasion and occupation of the Baltic countries in June 1940.

Estonian Rahvarinne, Latvian Tautas fronte, and Lithuanian Sąjūdis were the Baltic pro-independence movements that planned, organized, and led the 1989 events with the primary goal of drawing global attention by demonstrating an overwhelming popular desire for independence and showcasing solidarity among the three nations. Contemporary historians generally agree that the Baltic Way represented an effective publicity campaign and an emotionally captivating, as well as visually stunning scene.

The event presented an opportunity for the Baltic activists to publicise the Soviet rule and position the question of Baltic independence not only as a political matter, but also as a moral issue. The Soviet authorities responded to the event with intense rhetoric, Additionally, the Soviet propaganda also maintained that there was no occupation and that all three Baltic states had voluntarily joined the Soviet Union – the People's Parliaments had expressed the people's will when they petitioned the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union to be admitted into the Union. On 8 August 1989, Estonians attempted to amend election laws to limit the voting rights of new immigrants (mostly Russian workers). – it could then position itself as "peacemaker," restoring order in a troubled republic.

The rising tensions in anticipation of the protest spurred hopes that Moscow would react by announcing constructive reforms to address the demands of the Baltic people. At the same time, fears grew of a violent clampdown. East Germany's head of state, Erich Honecker, and Romania's dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu, offered to provide military assistance to the Soviet Union in the case the Soviets decided to use force and break up the demonstration.

Soviet response

On 15 August 1989, in response to worker strikes in Estonia, Pravda, the official daily newspaper of the Soviet Union, published sharp criticism of "hysteria" driven by "extremist elements" pursuing selfish "narrow nationalist positions" against the greater benefit of the entire Soviet Union. On 17 August, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union published a project on a new policy regarding the union republics in Pravda. However, this project offered few new ideas; it preserved Moscow's leadership not only in foreign policy and defense, but also in economy, science, and culture. The project made a few cautious concessions; it proposed the republics have the right to challenge national laws in a court (at the time, all three Baltic states had amended their constitutions, giving their Supreme Soviets the right to veto national laws) and the right to promote their national languages to the level of the official state language (at the same time, the project emphasised the leading role of the Russian language). The project also included laws banning "nationalist and chauvinist organisations", which could be used to persecute pro-independence groups in the Baltics, chairman of a 26-member commission set up by the Congress of People's Deputies to investigate the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and its secret protocols. Thus, Moscow reversed its long-standing position that the secret protocols did not exist or were forgeries, but did not concede that the events of 1940 constituted an occupation. It was clearly not enough to satisfy the Baltics, and, eventually, on 22 August, a commission of the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR announced that the occupation in 1940 was a direct result of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and therefore illegal. This marked the first time that an official Soviet body challenged the legitimacy of Soviet rule. Furthermore, the activists planned an especially large protest for the 50th anniversary of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1989. It is unclear when and by whom the idea of a human chain was advanced. It appears that the idea was proposed during a trilateral meeting in Pärnu on 15 July. On 12 August, an official agreement was reached between Baltic activists in Cēsis. Local Communist Party authorities approved the protest. At the same time, several different petitions denouncing Soviet occupation were gathering hundreds of thousands of signatures. Preparations spread across the country, energising the previously uninvolved rural population. The declaration explicitly stated that the question of the Baltics was a "problem of inalienable human rights," while accusing the European community of "double standards" by effectively turning a blind eye to the "last colonies of Hitler–Stalin era." The demonstrators peacefully linked hands for 15 minutes at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT). The protesters held candles and pre-war national flags decorated with black ribbons in memory of the victims of the Soviet terror: Forest Brothers, deportees to Siberia, political prisoners, and other "enemies of the people". || Estonia || Latvia || Lithuania

| Total population (1989) || 1.6M || 2.7M || 3.7M

| Indigenous population (1959) || 75% || 62% || 79%

| Indigenous population (1989) || 61% || 52% || 80%

According to the most reliable Western estimates, the number of participants varied between one and two million people. Reuters News reported the following day that about 700,000 Estonians and 1,000,000 Lithuanians joined the protests. The Latvian Popular Front estimated that approximately 400,000 Latvians participated. Before the event, the organisers expected an attendance of 1,500,000 out of the about 8,000,000 inhabitants of the three states. According to the official Soviet numbers, provided by TASS, there were 300,000 participants in Estonia and nearly 500,000 in Lithuania. To make the chain physically possible, an attendance of approximately 200,000 people was required in each state. Video footage taken from airplanes and helicopters showed an almost continuous line of people across the countryside.

File:Balti kett 22.jpg|In Estonia

File:Baltic Way in Latvia near Krekava.jpeg|In Latvia

File:1989 08 23 Baltijoskelias14.jpg|In Lithuania

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Immediate aftermath

On 26 August 1989, a pronouncement from the Central Committee of the Communist Party was read during the opening 19 minutes of Vremya, the main evening news program on Soviet television. It was a sternly worded warning about growing "nationalist, extremist groups" which advanced "anti-socialist and anti-Soviet" agendas. The announcement claimed that these groups discriminated against ethnic minorities and terrorised those still loyal to Soviet ideals. The workers and peasants were called on to save the situation and defend Soviet ideals. Overall, there were mixed messages; while indirectly threatening the use of force, it also placed hopes that the conflict could be solved via diplomatic means. It was interpreted that the Central Committee had not yet decided which way to go and had left both possibilities open. The call to pro-Soviet masses illustrated that Moscow believed it still had a significant audience in the Baltics. Sharp criticism of Baltic Communist Parties was interpreted as signalling that Moscow would attempt to replace their leadership. However, almost immediately after the broadcast, the tone in Moscow began to soften and the Soviet authorities failed to follow up on any of their threats. Eventually, according to historian Alfred Erich Senn, the pronouncement became a source of embarrassment.

President of the United States George H. W. Bush and Chancellor of West Germany Helmut Kohl urged peaceful reforms and criticised the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. On 31 August, the Baltic activists issued a joint declaration to Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Secretary-General of the United Nations. They claimed to be under threat of aggression and asked for an international commission to be sent to monitor the situation. On 19–20 September, the Central Committee of the Communist Party convened to discuss the nationality question – something Mikhail Gorbachev had been postponing since early 1988. The plenum did not specifically address the situation in the Baltic states and reaffirmed old principles regarding the centralised Soviet Union and the dominant role of the Russian language. It did promise some increase in autonomy, but was contradictory and failed to address the underlying reasons for the conflict.

Evaluation

thumb|Baltic Way Monument in [[Vilnius]]

thumb|[[Litas commemorative coin dedicated to the Baltic Way]]

The human chain helped to publicise the Baltic cause around the world and symbolised solidarity among the Baltic peoples. The positive image of the non-violent Singing Revolution rapidly spread among the Western media. The activists, including Vytautas Landsbergis, utilized the increased exposure to position the debate over Baltic independence as a moral, apart from just a political question; reclaiming independence would be the restoration of historical justice and the liquidation of Stalinism. It was an emotional event that strengthened the determination to seek independence. The protest highlighted that the pro-independence movements, established just a year prior, evolved to become more assertive and radical; they shifted from demanding greater freedom from Moscow to full national independence. On August 23, 2020, the Baltic states did a reenactment including Belarus for Belarusian activists. In 2009, the documents recording the Baltic Way were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in recognition of their value in documenting history. In 2013, footprint monuments designed by sculptor Gitenis Umbras were installed in all three Baltic capitals to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the demonstration.

Notes

References

External links

Summary by the three countries' National Commissions for UNESCO
Full-text of joint Baltic declaration to the world
Footage of the Baltic Way with soundtrack of the Lithuanian independence song Pabudome ir kelkimės
Documentary Baltijos kelias by the Lithuanian Television
Photo album, a virtual gallery hosted by the Government of Lithuania
Stamps of the Baltic States Mail Offices, commemorating the Baltic Way
The Baltic Way - Human Chain Linking Three States in Their Drive for Freedom unesco.org