Occupation of Baltic Republics Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
This term is generally used for the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) in the first phases of World War II.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Historical Considerations 3 Timeline of Occupation of Baltic Republics in World War II 4 See also |
Before the beginning of World War II Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed an ostensible non-aggression treaty known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. In the secret appendix of the pact, Germany and the Soviet Union divided up Eastern Europe into spheres of influence: in Northern Europe, Finland, Estonia, Latvia (and, according to a later adjustment, Lithuania) were designated as falling in the Soviet zone. Poland was to be partitioned in the event of its "political rearrangement."
After the occupation and partition of Poland, the Soviet Union started pressuring Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to accept territorial adaptions and Soviet bases on their soil. Eventually all states except Finland signed pacts of "defence and mutual assistance", which permitted the Soviet Union to station troops on their soil. After moving Red Army units into the Baltic states, the Soviet Union tried to occupy Finland by force in the Winter War of 1940, but had to settle for annexing Finnish Karelia and renting an isolated base in Hanko at the southwestern cape of Mainland Finland.
The spring of 1940 saw the German occupation of Denmark and Norway as well as a blitz through the Low Countries to France. These actions activated Soviet foreign policy towards the Baltic states, this time demanding political concessions: the removal of anti-Soviet elements from governments and free transition rights for Red Army personnel. The pressure culminated in demands for new elections. The elections were conducted by local communists loyal to Soviet Union and all non-communist candidates were disqualified. Outright fraud was also used in some voting places, to hide the fact that parts of the population were boycotting the rigged elections. The result was that all three Baltic states had communist majorities in their parliaments, and in August they were annexed to the Soviet Union.
The events in the Baltic Republics were not isolated. Also in Fenno-Scandinavia the great powers demanded adjustments of neutrality and sovereignty: Germany had pressured Sweden to grant transit rights for material and personnel transportation between Norway and ports of southern Sweden during the fightings in Norway, and achieved this after Norway's defeat. Immediately thereafter, the Soviet Union started pressuring Finland for transfer rights over land between the Hanko naval base and the Soviet border, established as a Finnish concession in the Moscow Peace Treaty, aswell as for control of the Petsamo nickel mine. In August, Finland granted transfer rights to German troops travelling between Northern Norway and ports of Gulf of Bothnia in a diplomatic effort to improve the relations with Nazi Germany that had been chilly since the mid-1930s, due to the ideological differences, which was clearly demonstrated when the Third Reich sided with the Soviet Union during the Winter War. Finland now managed to increase the political contacts with Germany, which was seen as the only hope against Soviet occupation. In September, Finland and the Soviet Union came to an agreement on Hanko transitations. When the Soviet foreign minister Molotov in November 1940 requested German acceptance, and passive support, for finishing the invasion of Finland, Hitler declined as he saw Finland as a potential ally in the upcoming invasion of the Soviet Union. The negotiations for Petsamo mines stalled for several months, until the indirect German support allowed the Finns to let those negotiations to lapse.
Germany occupied the Baltic Republics after Operation Barbarossa commencing the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. In the one year of Soviet occupation, from June 1940 to June 1941, approximately 50,000 people were imprisoned or executed.
German occupation policy in the area was also harsh. German authorities collaborated with some nationalist elements in the area who helped the Germans because they saw them as a chance to avoid domination by the USSR and communists. Other nationalists turned against the Germans as their occupation became increasingly brutal. In 1944 and 1945, the Red Army reoccupied the Baltic states and they became republics within the Soviet Union. The Soviet occupation remained fairly brutal until Stalin's death in 1953.
The fate of small countries in Northern Europe varied a lot. Denmark and Norway were occupied by Germany, Sweden had to make some concessions but with skillful foreign policy and a credible military it was able to stay out of the war.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union and it was 50 years before they regained their independence. The United States and a number of other Western countries never formally recognized the annexation, but did not interfere.
Finland was geographically much worse placed than Sweden, and had to suffer two wars (Winter War and Continuation War) with territorial losses, and had to bend its foreign policy for the Soviet Union after the war (Finlandization), but it remained independent, capitalist and had a democratic political system after World War II.
This is an Article on Occupation of Baltic Republics. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Occupation of Baltic Republics History of the Occupation
Historical Considerations
Timeline of Occupation of Baltic Republics in World War II
See also