Learning of the Soviet Occupation of the Baltic Countries
The upbeat, future focus of the Baltic countries is impressive. Visiting the Soviet jail and the KGB Museum in Tallinn, and the Warsaw Rising Museum of the Occupation, shows the stark contrast from the years that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland were occupied by the Soviets, compared to today. Westerners tend to think of the Soviet Union as just that- a union of countries under Russian rule. But the history is actually one of extreme cruelty, suppression and murderous occupation, that continued from the defeat of the Nazis up until the early 1990s with the breakup of the Soviet Union. These museums show individuals who were suspected of even a comment against the occupiers who were jailed or murdered. Schools were not allowed to teach their native language; everyone had to learn and speak Russian at all times. Their culture was completely squashed, which might have contributed to the joyous celebration of Midsommer we participated in now that these countries are free to appreciate their heritage. Western Europe was able to move on after defeat of the Nazis, but the division that allowed Russia to occupy these countries kept them in deadly, dire circumstances for more than four decades longer.
All the Baltic countries are strong supporters of Ukraine, of course, demonstrated by flying the Ukrainian flag, and showing the blue and yellow colors everywhere. They know what a nightmare Soviet occupation was, and know that if Ukraine falls to Russia, they will be next.
They have all joined NATO and the EU, with Finland the most recent member. Most people in each of the countries speak English, not because of American tourists (though we appreciated it) but because Estonian is related to Finnish, but Latvian and Lithuanian are Slavic languages. So English has become a common language amongst these countries. Older people still speak Russian, but most choose not to!
It was a lesson for me not to take our freedom for granted, and to support all the help the US can give to NATO countries to keep their hard-won freedom.
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