While the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia share some common history as part of the former Soviet Union, they also have distinct linguistic and cultural differences. Estonians are linguistically Finno-Ugric while Latvians and Lithuanians are Baltic. The earliest settlers arrived after the last ice age ended over 10,000 years ago. Germany established dominance in the 13th century and the lands became part of the Russian Empire in the 18th century before gaining independence in the early 20th century. They were then occupied by the Soviet Union in World War 2 before reestablishing independence in the early 1990s.

1. Main differences and similarities between
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia
By Edgars Engizers

3. •The first people arrived to the territory of the modern Baltic states in the
10th millennium BC after the last glacial period had ended. The earliest traces of
human settlement are connected with Kunda culture. Around the beginning of
the 4th millennium BC Comb Ceramic Culture arrived to the territories. The
beginning of the Late Neolithic Period about 2200 BC is characterized by the
appearance of the Corded Ware culture, pottery with corded decoration and
well-polished boat-shape stone axes. During the Bronze Age the development of
the borders between the Finnic peoples and the Balts was under way. Native
inhabitants of Baltic teritories are ethnically mixed from all theese cultures,
regarding that northren estonians have more vestiges from Kunda culture and
southren lithuanians have more vestiges from Corded ware culture and almoust
none from Kunda culture.
•Linguistically estonians are part of Finno- Ugrian language tree, but lithuanians,
latvians and nowadays extinct branch of oldprussians are parts of Baltic branch
of Indoeuropean language tree.

4. The proto-Baltic forefathers of the Latvian people have lived on the eastern
coast of the Baltic Sea since the third millennium BC [1].
At the beginning of this era the territory known today as Latvia became
famous as a trading crossroads. The famous "route from the Vikings to the
Greeks" mentioned in ancient chronicles stretched from Scandinavia through
Latvian territory via the River Daugava to the ancient Rus and
Byzantine Empire.
The ancient Balts of this time actively participated in the trading network.
Across the European continent, Latvia's coast was known as a place for
obtaining amber. Up to and into the Middle Ages amber was more valuable
than gold in many places. Latvian amber was known in places as far away as
Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. In the 10th century AD, the ancient
Balts started to form specific tribal realms. Gradually, four individual Baltic
tribal cultures developed: Couronians, Latgallians, Selonians, Semigallians[2]
The largest of them was the Latgallian tribe, which was the most advanced in
its socio-political development. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Couronians
maintained a lifestyle of intensive invasions that included looting and pillaging.
On the west coast of the Baltic Sea, they became known as the "Baltic
Vikings". But the Selonians and Semgallians, during this time, were known as
peace-loving and prosperous farmers.

5.  At the end of the 12th century, Latvia was more often visited by traders from western Europe who set out on trading journeys
along Latvia's longest river, the Daugava, to Russia. At the very end of the 12th century, German traders arrived and with them
came preachers of the Christian faith who attempted to convert the pagan Baltic and Finno-Ugrian tribes to the Christian faith.
The Balts did not willingly convert to the new and different beliefs and practices, and particularly opposed the ritual of baptism.
News of this reached the Pope in Rome and it was decided that Crusaders would be sent into Latvia to influence the situation.
 The Germans founded Riga in 1201, and gradually it became the largest city in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. With the
arrival of the German Crusaders, the development of separate tribal realms of the ancient Latvians came to an end.
 In the 13th century, the Livonian Confederation developed under the Germanic authorities consisting of Latvia and Estonia. In
1282, Rīga and later Cēsis, Limbaži, Koknese and Valmiera were included in the Northern German Trading Organisation, or the
Hanseatic League (Hansa). From this time, Riga became an important point in west-east trading. Rīga, being the centre of the
eastern Baltic region, formed close cultural contacts with Western Europe.

6. Kingdom of Lithuania
In the early 13th century two German religious orders, the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, conquered
much of the area that is now Estonia and Latvia, in addition to parts of Lithuania. In response, a number of small
Baltic tribal groups united under the rule of Mindaugas (Myndowe) and soundly defeated the Livonians at Šiauliai in the
battle of the Sun in 1236. In 1250 Mindaugas signed an agreement with the Teutonic Order and in 1251 was baptized in their
presence by the bishop of Chełmno (in Chełmno Land.) On 6 July 1253, Mindaugas was crowned as King of Lithuania and state
was proclaimed as Kingdom of Lithuania. However, Mindaugas was later murdered by his nephew Treniota which resulted in
great unrest and a return to paganism. In 1241, 1259 and 1275 the kingdom was ravaged by raids from the Golden Horde.
In 1316, Gediminas, with the aid of colonists from Germany, began restoration of the land. The brothers Vytenis and Gediminas
united various groups into one Lithuania.
Gediminas extended Lithuania to the east by challenging the Mongols who, at that time, controlled Russia. Through alliances and
conquest the Lithuanians gained control of significant parts of the territory of Rus. This area included most of modern Belarus and
the Ukraine and created a massive Lithuanian state that stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
When Gediminas was slain, his son Algirdas (Olgierd) suppressed the monasteries, but Algirdas's son, Jogaila (Jagiello), again
made overtures to the Teutonic Order and concluded a secret treaty with them. His uncle Kęstutis took him prisoner and a civil
war ensued. Kęstutis was eventually captured, imprisoned and put to death, but Kęstutis's son Vytautas escaped.

7. Politics
Religion
Economy of controlled areas
Courland duchy- “gold time” of latvians under polish
administration
Baltic countries as a part of Russia- result of Great
North war 1700-1721 and partitions of Poland

8.  The Baltic governorates were the governorates (or guberniyas) of the Russian Empire on the
territory of what in 1918 became, and is now, independent Estonia and Latvia.
 The Baltic governorates consisted of the historic regions of Courland, Livonia, and Estonia which
border on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The dominions of Swedish Estonia (in what is now
northern Estonia) and Swedish Livonia (in what is now southern Estonia and northern Latvia)
became the governorates of Reval and Riga, when they were conquered by Russia in during the
Great Northern War, and then ceded by Sweden in the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. Notably, both
Reval Governorate and Riga Governorate were each at the time subdivided into one province
only: the province of Estonia and the province of Livonia, respectively. The third Baltic province of
Courland was annexed into Russian Empire with the
third division of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1795). After an administrative reform in 1796,
the Reval Governorate was renamed Governorate of Estonia (Эстляндская губерния), and Riga
Governorate renamed Governorate of Livonia (Лифляндская губерния).
 In some context, the province of Ingermanland on the far-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea or, more
rarely, the province of Kovno in the present-day Lithuania is also included among Baltic Provinces.
The latter became part of Russian Empire during partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in
late 18th century and became a part of independent Lithuania in 1918.
 Lithuanian governorates
 In 1843 another administrative reform took place. Unofficially three governorates were considered
to be Lithuanian: Vilna Governorate (until 1840 known as Lithuania-Vilna Governorate), a part of
which was later detached as Kovno Governorate, and Suvalki Governorate (the latter was part of
the Congress Poland). Also, some parts of Courland Governorate and Grodno Governorate(until
1840 known as Lithuania-Grodno

9. Baltic provinces- most dinamic teritory in Russian
empire
Burned estates- protest not only again russian rule,
but mostly again Baltic German nobility
No place for socialism in agrarian countries
Ruthleslly supressed public opinion
Punitive expeditions 1907-1909- black sothnas

10. Between Empires- first to be evacuated
Huge giant on clay feets
First riflemans battalions and regiments
Betrayal by Russian general headquarter
Christmas battles 1917
February revolution in Russia,1917
Germany’s defeat and revolution
Crash of Russian Empire- Russian Civil War 1918-
1920
Vacuum of power in autumn 1918

11. Soviet imperialism, war between Soviet Russia and
Poland
Denikin’s white russian army in Estonia
Bermont’s white russian-german forces in Latvia and
Virgolich’s corps in Lithuania- struggle for restoration
german and russian monarchy in Baltics

12. Lithuania- Poland conflict for Vilnius city- lithuanian
problem
Latvia and Estonia as neutral countries in these
conflict
Lithuania- Latvia border strife

13. All three Baltic states- newly built agrarian countries
Main export products: butter, becon, fish, wood.
Main target marcets- UK, Germany, France.
Main differences in internal marcet: none
Baltic states as competitiors, not a collegues

14. Illusion for neutrality
“base treaties”

15.  On, 1940 vere established a puppet governments in Baltic states
during World War II it had been occupied by the Soviet army on June
, 1940 in conformity with the terms of Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Were
made short lived SovietSocialRepublics, which were formally
annexed into the Soviet Union on August , 1940
 Terror was most significative quality of soviet regime not only in
occupied countries, but in Russia aswell. First mass deportations in
former Baltic states took place on June 13 and June 14, 1941, estimated
at 15 600 men, women, and children, and including 20% of Latvia's
last legal government. Approximately 35 000 total (1.8% of Latvia's
population) were deported during the first Soviet occupation. Stalin's
deportations also included thousands of Latvian Jews. Hitler was not
the first catastrophe to afflict that community. (The mass deportation
totalled 131 500 across the Baltics.)

16.  Operation Barbarossa June 22, 1941
 Lokal military formations- police battalions
 Foreigner divisions of waffen ss since 1943- year of Stalingrad battle
 Soviet Baltic offensive- late summer and autumn of 1944.

17. Soviet occupation since 1944.
Soviet military administration in occupied territories
1949- second wave of repressions
Military struggle 1944- 1956- guerilla war

18. Stalin era (untill 1953)
Khruschow rule (1953-1964)
Brezhnev’s standstill and detante (1964-1982)
1982-1985. (years of Andropow and Chernenko)
Gorbachev- (1985-1991:years of changes and
dissolution of the Union) “perestroika”, “glasnost”,
“democratisation”.

19. First steps made by polish Solidarity
Helsinki- 86
Popular front of Latvia and Estonia, Sajudis in
Lithuania
Singing revolution- Tallin song festival 1987-1990.
Baltic way

20. Citizens congress
Elections 1990
Moskovs dual reaction
Declaration of independence 1990
Dual government
Bloody January 1991 Vilnius- 15 killed, Riga- 7
August putsch in Moskov- August Coup—an attempted coup d'état against Gorbachev by hardline
Marxist members of the government, who sought to reverse Gorbachev's reforms and reassert the central government's control
over the republics. After the coup collapsed, Yeltsin came out as a hero while Gorbachev's power was effectively ended. The
balance of power tipped significantly towards the republics. In August 1991, Latvia and Estonia immediately declared restoration
of full independence (following Lithuania's 1990 example), while the other 12 republics continued discussing new, increasingly
looser, models of the Union.
Recognition of independent Baltic republics by Russia and
establishment of diplomaic reltions
Long way to international recognition

21. Deocupation
Democratisation
Demilitarisation
Denacionalisation
Derusification
Desovietisation

22. Mastricht treaty 1993- beggining of modern EU
Long way to Europe 1997-2004
approximation of legislation and taxes
Monetary policy and inflation
Russia’s opinion
Euro pesimism
Cooperation thrught international instances

23. Any question?

24. Edgars Engīzers
+371 26547676
edgars.engizers@gmail.com