Their people enjoyed a strong sense of national culture and valued their rights as free citizens. The infamous MolotovRibbentrop Pact of 1939. however. consigned the Baltic States to the Soviet empire. eventually resulting in the forced incorporation of each Baltic State into the Soviet Union. Beginning in 1941. the Soviets instituted a program of mass persecution in these nations. deporting. arresting. and executing thousands of Lithuanians. Latvians. and Estonians. Over a million Russians were sent to the Baltic States in an attempt to break the national spirit and pride of these peoples. Soviet determination to complete the Russification of Lithuania. Latvia. and Estonia remains in full force today. A massive influx of Russian immigrants has decreased the percentage of native Baits in each of the three states. with the Russian population running from 10 percent in Lithuania to 30 percent in Latvia and Estonia. The Russian language is rapidly becoming the basic language in use in the republics. a situation which could conceivably result in the extinction of the Baltic peoples native tongues. Furthermore. numerous examples of flagrant violations of the Helsinki Final Act continue to occur every year in the Baltic States.
Keywords matched
immigrants deporting