The NaziSoviet nonaggression pact of 1939 allowed the Baltic States to come under Soviet influence. The Soviets then annexed Estonia. Latvia. and Lithuania and incorporated them into the U.S.S.R. in 1940. The years following the Soviet takeover have resulted in great hardship for the Estonian people. In the 1940s Estonia lost onethird of Its population through emigration. deportation. and execution. The familiar Soviet pattern of denial of basic human rights and imposition of the Russian culture and language has challenged the countrys endurance. But Estonlans at home and abroad have struggled bravely to retain their culture and heritage and to pass them on to their children.
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emigration deportation