 |
The Baltic States
The Baltic states
refer to Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania, all
of which were controlled by the Soviet
Union during 1940–1941 and 1944/1945–1991.
From a linguistic standpoint, only
the Latvians and the Lithuanians are
"Baltic" peoples properly
speaking, as the Estonians speak an
unrelated Finnic language. Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania have been members
of the European Union and NATO since
2004. Today the three countries are
liberal democracies and their market
economies have in recent years undergone
rapid expansion.
In the Cold War context, the three
countries were considered a part of
Eastern Europe and were generally
treated as a cohesive cultural and
historical entity. However, today
it is often stressed that Latvia,
Lithuania, and particularly Estonia
have little else in common other than
geographic proximity, similar small
size, and a shared history of Soviet
occupation.
Culturally and historically, it is
more appropriate to view Estonia,
which is Lutheran and Finnic-speaking,
as belonging in the Northern European
cultural sphere. Indeed, Estonians
consider themselves a Nordic people
rather than Balts, because of strong
cultural, historical and linguistic
ties with the Nordic countries. Since
regaining independence, Estonia has
shown a strong desire to identify
itself as Nordic, as expressed in
a speech by former foreign minister
and current president Toomas Hendrik
Ilves entitled, "Estonia as a
Nordic Country".
To a lesser degree, northern parts
of Latvia have also been influenced
by Lutheran and Northern European
traditions. The rest of the country,
in particular the southeast, along
with its southern neighbor, Lithuania,
are predominantly Catholic and culturally
situated in Central Europe. In Lithuania
and most of Latvia, the historical
impact of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,
the Russian Empire, and the German
Empire have been of crucial importance.
In Estonia and northern parts of Latvia,
historical connections to the Teutonic
Order, to the Hanseatic League, and
to the Swedish and Danish Empires
have left an important historical
imprint.
It should be noted that although politically
the present-day Baltic countries are
republics, the term "Baltic republics"
often refers to something different:
the constituent Baltic republics of
the Soviet Union. They are occasionally
confused with the Balkan states because
of their similar sounding name, but
are similar in name only.
source: Wikipedia
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
