Baltic States under the Soviet Control - Cold War DOCUMENTARY

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Our historical documentary series on the history of the Cold War continues with a second video on the Sovietization of the Baltic States. In the first video ( • How the Soviets Took O... ) we talked about how the Soviets took over the Baltics in the pre-war period. This second video will focus on the post-war era.
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Operation Paperclip: • Operation Paperclip - ...
German Expulsions: • German Expulsions Afte...
Soviet Education System: • Soviet Education Syste...
How Khrushchev Fed the Soviet People: • How Khrushchev Fed the...
Novocherkassk Massacre 1962: • Novocherkassk Massacre...
Soviet Tourism: • Soviet Tourism: How di...
Soviet Passport System: New Serfdom or Reform?: • Soviet Passport System...
Kaliningrad: How Russia Got a Stronghold in Europe: • Kaliningrad: How Russi...
How the Soviets Won the Early Space Race: • How the Soviets Won th...
Soviet Television and Radio: • Soviet Television and ...
Top-5 Myths About the Soviet Union: • Top-5 Myths About the ...
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#ColdWar #Baltics #Soviet

[@xmekow]

and Russians wonder why nobody in Baltics like them...

[@WP-cu2pf]

What rusians have to do with soviets? And also don't act like polish Lithuanian commonwealth didn't wage wars against rusia, only thing is you lost

[@xmekow]

@@WP-cu2pf Russia s successor state to Soviet Union and Russians comprised a majority of the population and area of the country so...

[@WP-cu2pf]

@@xmekow rusians suffered during ussr rule just like others, many rusian patriots, priests and inteligentsia were killed. South rusia and Volga region suffered greatly during golodomor

[@janistomasuns3384]

@@WP-cu2pf That they did. But for some weird reason they (the political unit that is Russia, but also in no small part its people) seem hell-bent on praising their imperial past and glorifying its horrors. To be clear, the problem (read conflict) does not lie in ethnic groups themselves but in the culture they embody. Russia today is the product of Russians past and present. Also, your referral to the legacy of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth is not as apt as you might think, for it is hardly relevant today (no real impact on state relations or policy in eastern Europe) while Russian neo-imperialism is derived from the living memory of that land and is very much a constant threat to our existence. We are sorry for the suffering that the Russian people have gone through, but we cannot believe how little they have done to prevent it from ever happening again. And it is happening again right now.

[@edmundaskavaliauskas7096]

yes but russians are still brainwashed and still were before the collapse of the soviet union and most of them belive they are more superior then everyone else and that everyone is below them and when they are abroad most of them treat the locals horribly and some russians who still live in the baltic states like to glorify russia as some sort of heaven and talk down on the baltic countries

[@Keefan1978]

As someone from Estonia and as having studied history, I vouch for the video. :D Well made, all the main points are being discussed in a businesslike and non-emotional way. Thank You! Keep up the good work!

[@skeeterhoney]

Every story about the suffering of Estonia just breaks my heart. I fell in love with your country in 1995 and never let it go. How anyone could justify such crimes against such a great people is simply impossible for me to fathom.

[@LABratschist]

My great uncle was Johan Laidoner, so all of this history is still very much near and dear to my heart. Here in the US, we haven't forgotten... because we were never taught.

[@UruguayTeamGaming]

Hey keefan, I'm studying a degree in history in Uruguay, and my thesis is about both the baltics (as a case of success) and Moldova (as a failed case) of political, economical and social reforms during de first decade of independence. I'd like to contact you via mail in order to discuss some things (specially about bibliography and important documents available) I'd be very grateful if you agree and we could have a dialogue.

[@guywerry6614]

I had a very dear friend who has now passed away. Her family were Christians and were heavily persecuted by the Soviets as a result - to the day that she died she suffered from the health impacts of the malnutrition that she faced as a young child.

[@Keefan1978]

@@hoodvaavdooh Ooh, a Russian troll. Funny. Haven't seen those around lately.

[@cottagebob2551]

I was born in Canada in 1960 but my parents were from Estonia. I've heard this story since I was a very small boy. IMO your analysys is spot on. Well done!

[@bluewater5620]

On of my relatives escaped to Canada after end of WW2

[@xyzxyz4575]

Learn Estonian language and get a citizenship from descent from Estonia!

[@yosh8758]

As a latvian, thanks for making this video!

[@TheColdWarTV]

Our pleasure!

[@lukorradiko1183]

a bet that you live in a apartment that has been builded in the Soveit Union and you got it fore freee....đ

[@Game_Hero]

@@lukorradiko1183 cope

[@taurenis]

@@lukorradiko1183 ur talking like soviets didnt demolish private houses and put people to live in block houses. And people actually dont get apartments for free here

[@kraanz]

@@lukorradiko1183 piss off, Orc and go to Ukraine. They're expecting you there. Their fields need fertilizer.

[@tnickknight]

The Baltics now are a great place to live and visit. The capitals of all three are distinct and worthy of a visit . If you like the Nordic countries,. You will find a very similar venue, but a lot more affordable and less touristy. 🇱🇹❤️🇪🇪❤️🇱🇻

[@paulceglinski7172]

Too close to Russia for my taste, although if I ever get the chance to visit, I most certainly will. Cheers from Tennessee USA.

[@stratospheric37]

@@paulceglinski7172 average amerikkkan lol

[@paulceglinski7172]

@@stratospheric37 Well now. It's spelled "American", so shove your KKK reference where the sun doesn't shine. Average? You know nothing about me. So how can I be "average "? Saying such only shows your ignorance.

[@brieflyPlay]

@@stratospheric37 Russia is a great place to visit, but it's politics nope, i'll pass.

[@carkawalakhatulistiwa]

You get nuke

[@qZbGmYjS4QusYqv5]

Not only ethnic Russians were relocated to Baltics. Ukrainians, Belarussians, Poles, Jews and many others from the neighboring republics.

[@eksiarvamus]

Yep, but many of them quickly Russified.

[@wederMaxim]

What are you saying! You can't! Otherwise we will not be able to justify Russophobia and accuse Russians of non-existent crimes!

[@eksiarvamus]

@@wederMaxim how are ethnic cleansing and genocide non-existent crimes?

[@wederMaxim]

@@eksiarvamus Holodomor, 3948473838 raped German women, execution of 83373737 people, ethnic strife, for which there is no evidence.

[@eksiarvamus]

@@wederMaxim Wtf are those numbers?

[@ulfurkarlsson5885]

I am Icelandic and proud to have 4,1% Baltic ancestry

[@eruno_]

Iceland was the first to recognise Lithuanian re establishment of independence and Lithuanians will always remember this! 👍

[@Fearsol]

​@@eruno_Same with Latvia

[@madis_l9578]

Surely one of the best videos on this topic! About party membership during occupation - it was often requirement for having some, even mid-rage leading position. For example being principal of a school and not a party member was very rare.

[@memecliparchives2254]

This goes to show that almost every state from the Eastern Bloc apart from Belarus left to join NATO as much as possible out of their own volition and choice.

[@stefanodadamo6809]

No one seriously think they were forced to do so against their will, not even among those who haven't any great appreciation for the American Empire.

[@davidw.2791]

@@stefanodadamo6809 Russia basically learned the “right” lesson: Invade and trash so hard you WON’T be joining no Nato

[@stefanodadamo6809]

@@davidw.2791 But all others will

[@davidw.2791]

@@stefanodadamo6809 Until the American know-it-alls force these members to “pull their weight” in terms of budget and men.

[@g4m3r222]

yes they want someone to protect them from russia because they are too small and need help

[@brianfleury1084]

At the end were shots of Tallinn, Estonia I believe. I was there in 1998. I was working in Vantaa, Finland and one weekend I took a ferry across to spend the day in Estonia. I had never seen anything like it before or since. I did have a wonderful meal on the square (shown in the video) with good conversation with some English-speaking Finns who were over the same day. All round it was very interesting and I'd love to see how it looks today.

[@cernejr]

Good video. How these 3 tiny countries survived decades of brutal occupation is a story that needs to be told.

[@lukorradiko1183]

what brutal occupation ?? you had free collage, free heltcare, freee apartment, the baltics andvenced moore in ther history in the Soviet union then ever before.....

[@cernejr]

That said, given their size and geographical location, these countries are just too small. I am from Czechia - even at 10m people it is still too small, we had 2 occupations in the last 100 years. The people who destroyed the Austrian Empire caused tremendous suffering to 100s of millions. These hopeless poor small countries, for what? And young talented people are now leaving in droves (many Poles live/work in Germany and UK), these countries are like museums or retirement homes.

[@lukorradiko1183]

@@cernejr you are sad that Austro Hungary doesnt exsit any ,moree ?????

[@heigohausenberg4949]

@@lukorradiko1183 its not true. The baltic counties were almost on equal development standard as the nortic counties at that time. As for estonia, it was richer by gdp per capita than finland before the war and occupation. Those priviliges that you mention were already a realty before the occupation. The baltics would be on the same standard as the nordics right now if there was no occupation.

[@lukorradiko1183]

@@heigohausenberg4949 ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ther was no ocupation, the joined the Soviets by sisgnig a contract with Stalin and English and Germny did notig....in 1939 blatics nations were the porest in Europa only when they joined the Soviet unino thing became to change.....

[@owlthemolfar4690]

Thank you for the video! From one who's Grandmother and her family were sent into the Siberia from Latvia.

[@lloydzufelt7514]

He made a great show on the Forest Brothers.

[@veteran_dino]

amazing episode!

[@petrosbaliouskas7293]

More videos on the baltics would be nice.

[@treverblanco]

I look forward to these every week, thank you.

[@TheColdWarTV]

Glad you like them!

[@Zereniti77]

How about doing an episode of Estonians watching Finnish television? They had access to western tv shows and ads, and Soviet Government couldn’t stamp it out.

[@jameslongstreet9259]

Yes Finnish television always ended the daily broadcast with the playing of the Finnish anthem which was the same as the Estonian one. The Estonians could then listen to their national anthem which had been banned by the occupational authorities...

[@eestiv2rki]

it was only in northern coast of estonia and with good clear weather.

[@tis9531]

@@eestiv2rki But the biggest city, Tallinn, is in the north. So a very large part of the population could watch Finnish television.

[@devilsfavorite999]

I'm from Lithuania. I travelled through and trhough all three countries with my parents, before and after Soviet Union.

[@niletajuknaite]

as a lithuanian, i appreciate you for making this video

[@vilzupuupaa4680]

This is a very important topic, at least in my opinion. Thank you for making this video.

[@natureastherapy]

Nicely done, thanks!

[@markbanash921]

Estonia is now one of the most wired countries on Earth and NATO's cyber security headquarters is located there.

[@matthewbarnett2235]

And has the highest inflation in Europe currently

[@mattyboy456]

​@@matthewbarnett2235 exactly.. No one can succeed by betraying mother Ru 😡

[@Rakiratvian1999]

One thing to point out, technically party secretaries were ethnic Balts, in many cases they had already been living in USSR for 2-3 generations, by then, they were ethnic Balts only in name. (In Latvian SSR's case, Arvīds Pelše for example)

[@kolasillers7776]

Alfreds Rubiks too, man still going.

[@forgottenmusic1]

Karl Vaino spoke nearly no Estonian. When he was not reading from paper, his failures became legendary, like the slogan "Jelagu juks mai" ("Long live one May", with strong Russian accent, instead of "Long live the First of May". He was also one of the very few, who left permanently to Moscow around 1991. His wife was ethnic Russian. His grandson Anton Vaino is holding high positions in Kremlin.

[@Georgi_Slavov79]

Really nice channel, subscribing!

[@HanBaby82]

Lots of Latvians and Lithuanians ended up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Where did the Estonians go in America?

[@rasmusihermann7052]

They mostly went to east and west coast and Canada. I have relatives living in Pennsylvania, whose foremothers escaped the oncoming Russian troops in 1944.

[@SpiritDragoness]

My great grandma's 2 siblings (Latvian) ended up in Minneapolis.

[@marknn237]

At 6:09 it is said Balts fled, among other countries, towards Finland. In September 1944 Finland had signed an armistice with the Soviets and Finland was no more a safe place to stay for Estonians and other Baltic refugees. Therefore those who came to Finland had to escape to Sweden.

[@lucasjames7524]

Lithuania forever!!! 💛💛💛💛💛 💚💚💚💚💚 ❤❤❤❤❤

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

Hey great video please do one on iran crisis of 1946 as it was one of the earliest major cold war moment

[@jolly-rancher]

Russians never change

[@user0307]

Can you discuss more the role of the secretaries of the Communist parties? At the republic level were the first secretaries the equivalent of Governors? Would that make a second secretaries the equivalent of vice Governors? How where they appointed? I find it interesting that Brezhnev was first secretary of two separate republics( Moldova and Kazakhstan) even though he was Ukrainian.

[@mojewjewjew4420]

Brezhnev wasnt ukrainian, he was russian or at most half ukrainian but still considered himself russian.

[@alandesouzacruz5124]

Caucasus 🇦🇲🇬🇪🇦🇿 post world war two my sugestion of next episode

[@Tuppoo94]

There is no such thing as russophobia, because phobia implies an excessive or irrational fear. Feeling uneasy about any dealings with Russia definitely isn't excessive or irrational to anyone who has studied Russian activities in and around their neighboring countries in the past 100 years.

[@ThrowerTimothy]

This is great. I'm sure in time you'll explore the other Soviet Republics. I certainly look forward to hearing about Georgia and its own autonomous regions, including Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Ajara.

[@magellantv]

Another incredible installment!

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

Informative & fantastic introduced allot thanks

[@TheColdWarTV]

Glad you liked it!

[@paulkoulikov]

I know it is outside of this channels purview, but it would be wildly interesting to have a fair and balanced analysis of economic wellbeing of the Baltic countries after their inclusion into the EU.

[@lloydzufelt7514]

Fantastic idea

[@Pikaling3408]

Could you do Moldova next?

[@sandraleiva1633]

You mean Romania and the parts stolen by Ukraine like Bessarabia.

[@jaymudd2817]

Hugh Huitt on his Radio show some weeks ago had trouble naming the 3 republics.

[@lloydzufelt7514]

Sir what book is on your right? I see the words The Cold War but nothing else.

[@brokenbridge6316]

Nicely done video. Can't wait to see part 3 of this really interesting series.

[@augustasvolbekas2376]

Great episode

[@davidjohansson1459]

Why is it a Viking or Thor in the picture 🖼? Varför är det en Viking eller Tor i bilden?

[@KTfromEst]

I'm a Soviet baby from Estonia and I appreciate this video very much. My great-grandmom was sent to Siberia. She came back tho. She fierce. :)

[@sidk01]

What is the name of the ending theme music?

[@ClassicFormulaOne1]

As a dutch citizen I am very proud and happy that the Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian people are now members of NATO and the EU so their freedom will be guaranteed. Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱💕

[@jimyoung9262]

EU and NATO freedom. Lol.

[@ClassicFormulaOne1]

@@jimyoung9262 where do you live?

[@HaloFTW117]

@@jimyoung9262 way more than Russia

[@emfab5163]

Thank you 💓

[@benobrvar5956]

@@ClassicFormulaOne1 ah he is just a Putin bot you know. No need to argue with him cuz it's just pointless

[@lloydzufelt7514]

I have an outside idea, do a two part show on the cost of the Cold War

[@Nhosto]

Thanks for covering the topic fully, and not limiting yourself to the previous episode!

[@evejeve]

I don’t see the next episode, what’s the title?

[@RoboticDragon]

Looks like Pedro Pascal in the image thumbnail on the right haha

[@h3ll698]

Plz make a video on post ww2 india or pak or china🙏

[@ahmedabdulaziz5902]

what does baltics people think about others soviet republics ( other than Russia ) during soviet era such central asia and caucasus

[@Rblock777]

watch documentary on YT called the soviet story, its a Latvian filmmaker

[@EnzoFerrari63193]

Keith Lowe's book 'The savage continent' talks about the soviet vanquish of the 3 Baltic republics and the legacy left by the 'brothers of forest'.

[@tyrmorson4259]

Now i understand why 🇱🇻🇱🇹🇪🇪 joined NATO in the first place.

[@janisfongseglinswong6999]

Good job in explaining complex history of Baltic

[@petermaier78]

I feel russification would be more precise.

[@lkmh3223]

thank you for another great video

[@svihl666]

18:35 / 18:47

[@quicango]

Why is Pedro Pascal in your thumbnail?

[@jaymudd2817]

Helene Carrere d' Encausse, 1979 book, Decline of an Empire predicted collapse of USSR.

[@Game_Hero]

My blessings to the people of the baltics, we have such a common history under "union of equals" and may we one day join you where you are right now, from Québec with admiration to the underrated nations of Europe.

[@WP-cu2pf]

They are not underated.

[@Game_Hero]

@@WP-cu2pf Um, yes they are. When people think of european countries, Latvia or Estonia is not what comes first to mind. Their culture, history and identity are barely known outside of their own borders even compared to other european countries.

[@josephsarra4320]

Hey David, hope all is well. I have two recommendations of KZbin channels you can follow: 1) TimeGhost History & another channel Called World War Two, these KZbin channels are created by Indy Neidell & Spartacus Olsson which not only talk the interwar period, but also World War two as a whole. I highly recommend you check them out. And 2) another KZbin channel I would recommend is History Matters, it's a KZbin channel with simple explanations and cute animation style along with a sense of humor which according to him, "a history-focused channel which aims to help students studying for A levels, GCSEs and AP World/Euro History by providing short introductions to multiple topics. The episodes released are designed to act as both intros and as revision material for students or people who are simply interested in World History. Videos will also focus on the lesser-known parts of history too and dive deep into questions that many people ask but aren't often answered." Believe me, you would never be disappointed, and I highly recommend you check him out.

[@aranos6269]

To Joseph sara: I watched indi nidell's channels. Had to unsubscribe. Some stuff is wildly inaccurate. His insistence on selling fancy ties etc on the back of holocaust is extremely distasteful and for me distressing for personal reasons. Last straw was when I pointed out that term "transgender" did not exist in 40s (episode about transgender Hitler) I got personal abuse from one of the channel presenters. Plus the distortions coming from contemporary politics are too much for me

[@kraanz]

Seeing how David took over from Indy, I'm pretty sure he knows who Indy is ;]

[@josephsarra4320]

@@kraanz Ok, wait, were you referring to Jesse Alexander & Flo from Real Time History? Because David Schroeder & the channel comes to fruition because of Kings and Generals channel, not Mediakraft company who created the Great War Channel and now managed by Real Time History and TimeGhost History who created World War Two KZbin channel. So, I'm just saying the context about it.

[@kraanz]

@@josephsarra4320 Okay, I didn't know all the kitchen details of those channels.

[@josephsarra4320]

@@kraanz No worries, this is why you need to know the context of both these channels so that way you won’t be confused later on.

[@ericfranzen4548]

Will you ever cover the metallica concert in Moscow 1991

[@TheColdWarTV]

I mean, I guess I could cover their concert in Budapest that year, where they opened for AC/DC. (since I attended that one)

[@ericfranzen4548]

@@TheColdWarTV i would love that

[@TheColdWarTV]

"It was loud"

[@kraanz]

What does that have to do with the Cold War?

[@ericfranzen4548]

@@kraanz i think it was the first western concert in the soviet union a few months before it collapse and it was the biggest concert at the time with like 1.7m antendies

[@beepboop204]

🙂

[@stephenpierce2726]

For more on this subject check out Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe by Anne Applebaum

[@user-nm6op6uq9u]

Ahahahahaha, oh, dear. That garbage, are you serious?

[@ultonian63]

@@user-nm6op6uq9u sad that you're going to have to go through yet another revolution before you actually learn from your history.

[@user-nm6op6uq9u]

@@ultonian63 If it will be a socialist revanche, I don't mind, clown

[@Hongaars1969]

I love all your work. Detailed. Informative. Relevant. Especially the footage shown. Thank you…..a request - often, reference is made to “people being deported/exiled to….” Siberia, Uzbekistan, and elsewhere... Perhaps you’ve addressed their plight in previous episodes but do we know what happened to those people, did they become slave labour, would they eventually be allowed to return during the time of the USSR, after independence in 1991, or never.

[@Sniperboy5551]

I think that the answer to your question is “yes.” Many were forced laborers, many died, while some outlasted the USSR or were freed after some time. I could be wrong, but based on everything I know about the USSR this seems to be the most likely case.

[@Game_Hero]

were there efforts to have them and their survivng descendants come back after the USSR?

[@davidlisovtsev6607]

when she was in Tallin for work, my Ukrainian grandma told me that the locals refused to speak Russian and were very hostile to Russians, especially those who weren't from the republics, usually once they discovered she was a Ukrainian Jew they became much more friendlier and suddenly remember how to communicate in Russian.

[@kraanz]

Yeah, huge respect to them for that.

[@WP-cu2pf]

@@kraanz yeah, proper ppl. Hating rusians is good but hating jws is bad. I agree.

[@Game_Hero]

@@WP-cu2pf So hating occupying germans in WW2 is not good? Same thing here, troll.

[@user-mj7dt8of8e]

@@WP-cu2pf This is European hypocrisy towards Russians.

[@user-mj7dt8of8e]

Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians are nations of chauvinists who sat on the neck of Russians like leeches and consumed subsidies

[@gregthompson3274]

As an Australian, this brings the memory of the newly elected labour government in 1973, shamefully giving the Soviet Union diplomatic recognition of the forced incorporation of the Baltic states into the soviet union ,this rightly caused great outrage and was overturned in following years,one of our greatest diplomatic blunders,thankfully Australia now provides military aid to Ukraine in their just struggle

[@richdetlaff-5983]

This is reason the Germans were greeted as liberators .....

[@scoutgamer9448]

greetings, what was the relationship West German companies had with the DDR including Heckler and Koch? What happened to the big ww2 H&K's stockpile that lied in East Germany??

[@Ed_in_Md]

Fascinating! Thanks very much.

[@ErnestasKardzys]

Thanks for a great episode about the Baltic States!

[@eglunasklimavicius9771]

❤Aciu

[@eruno_]

United States and Republic of China (Taiwan) never recognised occupation of Baltic states by USSR.

[@crhu319]

And now they get to never recognize Ukraine.

[@mat3714]

Algorithm

[@Shadeem]

annexations and deportations, so nothing has changed then . Same playbook in use today

[@Sas-qx3qo]

U frogot to mention the litenes massacre, what was the most bloodiest executinons Soviets did in baltics

[@hb2495]

W

[@Mantukeliukas]

Thank you for showing the true history!

[@Numba003]

The Baltic countries are fascinating places, but I feel I don't know very much about them either in history or the modern era. I look forward to more videos on them! In the meantime, do you have any resources you might recommend on them? Thank you! God be with you out there, everybody. ✝️ :)

[@citizensnips7949]

My problem with MagellanTV is that it doesn't seem to offer anything KZbin doesn't, and consequently if you want ad free history you can just get YT premium and then get all the extra features that app has. Do creators get some of KZbin Premium money? Listening to your show for 2 or 3 hours a day while driving was a big component in my decision to get Premium.

[@citizensnips7949]

@@KawaiianArgument How?

[@carkawalakhatulistiwa]

Jerman Soviet agreement

[@zanenobbs352]

Could the occupation of the Baltic States be one reason for Churchill's proposed Operation Unthinkable?

[@sandraleiva1633]

The Soviets defeated the Germans and the Anglo payback is to invade them. 🙄🙄🙄🙄

[@kraanz]

Churchill didn't give a flying fuck about the Baltic states.

[@crhu319]

He cited that.

[@janistomasuns3384]

@@sandraleiva1633 The Soviets did, in fact, contribute the most manpower (and suffered the highest casualties) in the effort to the defeat Germany. That does not change the fact that they begun the war by supporting the Nazi's and dividing the eastern Europe between the two, only to be backstabbed and pushed into the Allied camp in 1941. The "Anglo's", as you have so derided them, allied themselves with the presumed lesser evil and supported it throughout the war, but failed to liberate Europe from Stalin's grasp once Germany fell. A costly mistake, to be sure. We are all paying the price for it today.

[@sandraleiva1633]

@@janistomasuns3384 The Anglos are no innocent power. Don't forget since the 1800's the Anglos had been trying to displace Spain, France, Russia, the Ottomans, Germans and Austria from the World stage to dominate the World with the subtle help of Anglo USA. So don't come at me with derision. The Soviets allied themselves because they were too weak. They were building up their defenses. Only a fool would've begged to be invaded in 1939. The Soviets chose the lesser evil of their strong neighbor versus the Anglos who had been trying for 150 years in countless wars of aggression to take Russian territory. Territory hard won by their people. If California or Texas were to try to become independent with Mexico's help or even China you know the US would not stand for it. Even though the US claims self determination for all peoples. That's not the way the World works or the reality. So don't come with double morality. Every country does what it has to do to survive in this cut throat game of thrones thats been happening since time immemorial.

[@raiviste4187]

Thank You, Thank You! Short enough, and acurate description of the topic... My father lost two brothers, one deported, other killed. The mothers family also suffered from deportations, the family farm where burned down by cimunists (the soviet people should not own the farm at home), the animals (cows, horses) nationalized for soviet Kolhoz. And in the family`s house (half of house) where brought in russian colonists to live there. All the worst part of soviet system where russification, that has brought allmost to the point of extintion the Baltic nations and their culture. Something realy similar now is going on in Ukraine, - so my symphathy to Ukrainians, they must stand their ground and their freedom.

[@sandraleiva1633]

Ukrainians are Slavic Russians. Baltic peoples aren't Slavs. Big difference.

[@kraanz]

@@sandraleiva1633 Ukrainians are Slavic, true. But they're not Russians. Nor have they ever been. Go back to sRussia, maybe someone will believe your BS there.

[@JH-pv6rd]

@@sandraleiva1633 ukrainians are slavic but not russians.

[@sandraleiva1633]

@@JH-pv6rd First there was never a Ukrainian. Kiev was founded by Russians. When western Russian lands were taken by Poland Lithuania and Austria for a few centuries they begged their Russian brothers to save them. They did and the border or March became Ukraine. Which is the literal meaning. So New Yorkers are US Americans and Texans are not? 1000 years these people have been Russians and the only anomaly here is the 31 years they haven't been since 1991.

[@ultonian63]

@@sandraleiva1633 You have this completely the wrong way round. Kyiv existed centuries before Moscow did. Maybe Ukraine should annex Russia?

[@patbrown911]

Don´t mind me, I´m just here to negativate the commies commentaries.

[@ernestbatiy1070]

As a Latvian thanks for this

[@prakyathkumar8618]

The Soviet union should never have created a buffer zone or annex the baltic republics, they should have turned eastern Europe into bunch of Finlands or Yugoslavias, the soviets could sell raw materials to these countries and buy machinery from the west and continue on its industrialization spree, the burden of financing eastern bloc was too heavy for the Soviet economy

[@aistisnavickas1937]

You're legitimately deranged. The baltic countries had the highest gdp/capita out of all ussr countries

[@pdd60absorbed12]

At the risk of appearing flagrant, would it be advantageous for the 3 nations to join as one to repel Russian aggression?

[@Game_Hero]

You mean like a single country? The same problem would arise of certains nations having more power than others in its government and some benefiting more than others with no unifying identity to unite all three. Let them enjoy their independence and national and cultural self-government they fought so much for.

[@janistomasuns3384]

At the time it was politically impossible. Estonia had spent the interwar years pushing its way into the Nordic sphere. Lithuania had a bitter war with Poland right after the Bolsheviks were crushed, in which they lost Vilnius (thus the Estonians were reluctant to ally them, lest they be dragged into another one) and the Latvians were stuck in the middle of this, trying in vain to form a Baltic Entente. While in no way hostile towards one another, when the time came the three nations were in no position to form a united front. It was a bitter lesson to learn: that declaring neutrality was a distant second to having a powerful military alliance to rely upon.

[@cleverhamster182]

United Republic of the Baltics. Sounds interesting.

[@janistomasuns3384]

@@cleverhamster182 An idea that has ever only been floated in fiction. Without context it seems to make perfect sense, is enticing, even, but it would not be a happy marriage.

[@ultonian63]

No need now as they are economically integrated through the EU and militarily through NATO, though on the latter, it would no doubt be helpful to have the maximum possible coordination eg through joint battalions, military exercises etc - which may already be happening.

[@DosboxLetsPlay]

Thanks for making this video. This is a topic that is severely underrepresented in not just history books but also in media and peoples minds in general. Just wanted to add that @13:05 you speak of Lithuania maintaining an ethnic Lithuanian majority with less russians emigrating to the country. The reason behind that is that Lithuania had a ruthless Lithuanian communist, Antanas Sniečkus, who held reins over the country from 1940-1974. Among other crimes against humanity, he was an active participant and enabler during the first wave of mass deportations in 1941, even having his own family sent away, which in turn made the Soviet rulers in Moscow let his voice have more weight on these matters and although he had been a lifelong communist, he didn't want russians to settle in Lithuanian lands. That is also why today, while Latvia has a considerable russian minority and Estonia is in an even worse state, Lithuania's russian minority is extremely small compared to the overall population.

[@stephanottawa7890]

I think that your interpretation sounds like something soft based on Soviet archives. My Estonian neighbours said that their father was executed before their very eyes as soon as the Soviet army rolled in for the first time because he was a doctor. The idea was that all leaders, especially doctors, politicians and priests / pastors should be automatically eliminated as these were the usual leaders in the Baltics. You might think that they might have spared the doctors, but they did not. What do you say about this? I see no reason to think that they were lying, but you seem to be peddling a Soviet-friendly stance. Did you study at the Patrice Lumumba University?

[@briandelaney9710]

It’s a complicated history because there was some brutal collaboration with the Nazis in the Baltic States as well between 1941-44 and in Latvia , there are “reunions “ of old Nazi units there

[@thegarfield2414]

Yes of course they collaborated with the Nazis, you would have done the same if your country had been invaded and occupied just one year prior. The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany split Eastern Europe between themselves in the Molotov Ribentropp pact in 1939. Maybe you should learn some history.

[@richardque4952]

It come down to lesser evil.

[@eddiemcboofin1917]

Sorry, Brian, I'm gonna assume you know just snippets of the whole story, mainly stemming from discovery channel. Don't worry, Nazis found fertile ground in Ireland also. So what? It was a tiny minority. There's neonazis in current day Russia. In fact, Putin recruited them to beat up any of his opposition in rallies..

[@BlackHawkBallistic]

Soviet "improvement projects" and lowering people's quality of life, name a more iconic duo

[@rolandsjonuss9099]

Finally someone is talking about execution in Baltics- millions already died/ it’s important in future to understand what it caused and how to deal with it- it always happened by one single person! And now it is happening again! With Ukraine people! We are all blind with one person in Russia/ But we have massive issues in Europe with Hungary Turkey Serbia and Poland if it’s goes under control ! We will have massive Holocaust soon then everyone think

[@dylanvogler2165]

When a Russian Z patriot says that the Baltic States are Russophobic, you should show them this video.

[@legouniverse8976]

Yeah, but that still doesn't excuse the Russophobia .

[@dylanvogler2165]

@@legouniverse8976 🤣🤣🤣. So would you consider a Ukrainian who now hates Russia because it's family got killed "Russophobic"? Russia makes the people around them hate them, and then complains about it

[@valhall89]

yes it does

[@legouniverse8976]

@@dylanvogler2165 Oh, I'm sure it's the regular Russians fault the war started. But, it doesn't apply to foreign Russians, Russophobia happens to ethnic Russians that hold Latvian, Estonian, Lithuania citizenship and those people have lived there for 50+ years, since the Soviet times.

[@dylanvogler2165]

@@legouniverse8976 no I don't blame the regular people for it. But it is a normal reaction on the people. Do you have similar views in regards to the Germanphobia that persisted after the ww2 for a LOOONG time. I don't justify Russophobia, or Germanphobia, but it is a understandable reaction. It took decades for the anti German feelings to fade away, eventhough the generations living in the Federal Republic of Germany and German Democratic Republic had nothing to do with the war either. As had even most Germans in Nazi Germany. Yet they all paid a very heavy price for all that happend. Sad for the normal Russians ? Yeah it is. I have many Russian friends and they're great people (when they're not Z patriots) but it sadly is the result of the actions of their, successive, governments over a period of almost a century now.

[@skeeterhoney]

There's just something about the Russian psyche, which seems to make brutality towards their neighbors justifyable as a matter of course, that's so hard to unpack. Why is virtually every generation so ready to act this way?

[@monkeeseemonkeedoo3745]

Mongols

[@johnl.7754]

Maybe from the availability of natural resources (which is easy to sell worldwide) allow the governments to keep doing as they wish (corruption, nepotism,…) without needing to be friendly with neighboring countries. With natural resources they do not need to let their population develop and still have the fund to maintain a strong army.

[@sandraleiva1633]

The US has the same mentality. It invaded Canada twice and took half of Mexico in a war of aggression just to name a few. The US is aggressive to it's American neighbors and has invaded most of them or toppled governments to impose it's will.

[@sandraleiva1633]

Every generation of the US has fought wars of aggression and to this day still has colonies.

[@sandraleiva1633]

@@monkeeseemonkeedoo3745 Russians are Slavs not Mongolians. Native Americans are descendants of ancient Mongolians. So your insult falls apart.

[@SmartK8]

The fact that Baltic States preferred Nazis before "Soviets" (Russians really) tells you everything. Russia is like king Midas, except everything Russia touches, turns to misery.

[@Cortesevasive]

😂 bullshit

[@mojewjewjew4420]

Very true, if only they changed their ways.

[@MrsUnderwriter]

Both Nazi and USSR were occupants here

[@Domazsakalauskas]

I’m Boricua n Lithuanian right. my grandfather was deported to Siberia in late 1940 as a lil kid. Came back to then Lithuanian ssr. Overcame hardships and became a multi millionaire. Determination and love for our culture, language and our history is strong. Especially of the older generation. And hate for communism flows even harder after war in Ukraine.

[@unclelex2006]

Err... Were the Latvian (and the Estonian) Legion even mentioned? It's an important (and a bit controversial, I'd say) part of the current Latvian identity.

[@janissturitis2386]

I hope that when covering the so called Singing Revolution, you won't fall in the usual 'and they song folk songs' narrative of other youtubers. It is factually incorrect. Singing revolution was more about 're-discovering being a part of the West' than anything else: Western musical styles (especially rock'n'roll) with openly nationalist, anti-Afghanistan war, anti-Soviet and even anti-Russian lyrics going mainstream.

[@ultonian63]

The song festival in Tallinn in 1988 was massively influential in the drive towards Estonian independence, but you are right that it wasn't only folk music - rock also played a big part eg Alo Mattiisen in Estonia, to name just one.

[@Ralphieboy]

We had a Russian professor from Lithuania. He went off to fight against the Russians, fleeing to the West after the war. He did not get to see his family again until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

[@neilbrown7379]

This sounds like the British in Scotland Ireland and Wales

[@MrLefty27]

It was a land grab to have buffer states. But imo, the Baltic states are polar opposite to the Russian system. For example I will use the writing system. The Baltic states use the Latin system while Russian and all Slavic states use the Cyrillic system. It can also calm heads to point out where Russia intends to go in the year 2022.