The Baltic Way, One of the Earliest and Longest Unbroken Human Chains in History

At 7:00 PM on August 23 1989, approximately two million people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined hands, forming a human chain from Tallinn through Riga to Vilnius, spanning 675 kilometers, or 420 miles. It was a peaceful protest against the illegal Soviet occupation and also one of the earliest and longest unbroken human chains in history.

The Baltic Way, also known as the Baltic Chain, was organised in order to draw the world’s attention to the existence of Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact – a treaty signed 50 years prior, on August 23, 1939, between the foreign ministers of the Soviet Union and Germany – Vyacheslav Molotov and Joachim von Ribbentrop.

In the secret protocols that accompanied the treaty of non-aggression, the two totalitarian powers divided Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania – in violation of international law – into respective spheres of influence, which led to Nazi Germany to start the Second World War on September 1, 1939 with its attack on Poland. The Soviet Union invaded Estonia and Latvia on June 16, 1940. 

The Baltic Way was organized over six weeks by the popular front parties from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – the first non-communist political movements since the annexation of the three states by the Soviet Union. The organizers mapped out the chain, designating specific locations to specific cities, towns and villages to make sure that the chain would be unbroken.

In 1989, there were no mobile phones in the Baltic states – walkie-talkies were used instead by the organizers. The exact timing of the demonstration was coordinated by special radio broadcasts, and participants carried with them portable radios to be kept in the loop and listen speeches by popular front activists and politicians.

No one knew if it would succeed. But at 7 PM, for 15 minutes, two million people held hands in a human chain from the foot of Toompea in Tallinn to the foot of the Gediminas Tower in Vilnius, crossing Riga and the River Daugava on its way.

A statement from the Central Committee of the Communist Party, issued on August 26, 1989 in Moscow, read, “Matters have gone far. There is a serious threat to the fate of the Baltic peoples. People should know the abyss into which they are being pushed by their nationalistic leaders. Should they achieve their goals, the possible consequences could be catastrophic to these nations. A question could arise as to their very existence.”

The pro-independence activists and the public in the Baltic states were concerned – could Moscow intervene militarily to crush the national movements, just as the Soviet Union had done in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968?

On August 31, the Baltic activists issued a joint declaration to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, claiming to be under threat of aggression and asked for an international commission to be sent to monitor the situation. The US President, George H. W. Bush, and the Chancellor of West Germany, Helmut Kohl, urged the Soviet Union to show restraint, urging peaceful reforms.

Faced with an international embarrassment, after four years of so-called perestroika, the Soviet authorities eventually toned down their rhetoric and failed to follow up on any of their threats. Furthermore, the Soviet Union finally acknowledged the existence of the secret protocols and on December 24, 1989, the Congress of People’s Deputies of the Soviet Union declared the secret protocols to the pact to be null and void and without legal basis.

In the years since the Baltic Way took place, it has become an example of how peaceful protest can create change. The human chain helped publicize the Baltic cause around the world and symbolized solidarity among Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The positive image of the non-violent Singing Revolution spread among the Western media. 

The national movements used the increased exposure to position the debate over Baltic independence as a moral and not just political question: reclaiming independence would be restoration of historical justice and liquidation of Stalinism. The pro-independence movements, established in 1988, became more assertive and radical: they shifted from demanding greater freedom from Moscow to full independence – finally achieved on August 20, 1991.

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32 Amazing Photos of Estonia in the Early 1990s

Estonia is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia. The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland and of 2,222 islands on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of 45,227 km2 (17,462 sq mi), the land area is 43,432 km², and is influenced by a humid continental climate.

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and Tartu are the largest cities and urban areas in the country. Other notable cities include Narva, Pärnu, Kohtla-Järve and Viljandi. The official language of the country, Estonian, is the second-most-spoken Finnic language.

After the loss of its de facto independence to the Soviet Union, Estonia’s de jure state continuity was preserved by diplomatic representatives and the government-in-exile. In 1987, after the peaceful Singing Revolution, its de facto independence was restored on 20 August 1991.

Estonia is a developed country, with a high-income advanced economy; ranking very high in the Human Development Index. It has a population of 1.3 million, and is one of the least populous members of the European Union. Estonia has consistently ranked highly in international rankings for quality of life, education, digitalization of public services and the prevalence of technology companies.

Just after independence restoration, these amazing photos from Jens-Olaf Walter show what Estonia looked like in 1990 and 1991.

Tartu Market Hall, December 1991

Abandoned Soviet camp in Võru, 1991

Kalev, advertising in Tallinn, 1991

Ruins after Soviet air raids in 1944, Tallinn, 1991

Silhouette Tallinn, December 1991

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50 Black and White Photos Capture Everyday Life of Tallinn, Estonia in the Mid-1970s

Tallinn is the capital, primate and the most populous city of Estonia. Located in the northern part of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea.

Tallinn is the main financial, industrial, cultural, educational and research centre of Estonia. It is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Helsinki, Finland, 320 kilometres (200 mi) west of Saint Petersburg, Russia, 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Riga, Latvia, and 380 kilometres (240 mi) east of Stockholm, Sweden, and has close historical ties with these four cities.

Due to its strategic location, the city became a major trade hub, especially from the 14th to the 16th century, when it grew in importance as part of the Hanseatic League. Tallinn's Old Town is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tallinn is ranked as a global city and has been listed among the top ten digital cities in the world. The city was also a European Capital of Culture, along with Turku in Finland.

These fascinating black and white were taken by Timo Heinonen that show street scenes of Tallinn and its Old Town in July 1976.

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30 Rare Found Photos That Capture Everyday Life of Estonia in the 1920s

Estonia is a sovereign state in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland with Finland on the other side, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia (343 km), and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia (338.6 km). Ethnic Estonians, the largest ethnic group in the country, are a Finnic people.

After centuries of successive German, Danish, Swedish, and Russian rule, Estonians experienced what has been described as a "national awakening" in the 19th and early 20th centuries. On 24 February 1918, independence was declared and later secured through a War of Independence.

During World War II, Estonia suffered successive occupations by Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and Soviet Union again, resulting in its annexation as the Estonian SSR.

In 1987 the peaceful Singing Revolution against Soviet rule began, culminating with restoration of its de facto independence on 20 August 1991.

Here below is a rare photo collection found by Siim Vahur that shows everyday life of Estonia, probably near Pärnu, in the 1920s.

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Candid Snapshots That Capture Scenes of Estonian Punk Culture From the 1980s

The power of strong youth movements is unreal and almost can not be put into words. Without the internet or social media, Punk Rock spread all across the globe in the 1980s and has never looked back. Case in point is this radical photo essay of Estonian Punk from this era.

Against all of the odds, these kids found ways to express themselves! These portraits are a portal into another space and time.

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Portraits of Estonian Punk Girls in the 1980s

Women have made significant contributions to punk rock music and its subculture since its inception in the 1970s. In contrast to the rock music and heavy metal scenes of the 1970s, which were dominated by men, the anarchic, counter-cultural mindset of the punk scene in mid-and-late 1970s encouraged women to participate. This participation played a role in the historical development of punk music, especially in the U.S. and U.K. at that time, and continues to influence and enable future generations.

Women have participated in the punk scene as lead singers, instrumentalists, as all-female bands, zine contributors and fashion designers. These photographs below capture Punk girls in Estonia during the 1980s.

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Awesome Vintage Photographs of Estonian Students in Drag From the Late 19th Century

The student corporations of the Tartu University traditionally held so-called "pledge theatres" in late autumn. The name was derived from the fact, that most of its actors were pledges, uninitiated members of a corporation or fraternity.

The topical and rather entertaining plays were also well-regarded outside of the student community. The actors visited local photographers in costume, and the images were bought as memorabilia. As these were all-male corporations, the female characters were especially popular.

The term "drag" is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origins of the word are debated, but "drag" has appeared in print as early as 1870. One suggested etymological root is 19th-century theatre slang, from the sensation of long skirts trailing on the floor.

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Gang of Teen Girls, Estonia, 1930

This photo was given to Kaisa Kaer by her grandmother Aino, the girl on the far right in the second row, lighting her ciggie on another ciggie.

 

“She was about 15 when this picture was taken and these are her friends,” Kaisa updated on her blog. “However, I have no more specific info on who they are. They used to do amateur theatre, and as far as I know, this picture was taken when they were messing around with a production or some such. My grandmother never smoked but she did have a wicked sense of humor, which was all the more striking because it stood in such a contrast with her very poised and polished appearance (among other things, she left me a pair of lace gloves).”

Kaisa said her grandmother married a pharmacist, her grandfather Nikolai. They lived and worked in a small town in Estonia during the Second World War and a German officer, who was billeted at their house, got along so well with them that when the Soviets started advancing, he asked them to go to his family home in Germany (somewhere near Frankfurt) to get away from the war.

“My grandparents refused and well,” she added, “my grandfather was deported to Siberia, was released with Khrushchev’s amnesty and returned home, but died only four years later because his health had been ruined.”

“The most distinct memory I have of my grandmother is going to visit her with my parents and brother, and we sitting around her kitchen table, playing Mahjong for hours on an intricate set which my grandfather had made by himself.”

Aino passed away in 2009.