Echoes of the Prague Spring in the Soviet Baltic Republics

Abstract

Drawing on a wide range of archival and oral history sources, Saleniece and Šķiņķe show how, despite the determined efforts of the communist authorities in the Baltic States, the events of the Prague Spring had a Baltic echo. After purging ‘National Communists’ from the Estonian and Latvian Communist Parties in the 1950s, the authorities were ready to act against any sign of independent thinking and this propaganda offensive was by and large successful. However, the true nature of the events in Prague was understood by some and found a reflection both in student protest and cultural life. From these events a Baltic group of Soviet dissidents emerged who would campaign for the restoration of independence.