Singing Revolution

Baltic independence movements (1987–1991)

This article is about the revolution in the Baltic states in the late 1980s. For the 2006 film about the revolution in the Baltic states, see The Singing Revolution.

Singing Revolution

Part of the Revolutions of 1989 and the Dissolution of the Soviet Union

The Baltic Way human chain in 1989

Date| 14 June 1987 – 6 September 1991 (1987-06-14 – 1991-09-06)
(4 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)
Location|

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (the three Baltic countries)

Caused by|

* Soviet occupation of the Baltic states
* Political repression
* Economic stagnation
* Nationalist discontent
* Sovietization
* Russification
* Religious persecution

Goals|

* Independence of the three Baltic countries
* End of Communist rule
* Democratization
* Civil rights
* Economic reform

Methods|

* Protests
* Demonstrations
* Strikes
* Civil disobedience
* Human chain
* Civil resistance
* Barricades

Resulted in| Decisive Baltic victory as part of the end of the Cold War

Restoration of the independence of the Baltic states

* Declarations of state sovereignty of Estonia (18 November 1988), Lithuania (18 May 1989), and Latvia (28 July 1989)
* Declarations of independence of Lithuania (11 March 1990), Estonia (20 August 1991), and Latvia (21 August 1991)
* Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the Baltic states (6 September 1991)
* Restoration of multi-party democracy in all three countries
* Withdrawal of Soviet and then Russian troops from Lithuania by 1993, and Latvia and Estonia by 1994

Parties

Estonia

* Popular Front of Estonia
* Estonian Citizens' Committee
* Congress of Estonia
* Heritage Society
* MRP-AEG
* Estonian National Independence Party
* Estonian Social Democratic Independence Party
* Communist Party (pro-independence faction)
* Estonian Social Democratic Party

Latvia

* Popular Front of Latvia
* Helsinki-86
* Latvian National Independence Movement
* Citizens' Congress
* Environmental Protection Club
* Communist Party (pro-independence faction)
* Latvian Social Democratic Party

Lithuania

* Sąjūdis
* Lithuanian Liberty League
* Communist Party (pro-independence faction)
* Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania
* Lithuanian Riflemen's Union

Soviet Union

* Soviet Army
* KGB
* OMON
* Interfront
* Communist Party of Lithuania (pro-Moscow faction)
* Yedinstvo
* Communist Party of Latvia (pro-Moscow faction)
* International Front of the Working People of Latvia
* Communist Party of Estonia (pro-Moscow faction)
* Intermovement

|

Lead figures

* Lennart Meri
* Tunne Kelam
* Edgar Savisaar
* Mart Laar
* Trivimi Velliste
* Marju Lauristin
* Alo Mattiisen
* Ülo Nugis
* Anatolijs Gorbunovs
* Ivars Godmanis
* Eduards Berklavs
* Einars Repše
* Dainis Īvāns
* Konstantins Pupurs
* Romualds Ražuks
* Vytautas Landsbergis
* Kazimira Prunskienė
* Albertas Šimėnas
* Gediminas Vagnorius
* Audrius Butkevičius
* Algirdas Brazauskas
* Arvydas Juozaitis

* Mikhail Gorbachev
* Vadim Bakatin
* Dmitry Yazov
* Vladislav Achalov
* Mikhail Golovatov
* Vladimir Uskhopchik
* Vladimir Antyufeyev
* Boris Pugo
* Alfrēds Rubiks
* Mykolas Burokevičius
* Ringaudas Songaila
* Karl Vaino

Part of a series on

Revolution

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Methods

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Politics portal

* v
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* e

The Singing Revolution[a] was a series of events from 1987 to 1991 that led to the restoration of independence of the three Soviet-occupied Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania at the end of the Cold War.[1][2] The term was coined by an Estonian activist and artist, Heinz Valk, in an article published a week after the 10–11 June 1988 spontaneous mass evening singing demonstrations at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds.[3]

## Background

[edit]

Main article: Baltic states under Soviet rule

Eastern Bloc

Republics of the USSR

* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Byelorussia
* Estonia
* Georgia
* Kazakhstan
* Karelia-Finland (1940–1956)
* Kirghizia
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Moldavia
* Russia
* Tajikistan
* Turkmenia
* Transcaucasia (1922–1936)
* Ukraine
* Uzbekistan

Allied and satellite states

* Afghanistan (1978–1989)
* Albania (until 1961)
* Angola
* Benin
* Bulgaria
* China (until 1961)
* Congo
* Cuba
* Czechoslovakia
* East Germany (until 1989)
* Ethiopia
* Grenada (1979–1983)
* Hungary
* Kampuchea
* Laos
* Mongolia
* Mozambique
* North Korea
* Poland (until 1989)
* Romania (until 1989)
* Somalia (until 1977)
* South Yemen
* Vietnam (North Vietnam, PRG)
* Yugoslavia (until 1948)

Related organizations

* Warsaw Pact
* Comecon
* Cominform
* World Federation of Trade Unions
* World Federation of Democratic Youth

Opposition

|  Anti-Soviet partisans

* Albania
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Poland
* Romania
* Serbia
* Ukraine

Guerrilla war in the Baltic states

* Soviet occupation
* Estonia
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Operation Jungle

Protests and uprisings

* Poland 1944–1989
* Poznań 1956
* 1980–89
* Plzeň 1953
* East Germany 1953
* Georgia 1956
* Hungary 1956
* Novocherkassk 1962
* Prague 1968
* Invasion
* Moscow
* Czechoslovakia 1976–1990
* Romania 1977
* Kazakhstan 1986
* Brașov 1987
* Tbilisi 1989
* Ukraine 1989–1991
* Baku 1990
* Lithuania 1991
* Riga 1991

Dissent

* Soviet
* Poland
* East Germany
* to Hong Kong
* North Korea

Cold War events

* Marshall Plan
* Czechoslovak coup
* Tito–Stalin split
* Berlin Blockade
* Korean War
* Secret Speech
* Sino-Soviet split
* Albanian–Soviet split
* De-satellization of the Socialist Republic of Romania
* Berlin Wall
* Cuban Missile Crisis
* Vietnam War
* Cuban intervention in Angola
* Afghan War
* 1980 Moscow Olympics
* 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
* Gulf War

Fall

* Singing Revolution
* Polish Round Table Agreement
* Revolutions of 1989
* Fall of the Berlin Wall
* January Events
* Barricades in Latvia
* Breakup of Yugoslavia
* Yugoslav Wars
* End of the Soviet Union
* Post-Soviet conflicts
* Fall of communism in Albania
* Dissolution of Czechoslovakia

* v
* t
* e

During World War II, the three Baltic countries were invaded and occupied by the Stalinist Soviet Union in June 1940, and formally annexed into the USSR in August 1940. Following the Nazi German occupation in 1941–1944/45, the three countries were reconquered by the Soviet army in 1944–1945.

In 1985, the last leader of the former Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev introduced glasnost ("openness") and perestroika ("restructuring"), hoping to stimulate the failing Soviet economy and encourage productivity, particularly in the areas of consumer goods, the liberalisation of cooperative businesses, and growing the service economy. Glasnost rescinded limitations on political freedoms in the Soviet Union, which led to problems for the Soviet central government in retaining control over non-Russian areas, including the occupied Baltic countries.

Hitherto unrecognised issues previously kept secret by the Soviet central government in Moscow were admitted to in public, causing further popular dissatisfaction with the Soviet regime in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Combined with the war in Afghanistan and the nuclear fallout in Chernobyl, grievances were aired in a publicly explosive and politically decisive manner. Estonians were concerned about the demographic threat to their national identity posed by the influx of individuals from foreign ethnic groups to work on such large Soviet development projects as phosphate mining.[4]

Access to Western émigré communities abroad and, particularly in Estonia, informal relations with Finland, and access to Finnish TV showing the Western lifestyle also contributed to widespread dissatisfaction with the Soviet system and provoked mass demonstrations as repression on dissidents, nationalists, religious communities, and ordinary consumers eased substantially towards the end of the 1980s.[citation needed]

Massive demonstrations against the Soviet regime began after widespread liberalisation of the regime failed to take into account national sensitivities. It was hoped by Moscow that the non-Russian nations would remain within the USSR despite the removal of restrictions on freedom of speech and national icons (such as the local pre-1940 flags).[citation needed] However, the situation deteriorated to such an extent that by 1989 there were campaigns aimed at freeing the nations from the Soviet Union altogether.

## Estonia

[edit]

The Soviet government's plan to excavate phosphorite in the Lääne-Viru county with potentially catastrophic consequences for the environment and society was revealed in February 1987. That started the "Phosphorite War", a public environmental campaign.[5] The MRP-AEG group held the Hirvepark meeting in the Old Town of Tallinn at the anniversary of Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact on 23 August 1987, demanding to disclose and condemn its secret protocol.[citation needed]

The "Five Patriotic Songs" series by Alo Mattiisen premiered at the Tartu Pop Festival in May 1988.[6] In June the Old Town Festival was held in Tallinn, and after the official part of the festival, the participants moved to the Song Festival Grounds and started to sing patriotic songs together spontaneously.[7] The Baltic Way, a human chain of two million people, spanned from Tallinn to Vilnius on 23 August 1989.[8] Mattiisen's "Five Patriotic Songs" were performed again at the Rock Summer festival in Tallinn held on 26–28 August 1988.[9] The Song of Estonia festival was held at the Song Festival Grounds on 11 September.[6] Trivimi Velliste, Chairman of the Estonian Heritage Society, first voiced the public ambition to regain independence.[10] The Supreme Soviet of Estonia issued the Estonian Sovereignty Declaration on 16 November.[8]

The Singing Revolution lasted over four years, with various protests and acts of defiance. The revolution was led by three different groups: the Heritage Society, the Popular Front, and the National Independence Party. The Heritage Society, established in 1987, focused on spreading awareness about Estonia's history to gather support for Estonia's independence from the Soviets. The Popular Front, founded in 1988, wanted to reform Estonia into self-government within a loose confederation of the Soviet Union. The National Independence Party, established in 1988 as well, was more radical than the other two organizations and demanded complete independence from the Soviet Union. [11][12]

In 1991, as the central government in Moscow and the Soviet Army attempted to stop the Estonian progress towards independence, the newly elected legislature of Estonia together with an elected grassroots parliament, Congress of Estonia, proclaimed the restoration of the independent state of Estonia and repudiated Soviet legislation. Large groups of unarmed volunteers went to shield the parliament, radio and TV buildings from any attacks by Soviet troops. Through these actions Estonia regained its independence without any blood shed.[13]

Independence was declared on the late evening of 20 August 1991, after an agreement between different political parties was reached. The next morning Soviet troops, according to Estonian TV, attempted to storm Tallinn TV Tower but were unsuccessful.[14] The Communist hardliners' coup attempt failed amidst mass pro-democracy demonstrations in Moscow led by Boris Yeltsin.[citation needed]

On 22 August 1991, Iceland (independent country since 1944) announced the establishment of diplomatic relations with Estonia, and Iceland thus became the first foreign country to formally recognise the fully restored independence of Estonia in 1991. Today, a plaque commemorating this event is situated on the outside wall of the Foreign Ministry, which is on Islandi väljak 1, or "Iceland Square 1". The plaque reads; "The Republic of Iceland was the first to recognise, on 22 August 1991, the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Estonia", in Estonian, Icelandic and English. Some other nations did not recognise the annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union.[15][16]

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

## Latvia

[edit]

During the second half of the 1980s as Mikhail Gorbachev introduced glasnost and perestroika in the USSR, which rolled back restrictions to freedom in the Soviet Union, aversion to the Soviet regime had grown into the third Latvian National Awakening, which reached its peak in mid-1988.

In 1986, it became widely known to the public that the USSR was planning to build another hydroelectric power plant on Latvia's largest river Daugava, and that a decision had been made to build a metro in Riga.[citation needed] Both of these projects planned by Moscow could have led to the destruction of Latvia's landscape and cultural and historical heritage. In the press journalists urged the public to protest against these decisions. The public reacted immediately, and in response, the Environmental Protection Club was founded on 28 February 1987. During the second half of the 1980s, the Environmental Protection Club became one of the most influential mass movements in the region and began to make demands for the restoration of Latvia's independence.[citation needed]

On 14 June 1987, the anniversary of the 1941 deportations, the human rights group "Helsinki-86", which had been founded a year earlier, organized people to place flowers at the Freedom Monument (Latvia's symbol of independence, which was erected in 1935). This is widely cited as the beginning of the National Awakening. However, the Latvian Song and Dance Festival of 1985 also had been sometimes named as such for choirs requesting and performing the song Gaismas pils conducted by Haralds Mednis after the main event. The song, which speaks about the rebirth of a free Latvian nation, usually a staple of the festival, had been removed from the repertoire; the conductor, disliked by Soviet authorities, was sidelined at the closing concert. He was called from his seat by the choir and 'Gaismas pils' was performed, airing live on Riga Television.[17]

On 1 and 2 June 1988, the Writers' Union held a congress during which the democratization of society, Latvia's economic sovereignty, the cessation of immigration from the USSR, the transformation of industry, and the protection of Latvian language rights were discussed by delegates. Over the course of this conference, for the first time in post-war Latvia, the secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which had determined Latvia's fate after 1939, was publicly acknowledged.[citation needed]

The congress of the Writers' Union stirred up public opinion and provided an additional stimulus for the general process of national revival.[citation needed]

In the summer of 1988, two of the most important organizations of the revival period began to assemble themselves—the Latvian People's Front and the Latvian National Independence Movement (LNIM). Soon afterwards the more radically inclined Citizens' Congress called for complete non-compliance with the representatives of the Soviet regime.[citation needed] All of these organisations had a common goal: the restoration of democracy and independence. On 7 October 1988, there was a mass public demonstration, calling for Latvia's independence and the establishment of a regular judicial order. On 8 and 9 October the first congress of the Latvian People's Front was held. This organization, which attracted 200,000 members, became the main representative of the return to independence.[citation needed]

On 23 August 1989, the fiftieth anniversary of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the People's Fronts of all three Baltic countries held a huge demonstration of unity—the "Baltic Way". A 600-kilometre-long (373 mi) human "chain" from Tallinn through Riga to Vilnius was assembled. This was a symbolic demonstration of the people's call for independence from the Soviet Union.

New elections to the Supreme Soviet took place on 18 March 1990, in which the supporters of independence gained a victory. On 4 May 1990, the new Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR adopted a motion, "Declaration of Independence", which called for the restoration of the inter-war Latvian state and the 1922 Constitution.

In January 1991, however, pro-communist political forces attempted to restore Soviet power. With the use of force, attempts were made to overthrow the new assembly. Latvian demonstrators managed to stop the Soviet troops from re-occupying strategic positions, and these events are known as the "Days of the Barricades".

On 19 August 1991, an unsuccessful attempt at a coup d'état took place in Moscow when a small group of prominent Soviet functionaries failed to regain power due to large pro-democracy demonstrations in Russia. This event resulted in Latvia swiftly moving toward independence. After the coup's failure, the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Republic announced on 21 August 1991, that the transition period to full independence declared on 4 May 1990 had come to an end. Therefore, Latvia was proclaimed a fully independent nation whose judicial foundation stemmed back to the statehood that existed before the occupation on 17 June 1940.

* Baltic Way participants between Cēsis and Valmiera

* Participants near Ķekava

* The Barricades in Riga in 1991

## Lithuania

[edit]

Between 1956 and 1987, open public resistance to the Soviet regime was rare. It became more persistent in the 1970s and 1980s. One example of this could be the Kaunas events of 1972. Many popular singers often used the poetry of nationalist poets such as Bernardas Brazdžionis or Justinas Marcinkevičius, as the lyrics of their songs. In 1987 the Rock March also promoted awareness of the issue among the people.[citation needed]

In 1987, various organisations (mainly environmental ones) were founded. On 3 June 1988, the Sąjūdis, a political and social movement, was established. Some initiators of this movement were active members of environmental organisations, established in 1987 (e.g. Zigmas Vaišvila, Gintaras Songaila). Initially, this organisation supported the regime, but in early autumn of the same year after Lithuania-wide growth, it became an opposing force to the CPL.

In response to this, Sąjūdis became a more centralised organisation. The active nationalist opposition (mostly the Lithuanian Liberty League) towards the regime culminated in various public protests. The most notorious of them took place on 28 October 1988, which ended up with violent dispersal. The resulting public anger caused resignations in the Communist Party of Lithuania (including the then-First Secretary of the party, Ringaudas Songaila, who served just over a year) and replaced them with more moderate members.[18]

As the CPL leadership changed, it decided to return Vilnius Cathedral, formerly used as a museum of fine arts, to the Catholic community on 21 October 1988. The national anthem of Lithuania and the traditional national Tricolore were legalised in Lithuania on 18 November 1988, officially replacing the flag and the anthem of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. It was followed by the recognition of the Lithuanian language as a state language, what meant that it became the sole legal language on an institutional level.[19] The latter change was instrumental in the removal of some officials (e.g. Nikolai Mitkin, who served as the Second Secretary of the CPL), but fueled tensions in Polish and Russian speaking communities.

It was followed by the gradual rebuilding of national symbols, which included erecting or restoring independence monuments throughout the country in late 1988 and 1989.

During 1989, various organisations (e.g. The Writers Union) split from the Soviet ones. Prior to the election of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union, Sąjūdis media became more restricted, but after the defeat of the CPL (it won just six seats of 42, other seats were won Sąjūdis supported candidates), restrictions were lifted. By the end of the year, the CPL gave up its power monopoly and agreed to hold free elections for Supreme Soviet of Lithuanian SSR in 1990, which it lost.

Five decades after Lithuania was occupied and incorporated into the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first republic to declare its independence from the USSR on 11 March 1990, while Estonia and Latvia declared Soviet rule to have been illegal from the start and since full restoration of independence was not yet feasible, started a period of transition towards independence, culminating with the failure of the August coup. For the same reason, almost all nations in the international community, except Iceland, hesitated to recognise independence for Lithuania until August 1991.[citation needed]

The Soviet military responded harshly. On 13 January 1991, fourteen non-violent protesters in Vilnius died and hundreds were injured defending the Vilnius Television Tower and the Parliament from Soviet assault troops and tanks. Lithuanians refer to the event as Day of the Defenders of Freedom. The discipline and courage of its citizens – linking arms and singing in the face of tanks and armour-piercing bullets – avoided a much greater loss of life and showed the world that Lithuania's citizens were prepared to defend their national independence.[citation needed]

International governments began recognizing Lithuanian independence after the failure of the coup d'état in August 1991.

* Lithuanian people in Šiauliai (Gorbachev visit, 1990)

* Ukmergė's monument of independence, Lituania Restituta, restored in 1989

## Notable protest songs

[edit]

* "The Baltics Are Waking Up" (Lithuanian: Bunda jau Baltija, Latvian: Atmostas Baltija, Estonian: Ärgake, Baltimaad) (LIT/LAT/EST)
* "Brīvību Baltijai"[20] (LAT) ("Freedom for the Baltics")
* "Dzimtā valoda"[20] (LAT) ("Mother tongue")
* OST from the rock opera "Lāčplēsis" (LAT) ("Bear Slayer", released 1988)
* "Manai Tautai"[20] (LAT) ("To My Nation")
* "Gaismas pils"[21] (LAT) ("Castle of Light")
* "Pūt, Vējiņi!"[21] – Latvian version of a Livonian wedding folk song ("Pūgõ tūļ") and often used in place of the national anthem during the Soviet era. (LAT) ("Blow, Winds!")
* "Saule, Pērkons, Daugava"[21] (LAT) ("Sun, Thunder, Daugava")
* "Ei ole üksi ükski maa"[20] (EST) ("There Is No Land Alone")
* "Eestlane olen ja eestlaseks jään"[20] (EST) ("Estonian I Am and Estonian I Will Be")
* "Isamaa ilu hoieldes"[20] (EST) ("Keeping the Beauty of Fatherland")
* "Sind surmani"[20] (EST) ("Until I Die")
* "Mingem üles mägedele"[20] (EST) ("Let's Go up the Mountains")
* "Laisvė" (canonical perf. Eurika Masytė [lt]) (LIT) ("Freedom")
* "Palaimink Dieve mus" (LIT) ("God Bless Us")
* "Dėl Tos Dainos" (LIT) ("For That Song")
* "Pabudome ir kelkimės" (LIT) ("We Woke Up, Now Let's Get Up")
* "Kokia nuostabi, Lietuva esi" (canonical perf. Kipras Mašanauskas [lt]) (LIT) ("How amazing you are, Lithuania")
* "Šaukiu aš tautą" (canonical perf. Vytautas Kernagis) (LIT) ("I Call the Nation")
* "Tėvyne dainų ir artojų" (canonical perf. Rondo) (LIT) ("Homeland of Songs and Sons of the Soil")
* "Mano mylimoji / per pasaulio sniegą ..." (canonical perf. Gintarė Jautakaitė) (LIT) ("My Beloved/Through the Snow of the World")
* "Broli, neverk!" (LIT) ("Brother, Don't Cry")
* "Pīmiņ bruoļ" (LTG) ("Remember, Brother") Latgalian awakening song.

## See also

[edit]

* Baltic Way
* Dissolution of the Soviet Union
* Forest Brothers
* Nonviolent revolution
* Revolutions of 1989

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Estonian: laulev revolutsioon; Latvian: dziesmotā revolūcija; Lithuanian: dainuojanti revoliucija.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Thomson, Clare (1992). The Singing Revolution: A Political Journey through the Baltic States. London: Joseph. ISBN 0-7181-3459-1.
2. ^ Ginkel, John (September 2002). "Identity Construction in Latvia's "Singing Revolution": Why inter-ethnic conflict failed to occur". Nationalities Papers. 30 (3): 403–433\. doi:10.1080/0090599022000011697. S2CID 154588618.
3. ^ Vogt, Henri (2005). Between Utopia and Disillusionment: A Narrative of the Political Transformation in Eastern Europe. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1571818959. Retrieved 1 January 2022 – via Google Books.
4. ^ Estonia and the Estonians, Toivo U. Raun, Hoover Press, 2001, p. 223
5. ^ Phosphorite War Estonica. Ecyclopaedia about Estonia
6. ^ a b "The Singing Revolution". www.estonica.org. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
7. ^ "10th June 1988 – the Singing Revolution". Dorian Cope presents On This Deity. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
8. ^ a b "Estonia's Singing Revolution (1986–1991)". ICNC. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
9. ^ "1988 – Rock Summer I – Rock Summer". www.rocksummer.ee. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
10. ^ "Song of Estonia". Estonica.org. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
11. ^ "Estonia's Singing Revolution (1986–1991)". ICNC. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
12. ^ "The Singing Revolution and Estonia's Non-Violent Independence Movement". tavaana.org. 24 August 2019. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
13. ^ "State of World Liberty". Archived from the original on 30 September 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
14. ^ "ETV". Etv.err.ee. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
15. ^ Chen, Ti-Chiang Chen (1951). The international law of recognition. Рипол Классик. p. 157\. ISBN 978-5875231827. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
16. ^ Toomas Hendrik Ilves. "President of the Republic at the State Dinner hosted by President T. E. Mary McAleese and Dr. Martin McAleese, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, 14 April 2008". President Republic of Estonia. Estonia. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015. "The President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves said: "... ... we are thankful that Ireland never recognised the illegal annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union after the Second World War. We will never forget John McEvoy, Estonia's honorary consul in Dublin from 1938 to 1960."
17. ^ "JĀZEPS VĪTOLS'S "GAISMAS PILS": a ballad for mixed choir". Latvian Cultural Canon. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
18. ^ "Anapilin iškeliavusio sovietinės Lietuvos vadovo klystkeliai: po "bananų baliaus" tapo visų užmiršta praeities šmėkla". Delfi.lt. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
19. ^ "1988 m. lapkričio 18 m. lietuvių kalbai grąžintas valstybinės kalbos statusas". Vki.lrv.lt. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
20. ^ a b c d e f g h "Latvijas neatkarības atjaunošana" (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
21. ^ a b c Kudiņš, Jānis (2019). "Phenomenon of the Baltic singing revolution in 1987–1991: Three Latvian songs as historical symbols of non-violent resistance" (PDF). Muzikologija (26): 27–39\. doi:10.2298/MUZ1926027K. Retrieved 18 November 2020.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Singing Revolution.

* A Lithuanian history, including information about Bloody Sunday
* "The Sound of Freedom..."—Estonian Singing Revolution - Local Life at Tallinn-Life
* Aadu Jogiaas: Disturbing soviet transmissions in August 1991 Museum of Occupations
* The Singing Revolution, US documentary film of the Estonian Singing Revolution
* General information about The Singing Revolution
* "When Songs Trumped Rifles"—Washington Newsletter
* Singing Revolution Cantata performance at UIC pavilion, Chicago, IL, Summer 2015

* v
* t
* e

Restoration of the independence of the Baltic states

Armed struggle

Groups and events|

* Guerrilla war in the Baltic states (1944–56)
* Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters
* Operation Priboi (1949)
* Operation Jungle (1949–55)

Freedom fighters|

* August Sabbe
* Jānis Pīnups
* Pranas Končius
* Juozas Lukša
* Adolfas Ramanauskas

Soviet dissident era

Groups and events|

* Lithuanian Helsinki Group (1977–81)
* Lithuanian Liberty League (1978–95)
* Baltic Appeal (1979)
* Letter of 40 Intellectuals (1980)
* Phosphorite War (1987)
* MRP-AEG (1987–88)

Dissidents|

* Gunārs Astra
* Romas Kalanta
* Jüri Kukk
* Tiit Madisson
* Mart Niklus
* Lagle Parek
* Enn Tarto
* Tomas Venclova

Political activism era

Movements|

* ERSP
* Popular Front of Estonia
* Popular Front of Latvia
* Sąjūdis
* Estonian Citizens' Committee
* Congress of Estonia

Activists|

* Tunne Kelam
* Vytautas Landsbergis
* Lennart Meri

Singing Revolution|

* Hirvepark meeting (1987)
* Singing Revolution (1988)
* Baltic Way (1989)
* Alo Mattiisen
* "The Baltics Are Waking Up"

Key decisions|

* Sovereignty Declaration of the Estonian SSR (1988)
* Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania (1990)
* On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia (1990)

Final confrontations|

* Soviet economic blockade of Lithuania
* Soviet OMON assaults on Lithuanian border posts
* January 1991 events in Lithuania
* January 1991 events in Latvia

Post-independence crises|

* Pullapää crisis (1993)
* Coup of the Volunteers (1993)

* v
* t
* e

Eastern Bloc

* Soviet Union
* Communism

Formation|

* Yalta Conference
* Soviet occupations
* Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
* Baltic states
* Hungary
* Romania
* 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état
* Berlin Blockade
* Soviet response to the Marshall Plan
* Tito–Stalin split

Soviet-allied states|

* People's Republic of Albania (to 1961)
* People's Republic of Bulgaria
* Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
* German Democratic Republic
* Hungarian People's Republic
* Polish People's Republic
* Socialist Republic of Romania
* Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (to 1948)

Organizations|

* Cominform
* COMECON
* Warsaw Pact
* World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)
* World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY)

Revolts and
opposition

* Goryani Movement
* 1949 East German State Railway strike
* Rebellion of Cazin 1950
* 1953 Plzeň uprising
* 1953 East German uprising
* 1956 Poznań protests
* 1956 Hungarian Revolution
* Prague Spring / Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
* 1970 Polish protests
* Croatian Spring
* June 1976 protests
* Solidarity / Soviet reaction / Martial law
* 1981 protests in Kosovo

Conditions|

* Emigration and defection (list of defectors)
* Sovietization of the Baltic states
* Information dissemination
* Politics
* Economies
* Telephone tapping

Dissolution|

* Revolutions of 1989
* Die Wende
* Fall of the Berlin Wall
* End of communism in Hungary
* Velvet Revolution
* Romanian revolution
* Fall of communism in Albania
* Singing Revolution
* Collapse of the Soviet Union
* Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
* January 1991 events in Lithuania
* January 1991 events in Latvia
* Breakup of Yugoslavia
* Yugoslav Wars

* v
* t
* e

Revolutions of 1989

Internal
background|

* Era of Stagnation
* Communism
* Anti-communism
* Criticism of communist party rule
* Eastern Bloc
* Eastern Bloc politics
* Eastern Bloc media and propaganda
* Emigration from the Eastern Bloc
* KGB
* Nomenklatura
* Shortage economy
* Totalitarianism
* Anti-communist insurgencies in Central and Eastern Europe

International
background|

* Active measures
* Cold War
* List of socialist states
* People Power Revolution
* Predictions of the collapse of the Soviet Union
* Reagan Doctrine
* Soviet Empire
* Terrorism and the Soviet Union
* Vatican Opposition
* Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia

Reforms|

* Uskorenie
* Perestroika
* Demokratizatsiya
* Khozraschyot
* 500 Days Program
* New political thinking
* Sinatra Doctrine
* Glasnost
* Reform and opening up
* Socialism with Chinese characteristics
* Đổi Mới

Government
leaders|

* Ramiz Alia
* Nicolae Ceaușescu
* Mikhail Gorbachev
* Károly Grósz
* Erich Honecker
* Miloš Jakeš
* Egon Krenz
* Wojciech Jaruzelski
* Slobodan Milošević
* Mathieu Kérékou
* Mengistu Haile Mariam
* Ne Win
* Denis Sassou Nguesso
* Heng Samrin
* Deng Xiaoping
* Zhao Ziyang
* Todor Zhivkov
* Siad Barre

Opposition
methods|

* Civil resistance
* Human chains
* Magnitizdat
* Polish underground press
* Political demonstration
* Protests
* Samizdat
* Strike action

Opposition
leaders|

* Lech Wałęsa
* Václav Havel
* Alexander Dubček
* Ion Iliescu
* Liu Gang
* Wu'erkaixi
* Chai Ling
* Wang Dan
* Feng Congde
* Tank Man
* Joachim Gauck
* Sali Berisha
* Sanjaasürengiin Zorig
* Vladimir Bukovsky
* Boris Yeltsin
* Viacheslav Chornovil
* Vytautas Landsbergis
* Zianon Pazniak
* Zhelyu Zhelev
* Aung San Suu Kyi
* Meles Zenawi
* Isaias Afwerki
* Ronald Reagan
* George H. W. Bush
* Pope John Paul II

Opposition
movements|

* Beijing Students' Autonomous Federation
* Charter 77
* New Forum
* Civic Forum
* Democratic Party of Albania
* Democratic Russia
* Initiative for Peace and Human Rights
* Sąjūdis
* People's Movement of Ukraine
* Solidarity
* Popular Front of Latvia
* Popular Front of Estonia
* Public Against Violence
* Belarusian Popular Front
* Rastokhez
* National League for Democracy
* National Salvation Front
* Union of Democratic Forces
* Inter-regional Deputies Group
* Alliance of Free Democrats
* Hungarian Democratic Forum

Events
by location|

| Central and
Eastern Europe|

* Albania
* Bulgaria
* Czechoslovakia
* East Germany
* Hungary
* Poland
* Romania
* Soviet Union
* Yugoslavia

|

Soviet Union|

* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Chechnya
* Estonia
* Georgia
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Kazakhstan
* Kyrgyzstan
* Moldova
* Russia
* Tajikistan
* Turkmenistan
* Ukraine
* Uzbekistan

Elsewhere|

* Afghanistan
* Angola
* Benin
* Burma
* Cambodia
* China
* Congo-Brazzaville
* Ethiopia
* Mongolia
* Mozambique
* Somalia
* South Yemen

Individual
events|

* Jeltoqsan
* 1987–1989 Tibetan unrest
* Wars in the Caucasus
* 1988 Polish strikes
* Polish Round Table Agreement
* April 9 tragedy
* Removal of Hungary's border fence with Austria
* Hungarian Round Table Talks
* Pan-European Picnic
* Baltic Way
* Monday Demonstrations
* Alexanderplatz demonstration
* Fall of the Berlin Wall
* Fall of the inner German border
* Malta Summit
* Black January
* 1990s post-Soviet aliyah
* Helsinki Summit
* Revolution on Granite
* Reunification of Germany
* January Events in Lithuania
* January Events in Latvia
* Transnistria War
* 1991 protests in Belgrade
* 1991 Belarusian strikes
* Dissolution of the Warsaw Pact
* August Coup
* Dissolution of the Soviet Union
* Tajikistani Civil War
* Dissolution of Czechoslovakia

Later events|

* Colour revolution
* Decommunization
* Lustration
* Democratization
* Economic liberalization
* Post-Soviet conflicts
* Neo-Sovietism
* Neo-Stalinism
* Post-communism
* Yugoslav Wars
* Pink tide

Related|

* Human rights in the Soviet Union

* v
* t
* e

Estonia articles

History|

* Timeline
* list of wars
* Ancient Estonia
* Livonian Crusade
* Danish Estonia
* German Bishoprics
* Livonian Order
* Baltic Germans
* Livonian War
* Polish Livonia
* Swedish Estonia
* Great Northern War
* Russian Estonia
* Russian Livonia
* Age of Awakening
* German occupation
* Declaration of Independence
* War of Independence
* Battle of Võnnu
* Interwar period
* Era of Silence
* Occupation of Estonia
* Estonian SSR
* World War II
* Guerrilla war
* Ants Kaljurand
* Estonian partisans
* Deportations

* Government-in-exile
* Singing Revolution
* Declaration of sovereignty
* Restoration of independence

Geography|

* Climate
* Extreme points
* Fauna
* Islands
* Lakes
* Populated places
* Protected areas
* Rivers
* Towns

Politics|

* Administrative divisions
* Constitution
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Government
* Human rights
* LGBT
* Law
* Law enforcement
* Military
* Political parties
* President
* Prime Minister
* Riigikogu (parliament)
* Supreme Court

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Central bank
* e-Residency
* Energy
* Oil shale
* Stock exchange
* Taxation
* Telecommunications
* Tourism
* Transport

Society|

* Crime
* Demographics
* Education
* Estonians
* Estonian language
* Ethnic groups
* Healthcare
* Religion
* Women

Culture|

* Anthem
* Architecture
* Beer
* Cinema
* Coat of arms
* Cuisine
* Estonian names
* Flags
* Folklore
* Internet
* Languages
* Literature
* ABD
* Kalevipoeg
* Media
* Music
* Mythology
* Name
* Symbols
* Newspapers
* Public holidays
* Radio
* Sport
* Television
* Theatre

* Outline
* Index

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Latvia articles

History|

* Balts
* Kunda culture
* Narva culture
* Corded Ware culture
* Terra Mariana
* Kingdom of Livonia
* Swedish Livonia
* Polish Livonia
* Russian Livonia
* The First Latvian National Awakening
* New Current
* Latvian Riflemen
* War of Independence
* Occupation by the Soviet Union (1940)
* by Nazi Germany
* by the Soviet Union (1944)
* Holocaust
* Soviet deportations from Latvia
* Guerrilla war
* Latvian partisans
* Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic 1944–1991
* Restoration of independence
* Modern history

Geography|

* Climate
* Cultural regions
* Lakes
* Protected areas
* Rivers

Politics|

* Administrative divisions
* Constitution
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Government
* Government institutions
* Human rights
* LGBT
* Language policy
* Law enforcement
* Military
* Political parties
* President
* Prime Minister
* Saeima (parliament)
* Statistical regions

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Central bank
* Energy
* Latvian euro coins
* Stock Exchange
* Tourism
* Telecommunications
* Transport
* 2008 financial crisis

Society|

* Demographics
* Healthcare
* Education
* Ethnic groups
* Crime
* Illegal immigration
* Language
* Public holidays
* Religion

Culture|

* Anthem
* Cinema
* Coat of arms
* Cuisine
* Flag
* Latvian names
* Literature
* Music
* Mythology
* Pottery
* Sport
* Television

* Outline

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Lithuania articles

History|

| Early|

* Balts
* Lithuania proper
* Lithuania Minor
* Land Confederation
* Grand Duchy
* 1219–1295
* Duchy
* Kingdom
* Christianization
* Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
* Lithuanian Crusade

|

Revival and
independence|

* Press ban
* National Revival
* Great Seimas of Vilnius
* Amber Declaration
* Act of Independence
* Wars of Independence
* Lithuanian–Soviet War
* Polish–Lithuanian War
* 1919 Polish coup d'état attempt
* 1926 coup d'état

WWII and
occupations|

* Occupation of the Baltic states
* by the Soviet Union (1940)
* by Nazi Germany
* by the Soviet Union (1944)
* State continuity
* Holocaust
* Resistance
* Second Soviet republic
* Guerrilla war
* Lithuanian partisans
* Baltic states under Soviet rule (1944–1991)
* Government-in-exile

Restoration|

* Reform Movement (Sąjūdis)
* Singing Revolution
* Baltic Way
* Act of Re-Establishment
* Soviet economic blockade of Lithuania
* January Events
* 2003 Lithuanian European Union membership referendum
* EU accession

Geography|

* Cities
* capital
* Towns
* Climate
* Extreme points
* Protected areas
* Fauna
* Flora
* Forests
* Lakes
* Rivers
* National parks
* Regional parks
* Suwałki Gap

Politics|

* Administrative divisions
* counties
* municipalities
* elderships
* Constitution
* Constitutional Court
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Government
* Prime Minister
* Law
* Law enforcement
* Human rights
* LGBT
* Political parties
* President
* Seimas parliament
* Speaker

Military|

* Land Force
* Navy
* Air Force
* Special Operations Force

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Banks
* Central bank
* e-Residency
* Energy
* Euro
* Telecommunications
* Transport
* airports
* rail
* roads
* seaport
* Tourism

Society|

* Demographics
* Education
* universities
* Ethnic minorities
* Ethnographic regions
* Health
* Language
* Lithuanians
* Religion

Culture|

* Calendar
* Cinema
* Cuisine
* Cultural history
* Cultural regions
* Design
* Ethnographic Lithuania
* Literature
* Music
* Monuments of Culture
* Mythology
* Name
* Lithuanian names
* Public holidays
* Sport
* Symbols
* anthem
* coat of arms
* flag

* Outline
* Index

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Soviet Union topics

* Bibliography of the Russian Revolution and Civil War
* Bibliography of Stalinism and the Soviet Union
* Bibliography of the Post Stalinist Soviet Union

History|

* Index of Soviet Union–related articles
* Outline
* Russian Revolution
* February
* October
* Russian Civil War
* Russian SFSR
* Creation treaty
* New Economic Policy
* Stalinism
* Great Purge
* Great Patriotic War (World War II)
* Evacuation
* The Holocaust
* Cold War
* Khrushchev Thaw
* Sino-Soviet split
* Soviet space program
* Caribbean Crisis
* Stagnation
* Soviet–Afghan War
* Perestroika
* Glasnost
* Chernobyl disaster
* Revolutions of 1989
* August Coup
* Parade of sovereignties
* Dissolution
* Transition period and cessation of the existence
* Succession, continuity and legacy
* Post-Soviet states
* Nostalgia

Geography|

| Subdivisions|

* Republics
* Autonomous
* Krais
* Oblasts
* Autonomous
* Autonomous okrugs
* Closed city

|

Regions|

* Caspian Sea
* Caucasus Mountains
* European Russia
* North Caucasus
* Siberia
* Ural Mountains
* West Siberian Plain

Politics|

| General|

* Conscription
* Constitution
* 1924
* 1936
* 1977
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Brezhnev Doctrine
* Gun control
* Government
* List
* Ministries
* State Committees
* Human rights
* LGBT
* Law
* Capital punishment
* Leaders
* Collective leadership
* National delimitation
* Passport system
* Propiska
* Political parties
* State ideology
* Marxism–Leninism
* Leninism
* Stalinism
* Soviet anti-Zionism

|

Bodies|

* Communist Party
* organisation
* Congress
* Central Committee
* Presidium/Politburo
* Secretariat
* General Secretary
* Congress of Soviets (1922–1936)
* Supreme Soviet (1938–1991)
* Congress of People's Deputies (1989–1991)
* Supreme Court
* Military Collegium
* All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions
* Creative unions

Offices|

* Heads of state
* President
* Premier
* Deputy Premier
* First Deputy Premier

Security services|

* Cheka
* GPU
* NKVD
* Destruction battalions
* MVD
* Militsiya
* MGB
* KGB
* Chairmen
* Soviet Border Troops
* Soviet Armed Forces
* Soviet Army/Spetsnaz GRU • Soviet Navy • Soviet Air Forces/Soviet Airborne Forces

Political repression|

* Red Terror
* Collectivization
* Great Purge
* Population transfer
* Forced labor
* Foreign forced labor
* POW labor
* Gulag
* List
* Holodomor
* Political abuse of psychiatry
* Anti-abuse struggle
* War crimes

Ideological repression|

* Persecution of Christians
* Eastern Catholics
* Science
* Censorship
* Censorship of images

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Banking
* Central Bank
* State Labor Savings Banks System
* Economic planning
* Energy policy
* Enterprises
* Five-year plans
* Industrialization
* Internet domain
* Inventions
* Net material product
* OGAS
* Economic reforms
* 1956–1962 Wage reform
* 1957
* 1965
* 1973
* 1979
* Rouble (currency)
* Monetary reforms
* 1947
* 1961
* 1991
* Automotive industry
* Construction

Transport|

* Ministry of Railways
* Railway system
* Rail transport
* Railway electrification
* List of metro systems
* Vehicle registration plates

Science|

* Communist Academy
* Cybernetics
* Academy of Sciences
* Academy of Medical Sciences
* Lenin All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences
* Sharashkas
* Naukograds
* List

Society|

* Antisemitism
* Crime
* Demographics
* Soviet people
* Working class
* 1989 census
* Drug policy
* Ethnic conflicts
* Family
* Languages
* Linguistics
* Cyrillisation
* Prohibition
* Racism

Culture|

* Ballet
* Cinema
* Fashion
* Literature
* Music
* Opera
* Phraseology
* Printed media
* Propaganda
* Publishing houses
* Religion
* Islam
* Sports
* Stalinist architecture
* Broadcasting
* Radio
* Television

Opposition|

* Anti-Soviet agitation
* Soviet dissidents and their groups
* List

Symbols|

* Anthem
* Republics
* Emblem
* Republics
* Flag
* Republics
* Hammer and sickle

* Soviet Union portal
* Category

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