The independence of the Baltic states ended when Stalin occupied and annexed Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to the USSR in 1940. In 1991, after four years of intense but peaceful struggle that contributed to the demise of the Soviet Union, the Baltic states regained their independence. In this updated edition of their renowned "The Baltic States: Years of Dependence, 1940-1980", Romuald Misiunas and Rain Taagepera bring the story up to the 1990s. The authors describe and analyze how the Baltic nations survived 50 years of social disruption, language discrimination and Russian colonialism, and the effect of the Baltic states' stubborn invincibility on the Soviet Union. The history of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are integrated and compared, and some notable differences between the three countries are pointed out. With three new chapters, a revised preface a re-edited text and an appendix bringing the period of Soviet domination to a close, this expanded study covers a tumultuous period of political, economic, cultural and ecological reform.
Misiunas and Taagepera offer a current, accessible perspective on the evolving changes in the Baltic states and the rise and fall of the Soviet empire.