NÕUKOGUDE LIIDU 1939/40. AASTA BALTI-POLIITIKA VENEMAAL ILMUNUD UUSIMAS KIRJANDUSES
SOVIET BALTIC POLICY IN 1939–1940 AS REFLECTED IN RUSSIAN PUBLICATIONS

Summary/Abstract: The events of 1939–1940 in the Baltic States represent one of those historical topics that continue to attract interest and prevent even today normalization of relations between the Baltic States and Russia. This article gives a survey of how the events of l939–1940 in the Baltic States are viewed in today’s Russia. This is a topic that merits a much more thorough analysis than is possible here. The aim of the article is to look at how Russian publications treat the 1939 pacts with the Baltic States providing for Soviet bases, their subsequent occupation and annexation and to compare today’s approaches with approaches that prevailed during the Soviet era. A survey of publications from Soviet time reveals certain mindsets that carry over to the present day. The subjects of this study are publications of popular history, monographs, study guides and materials aimed at applicants to institutions of higher learning, as well as texts and compilations of documents intended for the students at these institutions. Throughout the period when the Baltic States remained annexed to the Soviet Union as its member states, it was impossible to treat the said subject objectively. Historical science serving Soviet propaganda was mainly involved with workers’ and revolutionary movement issues, which were tied to questions of foreign policy. It was emphasized that the force that moved history was the masses, i.e. the working class. Soviet treatment of history was characterized by one-sidedness—starting from a communist world-view and interpreting and reflecting history in a light favourable to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was portrayed as a state that had a pathological love of peace, thanks to which a rather peculiar picture developed in historiography: whereas other states approached foreign relations with an eye on their own self-interest, the Soviet Union occupied itself with demonstrating to the world its love of peace and struggle for peace. According to Soviet historiography, the Soviet Union also always acted as the protector of the independence of the Baltic States. It must be noted that the current Russian historians prefer to occupy themselves studying the Finnish Winter War or Polish topics...

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