"In the Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—the return of the Red Army also provoked lasting resistance. Having become independent from Russia in 1918, the three countries were occupied by the Soviets in 1940, after Stalin’s pact with Hitler. The occupation was vicious, and the German invasion in 1941 had been greeted with relief by many Balts, who now turned their wrath on Russians and other local minorities, including Jews. The German defeat meant the return of the Red Army and the start of another round of bloodletting. In all three Baltic countries resistance coalesced around former officers, most of whom had collaborated with the Nazis; they were known collectively as the “Forest Brothers.” The fighting lasted for almost a decade and cost up to fifty thousand lives, mostly in Lithuania. Around 10 percent of the entire adult population of Balts was deported or sent to Soviet labor camps between 1940 and 1953."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Odd Arne Westad, The Cold War: A World History (2017)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Latvia
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Latvia
9 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Latvia →
Related Quotes
"While separatist nationalisms developed and were increasingly expressed, there was no protracted attempt to use the e…"
"Article six of the Soviet constitution, which guaranteed the Communist Party a monopoly of power, was abolished in Fe…"
"Latvia is monitoring Russia’s military activities near our national borders. The exercise in question which was launc…"
"Around the same time, communism in Central and Eastern Europe finally fell, but its economic rivalry with capitalism …"
"These days in Europe, many countries are sympathetic towards Ukraine and the situation here - of course, this touches…"
"Generally, the situation has worsened. We are now seeing signs of hybrid-warfare directed at us in Latvia."
"Will the shift of ministers from one ministry to another bring life to the government’s frail body [Latvia]? I doubt it."
"We share similar values and attitudes about working hard and reaching out and so it is quite natural for Latvia to be…"
"The Latvian parliament voted earlier this month [October] to give the followers of Dievturibe, a Lavian pagan faith t…"
"Dzirdi daudz, runā maz."