The Singing Revolution; lv, dziesmotā revolūcija; lt, dainuojanti revoliucija) was a series of events that led to the restoration of independence of the
Baltic nations
The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
of
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, and
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
at the
end of the Cold War
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
**End (category theory)
**End (topology)
**End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
**End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
**End (gridiron football) ...
. The term was coined by an Estonian activist and artist,
Heinz Valk
Heinz Valk (birth name Heinrich Valk; born March 7, 1936 in Gatchina) is an Estonian artist, caricaturist and politician. He is credited for coining the term "Singing Revolution
The Singing Revolution; lv, dziesmotā revolūcija; lt, dainu ...
, in an article published a week after 10–11 June 1988, spontaneous mass evening singing demonstrations at the
Tallinn Song Festival Grounds
The Tallinn Song Festival Grounds ( et, Lauluväljak) are the grounds on which the Estonian Song Festival is held every five years.
History of song festivals
In 1869 Johann Voldemar Jannsen established the Estonian Song Festival while the natio ...
. Later, all three countries joined the
EU and
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
in 2004.
Background
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the three Baltic states were incorporated into the
Stalinist
Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory o ...
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
after
military occupation
Military occupation, also known as belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is the effective military control by a ruling power over a territory that is outside of that power's sovereign territory.Eyāl Benveniśtî. The international law ...
and
annexation
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
first
in 1940 and then
again in 1944. The new Soviet leader,
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
introduced ''
glasnost
''Glasnost'' (; russian: link=no, гласность, ) has several general and specific meanings – a policy of maximum openness in the activities of state institutions and freedom of information, the inadmissibility of hushing up problems, ...
'' ("openness") and ''
perestroika
''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
'' ("restructuring") in 1985, 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
Political freedom (also known as political autonomy or political agency) is a central concept in history and political thought and one of the most important features of democratic societies.Hannah Arendt, "What is Freedom?", ''Between Past and F ...
in the Soviet Union, which led to problems within the non-Russian nations occupied during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Hitherto unrecognised issues previously kept secret by the Moscow government were admitted to in public, causing dissatisfaction within the Baltic states. Combined with the
war in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC)
*Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709)
*Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...
and the
nuclear fallout in Chernobyl, grievances were aired in a publicly explosive and politically decisive manner. Estonians were concerned about the
demographic threat The concept of demographic threat (or demographic bomb) is a term used in political conversation or demography to refer to population increases from within a minority ethnic or religious group in a given country that is perceived as threatening to t ...
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.
Access to Western émigré communities abroad and, particularly in Estonia, informal relations with
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, 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.
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
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
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). 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
The
Soviet government
The Government of the Soviet Union ( rus, Прави́тельство СССР, p=prɐˈvʲitʲɪlʲstvə ɛs ɛs ɛs ˈɛr, r=Pravítelstvo SSSR, lang=no), formally the All-Union Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly ab ...
's plan to excavate phosphorite in the
Lääne-Viru county
Lääne-Viru County ( et, Lääne-Viru maakond or ''Lääne-Virumaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is in northern Estonia, on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. In Estonian, ''lääne'' means western and ''ida'' means east or eastern ...
with potentially catastrophic consequences for the environment and society was revealed in February 1987. That started the "
Phosphorite War
The Phosphorite War ( et, Fosforiidisõda) is the name given to a late-1980s environmental campaign in the then-Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, against the opening of large phosphorite mines in the Virumaa region. The movement, peaking in 1 ...
" public environmental campaign. The
MRP-AEG group held the
Hirvepark meeting in the
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
of Tallinn at the anniversary of
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
, long_name = Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
, image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H27337, Moskau, Stalin und Ribbentrop im Kreml.jpg
, image_width = 200
, caption = Stalin and Ribbentrop shaking ...
on 23 August 1987, demanding to
disclose and condemn its
secret protocol.
The "Five Patriotic Songs" series by
Alo Mattiisen
Alo Mattiisen (22 April 1961 – 30 May 1996) was an Estonian musician and composer.
One of the most famous melodies that he composed was a patriotic song titled "No land is alone", with lyrics written by the Estonian poet Jüri Leesment. Sev ...
premiered at the
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...
Pop Festival in May 1988.
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. The
Baltic Way
The Baltic Way ( lt, Baltijos kelias, lv, Baltijas ceļš, et, Balti kett) or Baltic Chain (also "Chain of Freedom") was a peaceful political demonstration that occurred on 23 August 1989. Approximately two million people joined their hands to ...
, a
human chain of two million people, spanned from Tallinn to
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
on 23 August 1989.
Mattiisen's "Five Patriotic Songs" were performed again at the Rock Summer festival in Tallinn held on 26–28 August 1988. The Song of Estonia festival was held at the Song Festival Grounds on 11 September.
Trivimi Velliste
Trivimi Velliste (born 4 May 1947, in Tartu, Estonia) is an Estonian politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1994 and as the Estonian Ambassador to the United Nations from 1994 to 1998. He currently is a Member of Pa ...
, Chairman of the Estonian Heritage Society, first voiced the public ambition to regain independence. The Supreme Soviet of Estonia issued the
Estonian Sovereignty Declaration
The Estonian Sovereignty Declaration ( et, suveräänsusdeklaratsioon), fully: Declaration on the Sovereignty of the Estonian SSR (), was issued on November 16, 1988 during the Singing Revolution in Soviet Estonia. The declaration asserted Eston ...
on 16 November.
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.
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
The Congress of Estonia ( Estonian: ''Eesti Kongress'') was an innovative grassroots parliament established in Estonia in 1990–1992 as a part of the process of regaining of independence from the Soviet Union. It also challenged the power and au ...
, proclaimed the restoration of the independent
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
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.
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
Tallinn TV tower () is a free-standing structure with an observation deck, built to provide better telecommunication services for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics regatta event (see Sailing at the 1980 Summer Olympics). It is located near the s ...
but were unsuccessful. The Communist hardliners'
coup attempt failed amidst mass pro-democracy demonstrations in Moscow led by
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...
.
On 22 August 1991,
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
became the first nation to recognise the newly restored independence of Estonia. 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
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
was the first to recognise, on 22 August 1991, the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Estonia", in
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
,
Icelandic and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. Some other nations did not recognise the annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union.
Öised laulupeod 88 (10).jpg
Öised laulupeod 88 (18).jpg
Öised laulupeod 88 (21).jpg
Öised laulupeod 88 (59).jpg
Öised laulupeod 88 (63).jpg
Öised laulupeod 88 (65).jpg
Öised laulupeod 88 (66).jpg
Latvia
During the second half of the 1980s as
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
introduced
glasnost
''Glasnost'' (; russian: link=no, гласность, ) has several general and specific meanings – a policy of maximum openness in the activities of state institutions and freedom of information, the inadmissibility of hushing up problems, ...
and
perestroika
''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
in the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, which rolled back restrictions to freedom in the Soviet Union, aversion to the Soviet regime had grown into the third
Latvian National Awakening
The Latvian National Awakening ( lv, latviešu r latvju
R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Irelan ...
tautas atmoda) refers to three distinct but ideologically related Romantic nationalism, National revival movements:
* the ''The First Latvian National Awakening, First Awakening'' refers ...
, 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
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
on Latvia's largest river
Daugava
, be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna
, image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png
, image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava
, source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia
, mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...
, and that a decision had been made to build a
metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
in
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
. 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.
On 14 June 1987, the anniversary of the
1941 deportations, the human rights group "
Helsinki-86
The CTAG ( lv, Cilvēktiesību aizstāvības grupa, Human Rights Defense Group) Helsinki-86 was founded in July, 1986 in the Latvian port town of Liepāja by three workers: Linards Grantiņš, Raimonds Bitenieks, and Mārtiņš Bariss. Its name r ...
", which had been founded a year earlier, organized people to place flowers at the
Freedom Monument
The Freedom Monument ( lv, Brīvības piemineklis, ) is located in Riga, Latvia, honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty ...
(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
The Latvian Song and Dance Festival ( lv, Vispārējie latviešu Dziesmu un Deju svētki) is one of the largest amateur choral and dancing events in the world and an important event in Latvian culture and social life.
As one of the Baltic song ...
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.
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
, long_name = Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
, image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H27337, Moskau, Stalin und Ribbentrop im Kreml.jpg
, image_width = 200
, caption = Stalin and Ribbentrop shaking ...
, which had determined Latvia's fate after 1939, was publicly acknowledged.
The congress of the Writers' Union stirred up public opinion and provided an additional stimulus for the general process of
national revival
National revival or national awakening is a period of ethnic self-consciousness that often precedes a political movement for national liberation but that can take place at a time when independence is politically unrealistic. In the history of Eur ...
.
In the summer of 1988, two of the most important organizations of the revival period began to assemble themselves—the
Latvian People's Front
The Popular Front of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Tautas fronte) was a political organisation in Latvia in the late 1980s and early 1990s which led Latvia to its independence from the Soviet Union. It was similar to the Popular Front of Estonia and the ...
and the
Latvian National Independence Movement
The Latvian National Independence Movement ( lv, Latvijas Nacionālās Neatkarības Kustība, LNNK) was a political organization in Latvia from 1988 until 1997.
It formed in 1988 as the radical wing of Latvian nationalist movement. Unlike the main ...
(LNIM). Soon afterwards the more radically inclined
Citizens' Congress called for complete non-compliance with the representatives of the Soviet regime. 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.
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
The Baltic Way ( lt, Baltijos kelias, lv, Baltijas ceļš, et, Balti kett) or Baltic Chain (also "Chain of Freedom") was a peaceful political demonstration that occurred on 23 August 1989. Approximately two million people joined their hands to ...
". A long human "chain" from Tallinn through Riga to
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
was assembled. This was a symbolic demonstration of the people's call for independence from the Soviet Union.
New elections to the
Supreme Soviet
The Supreme Soviet (russian: Верховный Совет, Verkhovny Sovet, Supreme Council) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) ...
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
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
", 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
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
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.
Lithuania
![UkmPaminkl](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Monument_dedicated_to_the_restoration_of_Independence_of_Lithuania_in_Ukmerg%C4%97%2C_Lithuania.jpg)
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
Bernardas Brazdžionis (1907 January 11 in Stebeikėliai - 2002 July 11 in Los Angeles) was a Lithuanian poet. Bernardas Brazdžionis also used various pen names, such as '' Vytė Nemunėlis'', ''Jaunasis Vaidevutis''.
Biography
Bernardas Braz ...
or
Justinas Marcinkevičius
Justinas Marcinkevičius (10 March 1930 – 16 February 2011) was a prominent Lithuanian poet and playwright.
Life and career
Marcinkevičius was born in 1930 in Važatkiemis, Prienai District. In 1954, he graduated from the Faculty of His ...
, as the lyrics of their songs. In 1987 the
Rock March also promoted awareness of the issue among the people.
In 1987, various organisations (mainly environmental ones) were founded. On 3 June 1988, the
Sąjūdis
Sąjūdis (, "Movement"), initially known as the Reform Movement of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Persitvarkymo Sąjūdis), is the political organisation which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was es ...
, 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
Zigmas Vaišvila (born 20 December 1956 in Šiauliai) is a Lithuanian politician. In 1990 he was among those who signed the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
The Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania or Ac ...
,
Gintaras Songaila
Gintaras is a Lithuanian masculine given name. The feminine form is Gintarė. and may refer to:
*Gintaras Ambraska (born 1975), Lithuanian judoka
* Gintaras Andriuškevičius (born 1975), Lithuanian race walker
* Gintaras Balčiūnas (born 1964) ...
). 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 The Lithuanian Liberty League or LLL ( lt, Lietuvos laisvės lyga) was a dissident organization in the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic and a political party in independent Republic of Lithuania. Established as an underground resistance group ...
) 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
The Communist Party of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos komunistų partija; russian: Коммунистическая партия Литвы) is a banned communist party in Lithuania. The party was established in early October 1918 and operated clan ...
(including the then-First Secretary of the party,
Ringaudas Songaila
Ringaudas Bronislovas Songaila (20 April 1929 – 25 June 2019) was an official of the Lithuanian SSR nomenclatura. In 1987–1988, he was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Lithuania or the ''de facto'' head of state.
Biography
Song ...
, who served just over a year) and replaced them with more moderate members.
As the CPL leadership changed, it decided to return
Vilnius Cathedral
The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius ( lt, Vilniaus Šv. Stanislovo ir Šv. Vladislovo arkikatedra bazilika; pl, Bazylika archikatedralna św. Stanisława Biskupa i św. Władysława, historical: ''Kościół Kated ...
, 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
A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
and the
anthem of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
"State Anthem of the Lithuanian SSR" ( lt, Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinės Respublikos himnas) was the regional anthem of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, a constituent state of the Soviet Union.
History
During the Soviet rule in Lith ...
. It was followed by the recognition of the
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.8 millio ...
as a state language, what meant that it became the sole legal language on an institutional level.
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 6 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
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, hesitated to recognise independence for Lithuania until August 1991.
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
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
from Soviet assault troops and tanks. Lithuanians refer to the event as
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday may refer to:
Historical events Canada
* Bloody Sunday (1923), a day of police violence during a steelworkers' strike for union recognition in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
* Bloody Sunday (1938), police violence agai ...
. 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.
International governments began recognizing Lithuanian independence after the failure of the
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
in August 1991.
Notable protest songs
* "
The Baltics Are Waking Up" ( lt, Bunda jau Baltija, lv, Atmostas Baltija, et, Ärgake, Baltimaad) (LIT/LAT/EST)
* "Brīvību Baltijai"
(LAT) ("Freedom for the Baltics")
* "Dzimtā valoda"
(LAT) ("Mother tongue")
*
Lāčplēsis
''Lāčplēsis'' ("The Bear-Slayer") is an epic poem by Andrejs Pumpurs, a Latvian poet, who wrote it between 1872 and 1887 based on local legends. It's set during the Livonian Crusades telling the story of the mythical hero Lāčplēsis "th ...
(LAT) ("Bear slayer")
* "Manai Tautai"
(LAT) ("To My Nation")
* "Gaismas pils"
(LAT) ("Castle of Light")
* "Pūt, Vējiņi!"
– Latvian version of a
Livonian wedding folk song ("Pūgõ tūļ") and often used in place of the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
during the Soviet era. (LAT) ("Blow, Winds!")
* "
Saule, Pērkons, Daugava"
(LAT) ("Sun, Thunder,
Daugava
, be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna
, image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png
, image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava
, source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia
, mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...
")
* "Ei ole üksi ükski maa"
(EST) ("There is no land alone")
* "
Eestlane olen ja eestlaseks jään
''Eestlane olen ja eestlaseks jään'' ( Estonian: "I am Estonian and I will remain Estonian") is a protest song from the Estonian Singing Revolution performed by Ivo Linna and the group In Spe with lyrics by Alo Mattiisen.
Written despite the of ...
"
(EST) (" am Estonian and will remain Estonian")
* "Isamaa ilu hoieldes"
(EST) ("The beauty of the homeland ")
* "Sind surmani"
(EST)
* "Mingem üles mägedele"
(EST) ("Let's go up the mountains")
* Laisvė (canonical perf. Eurika Masytė) (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) (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")
See also
*
Baltic Way
The Baltic Way ( lt, Baltijos kelias, lv, Baltijas ceļš, et, Balti kett) or Baltic Chain (also "Chain of Freedom") was a peaceful political demonstration that occurred on 23 August 1989. Approximately two million people joined their hands to ...
*
Forest Brothers
The Guerrilla war in the Baltic states was an armed struggle which was waged by the Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian partisans, called the Forest Brothers (also: the "Brothers of the Wood" and the "Forest Friars"; et, metsavennad, lv, mež ...
*
Revolutions of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Natio ...
*
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
*
Nonviolent revolution
A nonviolent revolution is a revolution conducted primarily by unarmed civilians using tactics of civil resistance, including various forms of nonviolent protest, to bring about the departure of governments seen as entrenched and authoritarian ...
*
Chervona Ruta (festival)
Chervona Ruta ( uk, Червона рута) is a permanent biennial all-Ukrainian youth festival of contemporary song and popular music,Serhiy Kharynovych. The first republican. What was the 1989 festival "Chervona Ruta" (Перший респу ...
Notes
References
External links
A Lithuanian history, including information about Bloody Sunday Tallinn-Life: ''A Brief Guide to the Estonian Singing Revolution''Aadu Jogiaas: Disturbing soviet transmissions in August 1991Museum of Occupations
''The Singing Revolution'', US documentary film of the Estonian Singing RevolutionGeneral information about The Singing RevolutionWashington Newsletter - When Songs Trumped Rifles Singing Revolution Cantata performance at UIC pavilion, Chicago, IL, Summer, 2015
{{Soviet Union topics
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Estonian music
Nonviolent revolutions
Soviet military occupations
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1988 in Lithuania
1988 in international relations
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
1980s in music
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Lithuanian music
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Perestroika