August 23rd, 1989

Part of me going to Estonia last year and spending time with my students and family, I learnt much about what makes them proud and kept them going through the darkest hours of the occupation. Here is one that send shrills down the spine of every Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian. Imagine 2 million people joining hands across three countries in defiance against the Soviet Government. This took guts.

Before seeing the video, here's the quote of this event:

"Baltic Way" is the event which occurred on August 23, 1989 when approximately two million people joined their hands to form an over 600 kilometer long human chain across the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). This original demonstration was organized to draw the world's attention to the common historical fate which these three countries suffered. It marked the 50 year anniversary since August 23, 1939 when Soviet Union and Germany in the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact divided spheres of interest in Eastern Europe which led to 50 years of occupation for these three states."

See Video of The Baltic Way

Wikipedia entry for The Baltic Way

Here's a 13-minute documentary entitled "Sampolit Film" which show the major events in the Baltics from 1987 to 1991. The Baltic Way is in here too...

See the Sampolit Documentary

Every Baltic citizen knows the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact very well. It was a defining moment that changed the history of the Baltic countries and brought pain, misery and death to every single family, including mine.

What is so sad and disgraceful about all this is that once the curtain fell on WWII, the US, the UK, all of western Europe and my country, Canada stood mostly silent for fifty years - saying nothing against the MR pact. I know life is unfair and this was war, followed by the cold war, and everyone suffered but... these people was abandoned, forgotten and ignored. And they suffered and paid a great price for it.... And there is no other way of putting it.