The Soviet Occupation of the Baltics After World War II
Brown, Greg A.
Synopsis "The Soviet Occupation of the Baltics After World War II"
Throughout the history of warfare, great powers have dealt with counterinsurgencies and occupations. From Sun Tzu, Napoleon against the Spanish, the Americans against the Vietnamese, and the Soviets versus the Afghans, the difficulties of unsuccessful occupations have been well documented. These occupations share some common themes, including inhospitable terrain, failure to gain popular support among the local population, and simply being outlasted by their foes. What is less well documented, especially in the 20th century, are instances of successful occupations. Occupations, such as those by the British in Africa and Ireland, the French in Algeria, and the Nazis in occupied Europe achieved some level of short-term success, but failed in their efforts to achieve any long term political objective. There is, however, at least one instance of a superpower in the 20th century conducting a successful occupation that resulted in a half century of stability. For the Baltic nations of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, World War II and its aftermath were devastating. These three Baltic States suffered three invasions and occupations by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany over a span of a mere four years.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
