Political and legal aspects of the Baltic republics’ struggle for independence: implications of the Baltic Way

Elzbieta Kuzelewska; Adam Bartnicki; Michał Ożóg

doi:10.14198/pasado.28694

Authors

Elzbieta Kuzelewska University of Bialystok, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6092-7284
Adam Bartnicki University of Bialystok, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2360-5462
Michał Ożóg University of Bialystok, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4315-5235

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14198/pasado.28694

Keywords:

Baltic Way, Soviet Union, Soviet republics, Soviet constitutionalism, Rights of nations, Independence

Abstract

This paper presents the Baltic states’ efforts to regain independence after World War II from the perspective of the prevailing political and legal conditions. The research conducted focuses primarily on the period of the dynamic changes that took place in the 1980s. We describe the most significant factors in the disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, with particular emphasis on the importance of the lack of respect for the subjectivity of the peoples living in the individual Soviet republics. We present and evaluate attempts at social and economic reform undertaken by the authorities of the USSR. The influence of the personality of the various Soviet leaders on the approach to the issue of nationality is also shown. We analyze the constitutional and statutory norms determining the legal position of republics in the USSR and provide an assessment of their effectiveness in protecting the guarantee of peoples’ autonomy. Particular effort was made to highlight the attitude of public resistance to the Soviet authorities, by both individuals and the society as a whole, exemplified by such initiatives as the Baltic Way. The legal conditions under which the Baltic States regained their independence are also presented. We point out the most important legal acts in this regard and show their legal consequences for the independence of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. We also present the key declarations of sovereignty made by the resurgent Baltic states and the reactions to them by the authorities of the collapsing Soviet Union. The results of the research lead to the conclusion that the strong sense of subjectivity of the peoples of the Baltic states –in their quest for independence– was crucial. The legal norms of the time provided a reference point for the struggle to respect autonomy and, in the long run, to confirm and secure the distinctiveness of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia according to international law.

Funding

The article was financially supported by BACHA European citizens project.

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