The Baltic States: Keeping the Faith in Turbulent Times

Dublin Core

Title

The Baltic States: Keeping the Faith in Turbulent Times

Subject

Baltic states, EU accession, post-communist politics

Description

As the Baltic states commemorated the centenary of their first appearance as independent states in 2018, their celebrations were mixed with feelings of ambiguity about the road travelled since then. Although today we often see Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as 'post-communist' countries, their experience with communism was actually much harsher than in Central Europe, since, for nearly fifty years, the three countries were forcibly a part of the Soviet Union. This has made their journey back into the European community all that more remarkable, and it has also served to keep these countries somewhat more resistant to the dangers of democratic backsliding. After all, their continued independence and well-being are intricately dependent on keeping the European liberal order intact. Nevertheless, the winds of populism have also begun to buffet these three countries, meaning that they have been struggling to keep their balancing act going. This article reviews the development of the Baltic states over the last 20 years, both in terms of domestic politics and EU accession and membership. It profiles the way in which the three countries have been trying to keep their faith in democracy and liberalism alive amidst ever more turbulent political and economic times.

Creator

Pettai, Vello

Source

Canadian Journal of European and Russian Studies; Vol. 13 No. 2 (2019): European Union Enlargement: 15 Years On; 39-63
2562-8429
10.22215/cjers.v13i2

Publisher

Centre for European Studies, Carleton University

Date

2020-06-02

Rights

Copyright (c) 2020 Canadian Journal of European and Russian Studies

Relation

Format

application/pdf

Language

eng

Type

info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Peer-reviewed Article

Identifier

Citation

Vello Pettai, The Baltic States: Keeping the Faith in Turbulent Times, Centre for European Studies, Carleton University, 2020, accessed November 7, 2024, https://igi.indrastra.com/items/show/2796

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