Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

of People’s Deputies of the USSR demanded that the
pact be evaluated on legal grounds. National movements
in each of the Baltic States planned the demonstration
for 23 August, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing
of the pact.
The Baltic Way was non-violent, was based on cross-border
solidarity, and it was successful. Participants included
Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Russians, Byelorussians,
Poles, Tatars and many people of other nationalities.
By the end of that day, the question of the Baltic States
was no longer an issue only for local politicians and
civil servants but was now part of a larger agenda.
In December, the People’s Deputies Congress of the
Soviet Union in December of 1989 declared the secret
protocols of 1939 legally null and void. The democratic
process which began timidly after perestroika now gained
confidence and strength both in the Baltic States and in
the Soviet Union.
Seen in retrospect, the Baltic Way symbolized
the end of the Cold War and the end of the direct
consequences of the Second World War. It was a unique
and peaceful demonstration that united the three
countries in their drive for freedom and in its simplicity it
represented a triumph of humanity over totalitarianism.
The documents, photographs and film in the collection
preserve the memory of the Baltic Way, with Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania having seven, eight and twenty-three
documents respectively.
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