The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, Council of Europe, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea are sometimes referred to as the "Baltic nations", less often and in historical circumstances also as the "Baltic republics", the "Baltic lands", or simply the Baltics.
The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies is a school of University College London (UCL) specializing in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia. It teaches a range of subjects, including the history, politics, literature, sociology, economics and languages of the region. It is Britain's largest centre for study of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Russia. It has links with universities across Europe and beyond. It became part of UCL in 1999.
The Vaps Movement was an Estonian political organization. Founded in 1929, it emerged as a fascist movement from the Union of Participants in the Estonian War of Independence, an association of veterans of the Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920). The leaders of this association were Andres Larka and Artur Sirk.
Steven Michael Lukes is a British political and social theorist. Currently he is a professor of politics and sociology at New York University. He was formerly a professor at the University of Siena, the European University Institute (Florence) and the London School of Economics.
The Estonian resistance movement was an underground movement to resist the occupation of Estonia by Nazi Germany, 1941–1944 during World War II. Due to the unusually benign measures implemented in Estonia by the German occupation authorities, especially in contrast to the preceding harsh Soviet occupation of Estonia (1940–1941), the movement was slower to develop effective tactics on a wide scale than in other occupied countries.
Robert William Dewar Boyce is a professional historian and was a senior lecturer in International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His main fields of interest are French external relations in the twentieth century, the role of economics, business and banking in modern international relations, Canadian external relations since 1900, and the modern history of international communications.
Anatol Lieven is a British author, journalist, and policy analyst. He is currently a visiting professor at King's College London and senior fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
On the Boundary of Two Worlds: Identity, Freedom, and Moral Imagination in the Baltics is an academic book series focused on the critical examination of identity, politics, and culture in the Baltic countries. By offering a wide scope of the social science and humanities disciplines, the book series encourages intercultural dialogue and pursues interdisciplinary research in the field of Baltic studies.
Cas Mudde is a Dutch political scientist who focuses on political extremism and populism in Europe and the United States. His research includes the areas of political parties, extremism, democracy, civil society, and European politics. Mudde identifies himself as a political leftist.
The history of Estonia from 1918 to 1940 spanned the interwar period from the end of the Estonian War of Independence until the outbreak of World War II. It covers the years of parliamentary democracy, the Great Depression and the period of corporatist authoritarian rule.
Artur Sirk was an Estonian political and military figure. A veteran of the country's struggle for independence, Sirk later became a leading figure within the right-wing Vaps Movement and an outspoken opponent of the government.
Leonidas Donskis was a Lithuanian-Jewish philosopher, political theorist, historian of ideas, social analyst, and political commentator, professor of politics and head of "VDU Academia Cum Laude" at Vytautas Magnus University, Honorary Consul of Finland in Kaunas and deputy chairman of the Lithuanian Jewish Community. He was also the member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 to 2014.
The Estonian Provisional Government was formed on 24 February 1918, by the Salvation Committee appointed by Maapäev, the Estonian Province Assembly.
Vilho Veikko Päiviö Helanen was a Finnish civil servant and politician.
Vaba Maa was a daily newspaper in Estonia, published from Tallinn. It was the organ of the Estonian Labour Party. Vaba Maa had a circulation of about 50,000 in the early 1920s.
The National Alliance, officially the National Alliance "All for Latvia!" – "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK", is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Latvia. A right-wing party, it has also been placed as a part of the radical right on the political spectrum.
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia. The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland, the larger islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and over 2,300 other islands and islets on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of 45,335 square kilometres (17,504 sq mi). Tallinn, the capital city, and Tartu are the two largest urban areas. The Estonian language is the official language and the first language of the majority of the population of 1.4 million.
Jussi M. Hanhimäki is a Finnish historian, specializing in the history of the Cold War, American foreign policy, transatlantic relations, international organizations and refugees.
The Baltic song festivals are traditional amateur song and dance festivals in the Baltic States included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Cannabis in Estonia is illegal, but possession of up to 7.5 grams is considered an amount for personal use, and is punished with a fine. Large amounts and distribution are criminal offences and punishable with a custodial sentence of up to 5 years. The age limit for buying CBD cannabis is 18 years and a prescription is not needed. The age limit for using CBD products for self-medication is 16; patients younger than 16 need a medical prescription. In 2018, the then recently merged municipality of Kanepi in southern Estonia adopted the cannabis leaf as the symbol on its flag and coat of arms. Kanep is the Estonian word for cannabis. Hemp was historically used as a product in shipbuilding. It was traded from the eastern Baltic within the Hanseatic League and in the sixteenth century directly to the Netherlands for this purpose.
