The influence of the Baltic popular movements on the process of Soviet disintegration

Breaking up is hard to do: The Neil Sedaka theory of independence referendums

“…This focus means that the article contributes to an area that is much discussed and debated, yet one that only in recent years has been the subject of empirical study. Apart from a handful of books and articles (Dion, 1996; Laponce, 2010; LeDuc, 2003; Qvortrup, 2014), most of the literature has focused on single country case studies from new states (Muiznieks, 1995; Potichnyj, 1991). All these studies looked at the input-side of the independence referendum; the decision to call a referendum (Qvortrup, 2014), its organisation (Laponce, 2010) and the factors determining the people’s decisions (Dion, 1996).…”

Bastion, Beacon or Bridge? Conceptualising the Baltic Logic of the EU's Neighbourhood

“…Like their impact on the nationalist movements in the late Soviet period, Baltic integration has the potential to act as a roadmap to transition. 30 This means that Baltic exceptionalism can only have been a temporary circumstance and that the problems that face Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine are not preclusive to their own triple transitions. The logical conclusion of the Baltic States acting as a 'beacon' is that the focus is on transition itself rather than membership in the EU or NATO.…”

European memory beyond the state: Baltic, Russian and European memory interactions (1991–2009)

“…This contradiction between the official Soviet memory regime and the widespread but marginalised memory communities was one of the main aspects that was utilised by the nationalist elites in the 1980s, alongside ethnic and environmental issues (Kasekamp, 2010; Muiznieks, 1995; Taagepera, 1993). More and more groups of individuals, sharing the same repressed memories, dared to express themselves in public, for instance, at commemorative anniversaries (Lieven, 1994; Smidchens, 2007; Taagepera, 1986).…”