Solidaritet genom sång

Baltisk regionbildning, sovjetisk masskultur och Sovjetunionens kollaps

Abstract

Solidarity through song. Baltic region building, Soviet mass culture and the Soviet Union’s collapse

This article shows how Soviet regional politics shaped the notion of the Baltics, that, in turn, contributed to the development of solidarity and mobilization in the region against Soviet power in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By looking at the Baltics as an economic and cultural entity, Soviet authorities implemented measures that homogenized culture in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia throughout the Soviet period. This region-building could be felt within the field of song festivals that had existed in Latvia and Estonia since the second half of the nineteenth century but had not developed the same strong connection to nationalism and the nation state in Lithuania prior to 1940. It was the Soviet authorities that made sure to encourage the collaboration between the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian republics, homogenize their song festival practices and popularize them as a regional phenomenon at the Soviet and international level. This collaboration was crucial during the late 1980s, since it enabled solidarization of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, performing the region through the singing revolution and letting the world know of their united front that challenged historical taboos of Soviet occupation.