Singing Revolution

Singing Revolution
Part of the Revolutions of 1989 and the Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Baltic Way human chain in 1989
Date	14 June 1987 – 6 September 1991 (1987-06-14 – 1991-09-06) (4 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)
Location	Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (the three Baltic countries)
Caused by	Soviet occupation of the Baltic states Political repression Economic stagnation Nationalist discontent Sovietization Russification Religious persecution
Goals	Independence of the three Baltic countries End of Communist rule Democratization Civil rights Economic reform
Methods	Protests Demonstrations Strikes Civil disobedience Human chain Civil resistance Barricades
Resulted in	Decisive Baltic victory as part of the end of the Cold War Restoration of the independence of the Baltic states Declarations of state sovereignty of Estonia (18 November 1988), Lithuania (18 May 1989), and Latvia (28 July 1989) Declarations of independence of Lithuania (11 March 1990), Estonia (20 August 1991), and Latvia (21 August 1991) Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the Baltic states (6 September 1991) Restoration of multi-party democracy in all three countries Withdrawal of Soviet and then Russian troops from Lithuania by 1993, and Latvia and Estonia by 1994
Parties
Estonia Popular Front of Estonia Estonian Citizens' Committee Congress of Estonia Heritage Society MRP-AEG Estonian National Independence Party Estonian Social Democratic Independence Party Communist Party (pro-independence faction) Estonian Social Democratic Party  Latvia Popular Front of Latvia Helsinki-86 Latvian National Independence Movement Citizens' Congress Environmental Protection Club Communist Party (pro-independence faction) Latvian Social Democratic Party  Lithuania Sąjūdis Lithuanian Liberty League Communist Party (pro-independence faction) Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania Lithuanian Riflemen's Union  Soviet Union Soviet Army KGB OMON Interfront Communist Party of Lithuania (pro-Moscow faction) Yedinstvo Communist Party of Latvia (pro-Moscow faction) International Front of the Working People of Latvia Communist Party of Estonia (pro-Moscow faction) Intermovement
Lead figures
Lennart Meri Tunne Kelam Edgar Savisaar Mart Laar Trivimi Velliste Marju Lauristin Alo Mattiisen Ülo Nugis Anatolijs Gorbunovs Ivars Godmanis Eduards Berklavs Einars Repše Dainis Īvāns Konstantins Pupurs Romualds Ražuks Vytautas Landsbergis Kazimira Prunskienė Albertas Šimėnas Gediminas Vagnorius Audrius Butkevičius Algirdas Brazauskas Arvydas Juozaitis Mikhail Gorbachev Vadim Bakatin Dmitry Yazov Vladislav Achalov Mikhail Golovatov Vladimir Uskhopchik Vladimir Antyufeyev Boris Pugo Alfrēds Rubiks Mykolas Burokevičius Ringaudas Songaila Karl Vaino

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The Singing Revolution^[a] was a series of events from 1987 to 1991 that led to the restoration of independence of the three Soviet-occupied Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania at the end of the Cold War.^[1][2] The term was coined by an Estonian activist and artist, Heinz Valk, in an article published a week after the 10–11 June 1988 spontaneous mass evening singing demonstrations at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds.^[3]

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