Baltic Facades: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Since 1945 (Contemporary Worlds)

"[Purs] shifts easily between the broader analysis and the telling details that make each country's experience distinctive. Overall, this is a lucidly written introduction to the region and its peoples."--Choice "All in all, it is a pleasant book to read: the language is rich and flowing, the text is clear. . . . The book is valuable for drawing the lines of similarity across time and space, and because of its orientation to reproduce the established narratives rather than criticize them. Our understandings, when delivered in a new light--stripped to their core, displayed against one another and reformulated in common-sense terms--may yield refreshing new views."--Journal of Baltic Studies "This book is the first and so far the only monographic exploration of the historically omnipresent and continuing tension between an externally imposed regionalism and three internally generated national identities in which the 'Baltic' concept is perhaps useful in times of crises but not descriptive of their sense of self; it is also the first to explore in great detail the difference between substance and image in the region . . . very satisfying to read . . . [a] well-written and informative essay." --History

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - most accounts of modern European history group these nations together under the umbrella term 'Baltic states'. In reality, these three separate, quite different countries are each continually struggling to find their own place within Europe whilst preserving their local identity. The idea of 'the Baltic' is a facade and yet the countries are tied together in many ways historically. Baltic Facades presents a radical new reading of the region, one that dispels the myth of a single, coherent Baltic identity. Instead Aldis Purs takes account of the uniqueness of each of the so-called Baltic states, whilst also examining the shared anxiety that the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania feel about their own identities and how others see them. Purs locates the three countries within the larger context of European history, stressing their similarities with the rest of the continent rather than their differences. Giving equal weight to developments in politics, economics, and social and cultural trends, Purs develops a thematic framework that places contemporary events in a longer perspective than traditional Cold War inspired views of the region. This title will appeal to the intellectually curious reader, one who seeks an account of the Baltic nations that provides a strong sense of place and goes beyond the confines of traditional political history.