Description
Book SynopsisIn 1989 three Soviet republics--Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, known as Baltic countries--started a determined push for independence, risking to destabilize the Soviet Union and to derail international negotiations on German reunification. Politics of Uncertainty traces Soviet and American responses to Baltic claims for independence and, in doing so, sheds light on the end of the Cold War.
Trade ReviewThe Soviet Union's sudden and surprising collapse continues to resonate, nowhere more so than in the Baltics. Long subjugated, sometimes pawns, and oftentimes a thorn in the side of Kremlin leaders, the region's recent past tells us much about life next to a superpower. No scholar has better brought the Baltics and the end of the Cold War into focus than Una Bergmane, whose Politics of Uncertainty is certain to set the standard for any future study of this critical geopolitical hotspot. * Jeffrey A. Engel, Center for Presidential History, Southern Methodist University *
An excellent work of scholarship, thoroughly researched, original, and incisive. Based on a vast array of sources from the USA, USSR, and Europe, Bergmane gives us a whole new perspective on the Balts' independence struggle and their crucial role in Soviet collapse and the Cold War endgame. This book is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the strategic significance of the Baltic region today. * Kristina Spohr, author of Post Wall, Post Square: Rebuilding the World after 1989 *
Bergmane is a brilliant chronicler of the Baltic quest for independence from Moscow's rule. Juxtaposing Baltic, Russian, and American sources, she tells a very nuanced and yet highly readable story of how Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania negotiated their exit from the USSR, helping to undermine the Soviet empire in the process. A required read for any student of the Soviet collapse. * Sergey Radchenko, author of Unwanted Visionaries: The Soviet Failure in Asia at the End of the Cold War *
While the passing of Mikhail Gorbachev was met with appreciative recollections of his legacy of peace and democratization, Russia's brutal war against Ukraine reminds us that the causes and consequences of Soviet disintegration have not been fully established. As the world re-focuses on the process of Russia's imperial decline, Una Bergmane's analysis of the Baltic role in Soviet collapse is revelatory. With its rare and balanced analysis of the internal and international forces in play at the end of the Cold War, Politics of Uncertainty is essential reading for the post-post-Cold War world. * Violeta Davoliūtė, Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: The Origins of the Baltic Question Chapter 2: "Have you not noticed our absence?" The Baltic Question during the Annus Mirabilis of 1989 Chapter 3: Building a New World Order? The Lithuanian Crisis of Spring 1990 Chapter 4: The End of Perestroika? The Baltic Quest for Visibility and the Soviet Crackdown Chapter 5: The Rise of Republics, the Fall of the Center: The Baltic Exception and the Collapse of the USSR Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index
