A Concise History of the Baltic States

by Andrejs Plakans

Overview

The Baltic region is frequently neglected in broader histories of Europe and its international significance can be obscured by separate treatments of the various Baltic states. With this wide-ranging survey, Andrejs Plakans presents the first integrated history of three Baltic peoples – Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians – and draws out the common threads to show how it has been shaped by their location in a strategically desirable corner of Europe. Subordinated in turn by Baltic German landholders, the Polish nobility and gentry, and then by Russian and Soviet administrators, the three nations have nevertheless kept a their distinctive identities – significantly retaining three separate languages in an ethnically diverse region. The book traces the countries' evolution from their ninth-century tribal beginnings to their present status as three thriving and separate nation states, focusing particularly on the region's complex twentieth-century history, which culminated in the eventual re-establishment of national sovereignty after 1991.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521541558
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/24/2011
Series:	Cambridge Concise Histories
Edition description:	Concise
Pages:	492
Sales rank:	641,060
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Andrejs Plakans is Professor Emeritus at the Department of History, Iowa State University. His previous publications include The Latvians: A Short History (1995) and the Historical Dictionary of Latvia, 2nd edition (2008).

Table of Contents

1. The peoples of the Eastern Baltic Littoral; 2. The new order, 1200–1500; 3. The new order reconfigured, 1500–1710; 4. Installing hegemony: the Littoral and Tsarist Russia, 1710–1800; 5. Reforming and controlling the Baltic Littoral, 1800–55; 6. Five decades of transformations, 1855–1905; 7. Statehood in troubled times, 1905–40; 8. The return of empires, 1940–91; 9. Reentering Europe: 1991; Suggested readings.

Editorial Reviews

"Essential." -Choice

"In this publicity endorsement of this book, David J. Smith describes it as 'a masterful survey of the history of the eastern Baltic littoral,' and he is quite right." -Geoffrey Swain, The Russian Review

"A masterful survey of the history of the eastern Baltic littoral by one of the leading authorities in the field. Plakans' book provides the most accessible account to date of the rise of modern nationhood and of the commonalities of fate that have bound the peoples of the region during the modern era. Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding contemporary Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania." -David J. Smith, University of Glasgow

"A tour de force of concise and yet comprehensive history - probably the most complete and nuanced in any language. Plakans traces the footsteps of hunter-gatherers and farmers moving north with retreating glaciers to the struggles of contemporary Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians as they labor to maintain their national identities amid globalized interdependence. He discerns no simple patterns and notes the distinct trajectories of each people. The author underscores what is not known, particularly about earlier times, but weaves abundant factual information into the narrative." -Walter C. Clemens, Jr, Boston University

Within the limitations of his space and his chosen approach Professor Plakans achieves a successful mix of ethnic, political and cultural history and, as a competent ploughman, draws a well-directed furrow through the historical complexities of his subject. Overall the book provides a well-informed, balanced and readable account of the history of the three peoples of the eastern Baltic littoral, in both its earlier development and its current form." -Roger Bartlett, Journal of European Studies

From the Publisher