Talk:Singing Revolution
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[edit] Why just Estonia?
I think the last part should include Lithuania and Latvia as well. Why just Estonia? Ubermonkey 20:08, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)
I changed that part a little to indicate that the other Baltic states' independence started the collapse of USSR. But the sentence about gaining independence without bloodshed is only about Estonia, since it was a result of the revolution, which only happened in Estonia (and I think some blood was shed in Vilnius). PeepP 20:24, July 31, 2005 (UTC)
- I believe that this bloodshed was after declaration of independence. Maybe this article needs to be splited in three parts - one for each country -- Xil - talk 22:38, 12 November 2005
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- There was bloodshed in Vilnius on January 13, 1991, when Soviet military attacked television centre as they were trying to establish a hardline communist puppet government (so-called National Salvation Front led by M.Burakevicius). 14 people died as a consequence. Only a week later, Soviet OMON forces (special militia) assaulted Latvian Interior ministery buildings in Riga, at least 4 people were killed. Constanz 09:10, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
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- Somone realy should do something with this article (someone who is old enough to remember and tell diference between singing revulution national aweaking and barricades... or to assure that it is synonims for same thing) - it clearly isn`t only estonian revulution, they weren`t only ones who singed and it probably didn`t even start in 1988 -- Xil - talk 02:20, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
Does anyone else think the wiki-links to "history" and "song" are just a little bit too much? I think both concepts are pretty much universally understood. ekedolphin 00:38, August 17, 2005 (UTC)
- Be bold and remove the unnecessary wikilinks, I don't think a lot of people would object. PeepP 12:13, August 17, 2005 (UTC)
[edit] ERR0R
Congress of Estonia (Eesti Kongress) is not Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). According to this Estonian article http://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eesti_Kongress Congress of Estonia was alternative (to the Estonian Supreme Soviet) parliament of the country near the end of the Soviet period. When the anti-Gorbachev coup d'etat failed to subdue the democrats across USSR, on 20 august of 1991 the leadership of the Congress, the Comitte of Estonia agreed to join together with the Supreme Soviet (see here http://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eesti_Komitee) in show of national unity, declaring Estonia independent, drafting the constitution and finally calling to election of the Riigikogu, the real parliament of the country replacing both the Supreme Soviet and the Congress
—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bete (talk • contribs) 20:32, 24 January 2007 (UTC).
[edit] moved to talk
Sorry,but Singing Revolution began in Estonia 1987 june.When 3 musicians started in"Raekoja plats"(City Hall Square) sing forbidden songs.But that theme is censored in Estonia 19 years. Volvofriik 20:28, 26 May 2006
[edit] Latvia? Lithuania?
Can somebody explain why here is section about Latvia and Lithuania? "Singing Revolution" is unified name to events of just few years, most involved singing in different events (song festivals), in Estonia. It was mainly about courage of people to sing again songs which were forbidden. This awakening, rising of self-esteem, played one (quite major) part of other events that Estonia got, alongside Latvia and Lithuania, independece again. There was many other (political) events/acts what Baltic states did together, but these can't be counted as part of "Singing Revolution". Can somebody point out any event which was outside Estonia which we can include here? (Baltic Way included singing, but this event wasn't the main part of it) It seems now that article tries to define all events in Baltics, in these years, as Singing Revolution, but that is quite a lot of extending the meaning of it, geographically and by importance. --TarmoK 22:02, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
- Yes, I agree with TarmoK. "Singing Revolution" is also in my history book described as events that happened in Estonia. I'll try to find the pictures, but they are quite hard to get..Most are copyrighted.
[edit] Truth About the Recent History of Estonia
By Tann Weinberg
It all began on June 4, 1987, on the Tallinn City Hall Square, completely by chance, when the official part of the Old City Festival ended, and people didn't feel like going home yet. All of them – single people and young couples, some older people among them -- searched for activity for themselves. And they found it, when under the City Hall bell, at first two, later one more musician, started to play. These songs were especially popular, for singing of which, the militia could carry away. After some five minutes, the City Hall arcade was full of people. And more people were coming.
Finally, one nineteen year old girl, named Elfa, proposed to people to make a tour in the Old City. And so all the people, hand in hand, started to wander through the Old City. In different interesting courtyards and other places, they stopped. They made a pause in singing, and listened a short story about that place from a guide, who was among them, and they went ahead then. It continued so until four o'clock in the morning. In the end, when they all were back at the City Hall, they did agree that in the next evening, they would meet again at the same place. Also, all were asked to take their friends, relatives and other people who they know, with them. And this is what they did.
In the next evening, the City Hall arcade couldn't accommodate all the people any more. Some among the people tried to go to the stage, which was there for performances, and started to trample the rhythm there. After that, the vacation parks directress Rita Mägar (peace be with her) came there, she was also the chairwoman of the Old City Festival Organisation Committee. She asked to stop breaking the stage. She also said, that we perturb the sleep of the locals, and made a proposal that we could go to the Singing Square, she promised to call there, so that the lighting would be on. Of course we did happily agree. We couldn't disturb there anyone, and that place is there for singing. Initiated by Elfa again, led by us with the musical instruments, the procession started to silently move from the City Hall Square. And then again by singing.
At that, the militia appeared. The militia started to pick the underage ones from the procession. It was already later than twelve o'clock. We took all the youngsters under our protection. Some said that she is the elder sister, other said that he is a brother, other said that he/she is the mother or father. No one was carried away. But for militia, the things became more severe. The cars hurried there. And an intensive filming and photographing started. Probably most of these who were in that procession, were recorded. The length of the procession was such that it did extend from the City Hall Square to the Viru Gates. It was a nice to see, how the Estonians (together with a few Russians) marched so harmoniously through the city. And as promised, there was a nice lighting on the Singing Square, and soon also 6 militia cars appeared on the hill opposite to the Singing Arc, from which they continuously photographed, and apparently also filmed the people. We then quickly decided among ourselves, that we would not let anyone to provoke us, would behave composedly, and when leaving, will not leave any rubbish behind us – so that no one could reproach us anything. And all of us strictly obeyed these rules. In the next evenings, people came again to the Singing Square, after the end of the official part of the Old City Festival. And every next evening, there were more people. We also used to count people every evening. The results are written in the diaries.
In the fourth evening, there already were some more courageous ones among us. One girl carried a blue-black-white flag in the bosom. Five or six Punkers, who were among us, saw that, and not much time did pa*s before they had disentangled the flag cords of the masts on the substation roof, and soon the flag flowed at full mast. At first they wanted to hoist the flag to the pole of the flame tower, but Korsten forbid it. The Punkers were very happily on guard under the flag. This of course caused a high officer to arrive from a car which did stand at some distance, who ordered to take off the flag. Through some miracle everything resolved peacefully, the flag flied at the mast until morning, and the officer leaved. Later became clear, that the officer was from KGB. Rita Mägar, who joined us that evening, and apparently was sent to check the behavior of the people, just sighed that this would be her last working day. Fortunately it wasn't. In the next evening, the flag cords were disappeared from the masts. But this was not a big problem, the boys went quickly to Kadriorg, and were soon back with new cords, and a young man named Jaak was like a squirrel at the top of the mast. The cords were fastened and the flag flied again. Such was the week before Rodeo.
In the Supreme Soviet, they constantly complained about all these events. Some official even came to reprimand us. The people answered with a roaring song “We are the Forest Brothers” (the Forest Brothers were the partisans who fought the Soviet occupation forces). The official gave up. And finally, when it was already evident that nothing can be done – the people were just too rebellious – the band called Rodeo was sent to the Singing Square, and the leaders turned everything to their own benefit, as if they were generous, and sent us a band. After the Rodeo performance, the people didn't leave at all, but the joy and the celebration continued until morning. It was also obviously better to sing the known songs. Principally, it could been posed that the spontaneous activities were crushed, and the Communist Party fat bosses were honorable again. But they didn't consider that in the same evening, a half an hour interview with the description of all the events, was given to a Finnish radio station. By the latest evidence, this interview is st**l present in the archive. For certain reasons, I cannot reveal the name of that radio station. I hope that I will succeed to obtain these recordings, before someone would cover them (as these are evidently about a censored history). The other people in Estonia couldn't see the blue-black-white flags, which were present in the procession, before the year 1988. After it appeared once at the flag pole of the City Hall, and the militia took it off, accompanied by the jeers of the people. For hoisting that flag, and for a hand tie with a red question mark, I was even once arrested in Pagari (the former building of the KGB in Pagari street). Fortunately only for one night, and without any bigger violence. Tre trump which we had then, was continuous communication with the foreign press, and KGB knew it. The following people testify these events: Pelle-Rein Popovitš, Arne Meensalu alias Korsten, Laine Vainumäe, Tiiu Vainumäe, Jaan Roop, Tiina Paidra, certainly Jüri Liim, who was the anchorman in the live broadcast in 1994, where 4 hour interview about these events was given, and certainly also many other people who were present, who I hope to find by the published calls.
PS! In the next year -- in the year 1988 – the initiated tradition continued already in the official form. The people were thankful to the leaders, and the latter ones were satisfied with themselves. But unfortunately the authorities and the historians have written only about that last form of the events, without the events which preceded them. But without these preceding events, the several years long tradition could not been initiated. Certainly, many people remember the sentence which appeared in the press, that before these official events, there was some kind of Punks song festival. The same disparaging remark was publicly made during the events by the singer in the band Rodeo, Mart Mikk. But by that he also proved that something really happened before the official events. October 16, 2006 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.196.42.6 (talk • contribs) 20:17, 16 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Yes, all baltic states
Singing was form of resistance in all three countries, like it or not, my history book states: "Again the forrbiden red-white-red flag was used openly and latvian songs were sung, that is the reason why it, same as in Lithuania and Estonia, was named the singing revolution" -- Xil/talk 17:02, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
