CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Wollen, James Montgomery |
|---|---|
| Title | The Baltic Configuration: The Role of the Baltic Entente in the Mental Mapping of Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania, 1934-1940 |
| Summary | Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are customarily grouped together as distinct region, routinely referred to as the ‘Baltic States’.These three republics were independent during the interwar period (1918-1940), though they were occupied by the Soviet Union subsequent to the Second World War. The prevailing scholarly consensus is that this widespread popular perception is a result of their collaborative national movements for the reestablishment of their national sovereignty during the Soviet period; particularly during the 1980s and early 1990s. Based upon the related theoretical foundations of Mental Mapping and Constructivism as practiced within International Relations theory, this thesis explores the contribution of the Baltic Entente (1934-1940) to the development of the idea of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania constituting the ‘Baltic States’. The Baltic Entente was the first legislated trilateral cooperative initiative between the three states; essentially endeavouring to unify foreign policy and internal legislature of the three states. Utilising the theoretical approaches of Mental Mapping and Constructivism, the rhetoric and discourse of the eleven diplomatic conferences of the Baltic Entente are analysed. The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether or not the notion of the ‘Baltic States’, at a governmental level, existed prior to the Second World War. The findings of this enquiry suggest that the idea of such a concept was present during the interwar period. This suggests that the development of the notion of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania constituting a particular region was not solely theresult of the Soviet occupation of the three republics. |
| Supervisor | Rieber, Alfred J. |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/wollen_james.pdf |
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