Posted on August 23, 2018
Two million people forming a human chain linking three countries?
It would take you more than seven hours to drive from Tallinn, Estonia, to Vilnius, Lithuania, on a road that goes through Latvia as well - but enough people poured out of their homes and businesses on this date in 1989 to stand hand-in-hand along 675 km (420 miles) of roads, as a part of what we call the Singing Revolution.
With the name Singing Revolution, you probably realize that this human chain wasn't JUST standing hand-in-hand. They were (1) singing patriotic songs, and (2) protesting "their" country. Because at the time, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were not independent nations, but were instead part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. |
| You can see that there are all manner of photos - sharp and blurry, black-and-white and color - of the Baltic Way. Also, I noticed that in many places there were a LOT of people, and it didn't exactly look like a human chain. But along roads between cities and in the countryside, the people were farther apart and definitely looked like exactly what they were - a very long chain of people! |
The Singing Revolution was a series of non-violent events that stretched over four years and that led to the restoration of independence in the Baltic nations. This particular 8/23/89 event was called the Baltic Way, the Baltic Chain, and the Chain of Freedom.
Non-violence, singing, AND success and freedom and independence? Now, all of THAT is something to celebrate!
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| The Baltic Way has been memorialized with installations, a Google doodle, stamps, and more. |
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