By Andrew L. Jaffee

The Estonian authorities have removed a contentious Red Army war memorial in the capital, Tallinn, despite overnight protests that left one person dead.

- BBC, 4/27/07

To this, “A [Russian] foreign ministry spokesman described the decision as ‘blasphemous and inhumane’.” The Russian government is talking like it had the “right” to annex Estonia in 1940, but Estonians haven’t forgotten what their former Russian tormentors (occupiers) did to them for 50 years. How would you like to see a Nazi “war memorial” erected in your hometown, say in Tel Aviv or Chicago? Nazi or Soviet — it’s all the same.

Yes, Stalin “helped” to defeat Hitler, but by allying ourselves with the Soviet Union in WWII, we supported a monstrous state, the Russian Empire, in killing as many or more people than the Nazis did (Stalin killed about 20 million):

In the first year of Soviet occupation, from June 1940 to June 1941, those confirmed executed, conscripted, or deported is minimally estimated at 124,467: 59,732 in Estonia, 34,250 in Latvia, and 30,485 in Lithuania.[1]

After the mass slaughters, intensive Russification was carried out in the Soviet “republics.” Selective murders were carried out by the KGB and NKVD for 50 years to quell indigenous cultural expression. For example, the Latvian and Estonian nations were pushed to the brink of extinction through policies of forced language learning, outlawing of cultural/religious practices, and by encouraging huge numbers of Russians to emigrate to the “republics.” Estonia ended up with a 42% Russian population while Latvia ended with a 30% Russian population. If not for these peoples’ tenacity, and a little help from Reagan, ex-pats, etc., the attempted genocide would have been completed.

All the occupied republics had resources which Russians either needed or wanted. As Orwell said, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” The commissars got personal dachas, pocketed local tax revenues, and exercised unlimited power. It was good being at the top.

Before the Soviets, the czars ruled most of the later-labeled “republics.” The “greater Russia” concept, that Russians were a master race that deserved to rule the inferior satellites, was simply carried on by Soviet czars.

Go to Lithuania. Go to Turkmenistan. Ask the locals about how the Russians ruled them, czar or commissar alike. Ask the people there how they viewed Russian domination. The Russian neo-imperialists are still talking of a “greater Russia.”

The Russian rulers mistreated the satellites for power and greed. Their master plan was to fill nations like Estonia up with Russians until there was nothing left but Russians. The satellites were inferiors (and were resented for their economic successes), just as the Nazis considered the Jews. Remember that Hitler had the same plan for countries like Lithuania. He planned to work the populaces to death, and then fill the nations with German settlers.

It was racist — colonialist, expansionist, imperialistic — plain and simple. “Socialism” was just a convenient appellation. So before you go lamenting about the Red Army war memorial in Tallinn, brush up on your history.

EESTI RULES!
[1] Dunsdorfs, Edgars. The Baltic Dilemma. Speller & Sons, New York. 1975

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Related: Communism / Socialism, Russia, Baltic States

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