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Video: Because of what the inhabitants of the Baltics were deported to Siberia, and how this resettlement helped the Soviet government
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
At the end of March 1949, a mass deportation of residents of the Baltic republics to Siberia and the far northern regions began. More than 90 thousand people were forcibly evicted from their homes and transported to a new place of residence. They were resettled by whole families, together with children and the elderly, allowing them to take only personal belongings and food with them. What was the reason for the Great March deportation, called Operation Surf, and what happened to the deported residents of the Baltic states?
National question
According to historical data, the decision to carry out a mass deportation was made personally by Joseph Stalin. The leader of the USSR was categorically not satisfied with the pace of collectivization in the Baltic republics, and therefore a plan was issued, according to which it was necessary to cleanse Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia of dubious elements. These initially included nationalists, kulaks and collaborators.
The main goal that had to be achieved was getting rid of bandits and nationalists, as well as citizens who sympathize with them and their families. The families of the bandits' accomplices, who had already been repressed and were serving sentences, were also included here.
First of all, according to the leadership of the USSR, it was necessary to get rid of the Baltic nationalists, the so-called "forest brothers". They enjoyed quite a lot of influence in society, as they tried to defend the independence of their republics, no matter what it cost them. At the same time, getting rid of the communist system seemed to the “forest brothers” to be a natural manifestation of patriotism, and the deprivation of the Baltic republics of the possibility of self-determination and independence was viewed by the nationalist formations as an occupation.
One of the most dangerous organizations for the Soviet regime was the Relvastatud Voitluse Liit, whose members practically openly declared their readiness to cooperate with European countries in the liberation struggle against the communist system. The Union of Armed Forces suffered the most from Operation Surf. But along with the "forest brothers", many of the simplest citizens suffered, who suddenly lost everything they had. But collectivization after the deportation really went much faster.
Deportation result
Peaceful citizens of the Baltic States experienced on their own experience everything that the Russian kulaks had to endure at the beginning of the twentieth century. As a result of the full and unconditional private right to land, thousands of citizens were deported to Siberia and remote regions of the North.
In Estonia, almost 21 thousand people suffered from the March deportation, about 43 thousand people were deported from Latvia, and almost 32 thousand people were deported in Lithuania.
Initially, it was assumed that the deported would settle in new places forever. The option of returning to their homeland was not envisaged by Operation Surf. Thousands of people were involved in this operation, including operatives, military personnel, and party activists. During the compilation of the lists for deportation, numerous denunciations of neighbors, relatives, and acquaintances were used. People tried to earn indulgences for themselves and save their own families by sacrificing strangers.
Operation Surf began at the same time: in the capitals of the Baltic republics at exactly 4 am, in the provincial areas at 6 am. The operation was completed a little more than three days later: on the night of March 28-29, 1949.
According to order 0022, people were to be transported to their new place of residence in equipped railway wagons, with full medical care and the availability of the necessary medicines. In fact, cattle wagons were often served, which were not adapted to transport people. Medical assistance was also often absent, so there were frequent deaths along the way.
The fate of the settlers
Some time after the death of Joseph Stalin, the deported received the right to return to their homeland. Someone took advantage of this right, but some citizens who were forcibly transported to Siberia and the North managed to rebuild their lives and stayed where fate had thrown them. They simply could not start their lives from scratch again.
After the collapse of the USSR, many party activists and the military were brought to trial and received real sentences for participating in the deportation. At the same time, even those whose age exceeded 80 years old, and whose health condition was very poor, were sent to prison. Even the almost immobilized and visually impaired were sent to prison.
Around the same period, the deported themselves and their heirs, who returned to their homeland, could return part of the lost property, proving their ownership of it.
In the USSR, undeveloped territories preferred to rise quickly. This required only labor, and the voluntary consent of the workers was the tenth thing. In the 20th century, Kazakhstan turned into a haven for exiled peoples of all kinds of nationalities. Koreans, Poles, Germans, Caucasian ethnic groups, Kalmyks and Tatars were forcibly deported here.
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