[Reader-list] The Tragedy of Nandigram

[Mare Tralla]

Dear Shuddha,
>
>Those of us who continue to consider ourselves claimants to the legacy
>of the International Communist movement (in whichever form) have to add
>another notch on our long list of events and processes that should cause
>introspection.
>
>Kronstadt 1921
>The Show Trials of the 1930s in the USSR
>The Gulag Experience in the USSR
>Berlin 1953
>Hungary 1956
>Mao's repression of Chinese Communists
>Czeckoslovakia 1968
>The Declaration of Martial Law in Poland
>The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
>Pol Pot
>The Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia
>The Continued Romance of Bankrupt Authoritarianism in Cuba and North Korea
>Tienanmen Square 1989
>Nandigram and the Left Front Government in West Bengal
>
>(Everyone can add to this list)
>
>Let us take stock of all this, and then salvage what we can from our
>history for the twenty first century.

I would like to add to that list the occupation of Baltic states: 
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1940 by the USSR and the preceding 
secret Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between USSR and Nazy Germany, which 
effectively lead to the Soviet occupation of Baltic states and other 
neighbouring territories of Poland and Romania. For more info on that 
look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov-Ribbentrop_Pact It also 
allowed the Nazy Germany to get on with its' occupation of other 
parts of Europe. It is important to remember those secret pacts and 
point to them as often as possible as they illustrate how big powers 
operate and how they have in history and sure also at present moment 
divide territories of interest and how those pacts are used to 
'shape' the world and the knowledge about the events taking place.

I just want to point out that some parts of the USSR, where hundreds 
of thousands of people were sent to Gulag or simply murdered were 
occupied territories and  not simply just USSR. We should not forget 
that part of the history. Far too often the occupation of Baltic 
states is not mentioned in this kind of lists. Somehow the official 
version of Soviet history still seems to be most remembered, when it 
comes to Baltic States.

As the political situation between Baltic States and Russia is very 
'hot' at present. Really bad with Estonia. On my recent trip to 
Moscow, I did not feel always very comfortable as Estonian. Even lied 
to people from time to time about where I come from, especially after 
rather unpleasant conversation with one artist, who truly believed 
what the Russian media was telling about Estonians and became rather 
aggressive when he learned, that I was Estonian. At the same time 
most of my Russian connections were very positive, especially with 
people who have visited Estonia in recent years and experienced by 
themselves that the picture portrayed by Russian media is not quite 
accurate. In Russia most of people still do not know anything about 
the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and they do not believe that the Baltic 
States were occupied by the USSR, rather they still think that there 
was a revolution in Baltic states and the people wanted to be part of 
USSR, never mind the Soviet Army, which was marching in.

In the current political situation between Estonia and Russia local 
nationalistic ideologies determine the reactions and media coverage 
in both sides. Estonians also have managed to fuel the situation as 
more nationalistic forces in Estonia want solution to the unresolved 
historical issues with Russia. And as one reaction those forces want 
to erase from history anything to do with the soviet period and in 
looking at that period only glorifying events and movements, which 
were in resistance with the Soviet occupiers. In this light the 
Estonians who fought against USSR in German army during the WW II are 
now heroes and the Estonians who were in Red Army are seen either as 
part of the occupying forces or victims of the situation.

Sorry for the history lesson, after my visit to Russia, it became 
again clearer that this history is still a cause for so many current 
events and continuous lies.

best,

Mare