In Memorium

It was the summer of 1940.  A dark chapter in Estonian history began in earnest.  A year earlier, the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop pact had been signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.  It was promoted as a non-aggression agreement, but there was a secret protocol that divided up the territories of Romania, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland into Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence.  Less than a month after the pact was signed, Germany invaded Poland and thus started a domino effect where subsequently all of these countries were annexed.  During Stalin's "Reign of Terror", the Soviet Union deported over 30,000 people from Estonia to Siberia.  They were mostly women and children.  Anyone connected with politics, government, military or other persons of influence were summarily rounded up with little or no warning and given only a few minutes to pack a suitcase and then shipped in boxcars across the vast stretches of Russia.  Many others were imprisoned in jails where torture and neglect were a daily routine. For many, their lands and property were confiscated and never returned to them. It is estimated that Estonia lost over 17.5 % of its population during the purge.  In the late 1950s, they were allowed to return home.  Many never returned, having died in captivity.  

On March 25th every year, the memory of these lost loved ones is commemorated with a candlelit display at the Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square) in the center of Tallinn.  We viewed the display with a feeling of reverence.  In the background we could hear a recording of some very sad-sounding music - a crying cello.  People talked in hushed tones.  I am humbled to live among these noble and precious people.  It is amazing to me that so many people from the "Land of the Free" think that socialism/communism is the way to go.  If we do not study history, we are bound to repeat it.

The pattern is in the shape the country of Estonia