Dissent and Nationalism in the Soviet Baltic.

This paper examines the evolution of Baltic dissent and nationalism in the 1970s and early 1980s, focusing on their determinants, significance, and potential for generating political instability in this important region of the Soviet Union. This is the region most directly affected by developments in Eastern Europe, and in turn it is the one most likely to affect Soviet policies in the area. The report focuses on Soviet policies and practices that are perceived as generating dissent and nationalist unrest in the Balkan republics and analyzes the scope and nature of, and constraints on, political and religious dissent there. Research for this study has included an extensive review of Western and Soviet literature and in-depth interviews with a number of recent emigres from the Balkans.