The Singing Revolution

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For the Estonian "Singing Revolution", see Singing Revolution.

The Singing Revolution is a documentary film created by James Tusty and Maureen Castle Tusty [1] about the nonviolent Singing Revolution in Estonia where hundreds of thousands of Estonians gathered publicly, between 1986 and 1991, in an effort to end decades of Soviet occupation. The revolutionary songs they created anchored Estonia’s non-violent struggle for freedom. [2]

Soviet Russian forces invaded Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1939, at the beginning of World War II [3]. As had happened in Latvia and Lithuania, by the end of the war more than a quarter of the Estonian population had been deported, executed, or had fled the country. During the turbulent decades that followed, music became a powerful unifying force in the Baltic republics, a means of preserving the country’s national identity, as well as a tool for political resistance in the face of cultural genocide.

The Singing Revolution documents how, between 1986 and 1991, Estonians courageously and peacefully demanded that the Soviets recognize their country’s right to statehood and self-government. The revolutionary songs they created anchored Estonia’s struggle for freedom, which was ultimately accomplished in 1991 without the loss of a single life. Singing fueled the non-violent revolution that defeated a very violent occupation. [4]

Combining interviews of movement leaders and Estonian citizens with rare archival footage from the period of Soviet occupation, The Singing Revolution accounts one small nation’s dramatic rebirth alongside its neighbors Latvia and Lithuania where similar events took place.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Internet Movie Database. The Singing Revolution. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
  2. ^ The Singing Revolution Film. The Recent History of Singing Revolution. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
  3. ^ The Singing Revolution Film. The History of the Soviet Occupation of Estonia. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
  4. ^ Internet Movie Database. The Singing Revolution. Retrieved August 10, 2007.