---
title: "Video: A historian debunks the Russian myth of the golden age of the Baltics in the Soviet Union"
id: "23752"
type: "post"
slug: "video-historian-debunks-myth-golden-age-baltics-soviet-union"
published_at: "2017-04-04T23:50:38+00:00"
modified_at: "2022-07-26T22:39:34+00:00"
url: "https://estonianworld.com/security/video-historian-debunks-myth-golden-age-baltics-soviet-union/"
markdown_url: "https://estonianworld.com/security/video-historian-debunks-myth-golden-age-baltics-soviet-union.md"
excerpt: "Latvian historian Gatis Krumins discovered detailed accounting reports of the State Bank of the Soviet Union, according to which the main investments to the Baltics […]"
taxonomy_category:
  - "Security"
  - "Videos"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "Baltics"
  - "Estonian history"
taxonomy_post_format:
  - ""
publisher: "Estonian World"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Sten Hankewitz"
author_url: "https://estonianworld.com/author/stenhankewitz/"
---

# Video: A historian debunks the Russian myth of the golden age of the Baltics in the Soviet Union

![A bread factory in the Soviet-occupied Estonia. Photo by Gunnar Loss.](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Bread-factory-in-the-Soviet-occupied-Estonia.-Photo-by-Gunnar-Loss.-1.jpg)

A bread factory in the Soviet-occupied Estonia. Photo by Gunnar Loss.

By  [Sten Hankewitz](https://estonianworld.com/author/stenhankewitz/)
  ·  April 5, 2017  · [Security](https://estonianworld.com/category/security/)
, [Videos](https://estonianworld.com/category/videos/)
 · 1 minute of reading

### Latvian historian Gatis Krumins discovered detailed accounting reports of the State Bank of the Soviet Union, according to which the main investments to the Baltics went into Soviet military spending, and the Baltic states were rather subsidising other Soviet regions.

When the Baltic countries were occupied by the Soviet Union, the people in these countries – Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians – were told that investments in people, their social needs and construction were priorities. When the Soviet Union inevitably collapsed, this myth was later often twisted by Russia and the “ungrateful Baltic countries” were reminded that the Soviet Union “tore a piece of itself off and gave it to them”.

Estonians were also told that they produced nothing, but “were fed by the Soviet Union”.

Now there’s proof that these claims were false. Latvian historian Gatis Krumins discovered detailed accounting [reports](http://www.va.lv/sites/default/files/lv_psrs_norekini2016_final_eng_final.pdf)
 of the State Bank of the Soviet Union from 1946-1991, and after studying 45,000 pages of information, he found that during that period, the main investments to the Baltics went into Soviet military spending, and that the Baltic states were rather subsidising other Soviet regions.

## About The Author

![Avatar photo](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/local-avatars/15/1707599474-bpfull-100x100.jpg)

[Sten Hankewitz](https://estonianworld.com/author/stenhankewitz/)
Sten Hankewitz is a lifelong journalist and the Executive Editor at Estonian World. Having lived in Estonia, Spain, the UK and all around the US, he now resides in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He loves to write and besides working at Estonian World, he [writes books](https://estonianworld.com/culture/the-grand-illusion-estonian-worlds-sten-hankewitz-publishes-a-novel-about-growing-up-in-the-soviet-union/)
 and contributes to other outlets. He has strong convictions and shows them unashamedly. You can follow Sten on [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@stenhankewitz)
, [X](https://twitter.com/stenhankewitz)
 and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/shankewitz/)
. You can also [email him](mailto:sten@estonianworld.com)
.