The Baltic States

In the early '90s the small Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia shook off 50 years of Soviet occupation. Since then, these states have been struggling to recapture their historical and ethnic identities while finding a place at the table of free nations. It hasn't been easy. CBS Sunday Morning host Charles Osgood narrates this informative entry in the five part One World series, detailing the Baltic region's precarious position on the rim of the Soviet Union, its turbulent history of oppression and occupation, and its recent move to recover from years of environmental degradation and the old Soviet style "business as usual" bureaucratic torpor. The Soviet pullout saddled the region with unresolved trade and defense questions, and knotty issues concerning official state languages; too, the changeover to a free market economy left most citizens without a credit or employment history, or any tradition of financial saving. Fortunately, the transition has been mainly peaceful, with most people shunning recriminations and reprisals to focus on the future. While some are concerned that the new generation is turning its back on its Baltic heritage, these young men and women also represent the region's hope, resilience, and aspirations for modernization. The video interviews journalists, business executives, and political scientists who paint a cautiously optimistic future for the Baltics. Other volumes in the series include: Finland in the Global Marketplace, The Republic of India, The Kingdom of Thailand, and The Republic of Turkey ($124.95 series price). Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)