Background of the occupation of the Baltic states

The background of the occupation of the Baltic states covers the period before the first Soviet occupation on 14 June 1940, stretching from independence in 1918 to the Soviet ultimatums in 1939–1940. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania gained independence in the aftermath of the Russian revolutions of 1917 and the German occupation, which in the Baltic countries lasted until the end of World War I in November 1918.

Source: Wikipedia — Background of the occupation of the Baltic states (CC BY-SA 4.0)