Baltic Entente

The Baltic Entente was based on Treaty of Good-Understanding and Co-operation[1] signed between Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia on 12 September 1934 in Geneva.

The endeavour was ultimately unsuccessful, as the combined strength of the three nations and their statements of neutrality were insubstantial in the face of the massive armies of Poland, Germany and the Soviet Union.

The plans for division of control of European lands located between the two powers laid out in the August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact assigned the Baltic countries into Soviet "sphere of influence".

The idea of setting up a Baltic Union started gaining momentum between 1914 and 1918 and became a direct consequence[citation needed] of people's hopes for independence.

The concept of uniting Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania originated in the minds of the numerous refugees, who had no other choice than to flee to the west to escape the tyranny at home.

Acceptance of the Baltic states as members of the League of Nations in September 1921 meant that Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian security seemed endorsed.

[7] However, one of the first incidents that led to the demise of the union was the 1938 Polish-Lithuanian crisis, resulting from the death of a Polish soldier at the Lithuanian border.

The ambiguity led to a lack of common goals among its members and brought the feeling that co-operation was not beneficial for mutual advantage.