The Baltic States as a legal culture space within the discourse of law history processes (searching for the identity of Baltic law)

Abstract

The sense of belonging and togetherness plays an important role throughout the existence of any nation. It is not only a stable social organisation or, in other words, social structure, but also a continuity of common emotional experiences, that is necessary for a harmonious and sustainable existence of any society. While discussing national identity, we also discuss common European values and an identity that unifies the European nations. However, it is considerably easier to substantiate the existence of a regional identity as opposed to an identity that can unify one particular part of the world. The Baltic states are often perceived as a unified cultural space; hence this paper assesses to what extent they have developed a common legal tradition that could be used to form a common identity of the Baltic peoples. The paper looks at several distinct historical periods: the Middle Ages up until the collapse of Livonia, from the collapse of Livonia until the territory of the Baltic states was annexed by the Russian Empire, the rule of the Russian Empire, the time of independent nation states in between the two world wars in the twentieth century, the period of the occupation by the USSR, the restoration of independence, and finally – a common existence and future as a part of the European Union.