Abstract
Living for a time in the Baltic States area makes one realize how different Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are from each other. With respect to the political, economic and social fields, the three countries experience different phenomena and do not follow the same paths. This fact questions the representation of these three countries in the rest of Europe, as they are often pictured as a coherent group of states, very close to each other. One of the main reasons of this misunderstanding is indeed history, and especially the recent one, connected to the Soviet times and to the re-establishment of independent states. However, generally speaking, the Baltic shore area in itself had been put under foreign influence from the end of the 12th century. Interested in gaining new territories and the control of the valuable shores of the Baltic Sea, the neighboring powers actively fought for their hegemony over the region and its advantages.
