ABSTRACT
The Baltic countries continued to make progress during the Soviet era: their level of education rose, they became industrialized and urbanized and their agriculture was mechanized. In a comparison with the Soviet republics and the former socialist countries of East Central Europe, Estonia and Latvia have been the best performers among the former Soviet republics and are comparable with Hungary and Slovakia; while Lithuania compared with Poland. In terms of rural background, too, the three Baltic States not only share similarities but also differ significantly. Before the Soviet era, Lithuania was less industrialized and Lithuanian agriculture lagged far behind Estonia and Latvia. Any attempts to explain the success of agricultural reforms by reference to their adherence to certain patterns are bound to fail. Also the failures and partial successes of decollectivization in the Baltic countries prove that good rural policies cannot be based upon dictation.
