BALTIC PROVINCES (in Russia), a term generally given to the five Russian govern ments bordering on the Baltic, namely, Cour land, Livonia, Esthonia, Petrograd and Fin land; in a restricted sense it often designates the first three. The Baltic provinces once be longed to Sweden, except Courland, which was a dependency of Poland. They came into the possession of Russia partly in the beginning of the 18th century, through the conquests of Peter the Great, partly under Alexander in 1809. Peter the Great conceded to the provinces their own administration and guaranteed the inhabitants freedom of conscience. These rights were confirmed anew in 1856, but in spite of this a systematic attempt was made by the Russian government, especially since 1880, to assimilate the provinces with the rest of the empire. The Greek Church endeavored to proselytize the people, the Russian language was substituted for the German in the schools and courts and the press was subjected to censor ship. These measures aroused great discontent and the autumn of 1905 witnessed the outbreak of a formidable revolutionary movement among the Lettish and Esthonian peasantry, •directed against both the German landowners and the Russian government. A borderland between
the Germanic and Slavonic areas, they have been a frequent cause of difficulty between Ger many and Russia, and during the great European War were the scene of many land and naval conflicts (see WAR, EUROPEAN). The bulk of the population is composed of Esths and Letts — the former a Finnish race, the latter akin to the Lithuanians. The higher classes, nobility and burghers, are Germans, who constitute about 7% per cent of the total population. The inhabitants are nearly all Protestants. Although the soil is not very fertile, agriculture is in a flourishing condition, owing to the improved methods of cultivation and a generally higher intelligence of the peo ple. Commerce and manufactures are also highly developed, favored by the proximity of the Baltic. The five provinces combined have an area of 191,526 square miles, and a popula tion of about 9,427,000.