History of Latvia: a Brief Survey

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On 23 August 1989, fifty years had passed since the signing of the ‘Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact’.In order to call the world’s attention to the fate of the Baltic countries, on this day the People’sFronts of all three Baltic countries held a grandiose political demonstration —‘The Baltic Way’.The Baltic people made a 600-km-long human chain from Tallinn through Rīga to Vilnius. Thiswas a symbolic demonstration of the Baltic peoples’ united will for independence.‘The Baltic Way’ — a human chainthat demonstrated the unity of theBaltic nations in their aspirations forindependence. Latvia, 23 August 1989.Latvian parliamentarians following thedecision to reinstate independence, 4May 1990.An article announcing the renewal ofindependence was published on thefront page of the Latvian newspaperLatvijas Jaunatne, 5 May1990.44New elections of the Latvian Supreme Soviet took place on 18 March 1990, in which thesupporters of independence gained victory. On 4 May 1990, the new Supreme Soviet ofthe LSSR adopted a Declaration of Independence, which called for the renewal of pre-warLatvia and its 1922 Constitution. Moscow and USSR military circles could not come to termswith the plans to reinstate Latvia’s independence. In January 1991 pro-Moscow and procommunistpolitical forces launched an attack. With the use of brutal force, attempts weremade to overthrow the lawfully elected government. The implementation of Moscow’sgoals was thwarted by the Latvian people’s non-violent, organised resistance, which enteredhistory as the ‘Days of the Barricades’. On 19 August 1991, an unsuccessful attempt at acoup d’etat took place in Moscow when a small group of leading Soviet functionaries triedto usurp power. This event resulted in Latvia’s moving toward independence at an evenmore accelerated pace. On 21 August 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Republicannounced that the transition period to full independence that was declared on 4 May 1990had come to an end. Thus, Latvia proclaimed itself a fully independent nation — a nationwhose judicial foundation harked back to thestatehood that existed before the occupationon 17 June 1940. Latvia, alongside the otherBaltic States, demonstrated to the world thatthe renewal of independence of a country canbe achieved in a peaceful manner, withoutwar and bloodshed. Thus the whole process ofrenewing independence since the late 1980s isknown as the ‘Singing Revolution’.
The renewal of independence brought swift changes in Latvia’s economic sphere. At theend of 1991, the country abandoned the planned economy of the Soviet era and switchedto a free market economy. In 1993 the Latvian national currency, the lat, was brought backinto circulation. Latvia became an important transit country for the export of Russia’s rawmaterials. Land and other real estate were returned to their rightful pre-occupation ownersor their heirs.Following the renewal of independence, Latvia rapidly returned to the international milieu.On 17 September 1991, Latvia was admitted to the United Nations, and a few days earlierLatvia had already become a member of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation inEurope (OSCE). In February 1995, Latvia became a member of the European Council.The renewed Latvian parliament convened for its first session in 1993 and elected as PresidentGuntis Ulmanis (born 1939), the grand nephew of Latvia’s pre-war President, Kārlis Ulmanis.A system of political parties began to take shape. The Latvian Social Democratic Workers’Party and the Farmers’ Union resumed activities. Today, the whole spectrum of Europe’straditional political parties is active in Latvia (leftists, centrists, rightists, ‘greens’, etc.).‘Days of the Barricades’ in Latvia, 1991.45
Page 6: In the AD 900s, the ancient Balts b
Page 10 and 11: 12th century-1914The Age ofGerman,
Page 12 and 13: Walter von Plettenberg (c.1450-1535
Page 14 and 15: Luther’s Small Catechism (Enchiri
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Page 24 and 25: 1914-1939The Fight forIndependence
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Page 30 and 31: A scene from the film ‘Latvian We
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History of Latvia: a Brief Survey

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