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30 LITERATÛRZINÂTNE, FOLKLORISTIKA, MÂKSLA
8. It was not untill the middle of the nineteenth century that Latvians were allowed
to practise the rights to deal with law, religion, professional arts and
commerce. In the Soviet times Latvians were not allowed to practise seafaring
professions that had been a traditional source of livelihood engagement
for the native population since “time out of mind.” (Blackstone)ever. It was
the new–comers and not the indigenous inhabitants of Latvia who took these
niches. And that is why there still is no strong tradition among Latvians in
these fields yet. As a result, we often witness insufficient ability of Latvia to
defend her national interests on an international level and incapablity of creating
an internationally recognizable image.
9. The Soviet style of communication greatly has been preserved i.e.: 1) directing
oneself to corporative or party–oriented interests instead of national interests; 2)
misinterpretation of the term “national” to mean “ethnic” instead of “belonging
to the state” or “stately”, with the ensuing problems; 3) groundless suspicion and
the prevalence of conspiracy theories, popularity of the theory of conspiracy
among the population as a consequence of the experience of numerous political
treasons in the 20th century and the Soviet totalitarian system; 4) secrecy of decision
making and implementation ; 5) lack of interpersonal skills and distrust
of team work; 6) rudeness and bossiness towards the subordinates; 7) a loud and
aggressive manner of speech.
In a larger context Latvia occupies a unique place. Estonia has formed a close
partnership with Finland partly because of a common ancestry. Lithuania, due to its
history and a strong Catholic tradition, is closer to the traditional Catholic countries.
As the contemporary Latvian poet and ex–President of the PEN Club of Latvia Knuts
Skujenieks points out:
If the Baltic states take a very special place in the panorama of Europe
then Latvia takes a very special place in the Baltics. Historically Latvia
had been lying on the crossroads not only of the Baltics but on the
whole of East Europe. In ancient times it was here that the top people of
Baltic and Finno–Ugrian tribes met, whereas the bulk of the tribes was
living in neighboring areas which ethnically were more monolithic. It is a
fact of historical importance that this conglomeration of ethnic diversity
eventually became the Latvian nation. The echo of these remote times is
still felt in the multicultural panorama of Latvia. For centuries the neighboring
big powers had been partitioning and dividing our land and our
people. And it was only in the twentieth century right after the First
World War that Latvia became independent and united. 6
It was starting from the thirteenth century the that tribes and clans who lived on
the territory of Latvia built the Latvian nation by defending themselves against foreign
invaders. Foreign invasion, on the one hand, stimulated the formation of the
Latvian nation; whereas, on the other, it hindered its development by enslaveding its
the people. In the fourteenth century Latvia marked the borderline between the western
Hanseatic Union and the oriental Golden Horde, which actually was the genuine
border between the West and the East. In a broader sense it was the demarcation line
between the psychology of farmers and cattle–breeders. Farmer psychology is characterized
by “the respect for any object of nature or a living being; no need to take