Latvia (Latvija)

Capital : Riga

Size: 25 000 sq m Popn: 2 632 000

History

Latvia was settled by nomadic tribes who migrated from the south-west after the last ice age, in about 10 000 BC. Modern Latvians are descended from Indo-European tribes, including the Latgalians, Zemgalians and Kurzemians, who settled in the Baltic in about 3000 BC, as are the closely related Livs of whom there remain a few thousand in the north of the country. Livonian, a Finno-Ugric language, has links with Finnish and Estonian.

Latvia was on the trading route from Byzantium to Scandinavia and had its own sought-after commodity in amber becoming quite prosperous by the C12th AD. The country was quite heavily influenced by the Swedes and Danes after Viking invaders arrived in the C9th and the Russians attacked in the C10th. Christianity was introduced in the C13th, and a crusade lasting almost a century began although this may have been at least partly influenced by financial and political motives. The country was conquered by the German Teutonic Order around 1230 and the Christian military state of 'Livonia' was established by the Brotherhood of the Sword. Some of the main cities, including Riga (founded 1201), were established at this period and became members of the powerful trading organization, the Hanseatic League, in the C15th.

The German landowners were established as the ruling class over the Latvian farmers and artisans. Under threat of popular revolt, the Order adopted Protestantism as the state religion, in 1554 but in 1561, the prospect of Russian rule led to the Lithuanian-Polish state gaining influence and Catholicism replaced it in some areas. The Duchy of Kurzeme, to the west of the Daugava River, remained separate until the C18th and even established colonies in Africa (the Gambia) and the Americas (Tobago) with the rule of Duke Jacob (1642-82) being the most prosperous period. This area remained Protestant, but Latgale to the east came under Lithuanian-Polish rule in the C17th and the position of Catholicism was consolidated.

Much of the fighting between Sweden and Poland for domination of the Baltic area took place on Latvian territory. In 1621, the north part, Vidzeme or Livland, and Riga came under Swedish rule until the C18th. The period is regarded favourably by the modern ethnic Latvians as their ancestors were represented in parliament, Latvian schools were established, the Bible was translated into Latvian and the first Latvian language books were printed. The Russian Tsars still wanted control of the Baltic, especially the Baltic ports which were ice-free all year round and the Nordic or Great Northern War with Sweden (1700-21) gave them control of the north Latvian provinces of Vidzeme and Riga in 1710. Livonia was officially part of the Russian empire after the Treaty of Nystadt in 1721. Peter the Great allowed the Baltic German landowners to regain privileges lost under Swedish rule and the Baltic provinces were almost self-governing.

Russia acquired Latgale after the second division of Poland in 1772 and Kurzeme after the third in 1795 to rule virtually the whole of the Baltic states. The ethnic Latvians were given no political or cultural voice under the feudal regime of the C18th but after they were allowed to enter the university of Dorpat (Tartu), in Estonia, a sense of national identity began to be established by figures such as Krisjanis Valdemars, Juris Alunans and Atis Kronvalds. A new Latvian middle class grew up to demand equality with the Germans and react against the deliberate 'russification' of the country. As industry increased, the population expanded and a group of educated people, the Young Latvians, developed a distinctively Latvian style of literature and culture.

The Latvian Social Democratic Labour Party, founded in 1904, caused a national uprising in 1905 which tried to remove both the Russians and the Germans but was put down by the Russian army. There were some concessions though, including permission to use the Latvian language again but despite being allowed representation at district government level, Latvian demands for real political power continued. During the First World War, the Germans first entered the provinces of Courland and Estonia in 1915 when much of the population was evacuated but did not break through the defence of the Daugava River and Riga until the Revolution of February 1917 weakened the Russians and the Germans occupied the whole of Estonia and Livonia by February 1918.

There were deep political divisions between the Latvians themselves so it was not until November 1918 that the coalition called the Democratic Block managed to form the Latvian National Council and declare the independence of Latvia, including Courland (German) and Latgale (Russian). Latvian territory was the main Baltic 'theatre of operations' of the German forces during 1919. The Baltic Germans had formed a force called the 'Landeswehr' which was helping the German Reich but the Soviet Russians had the support of many Russian industrial workers living in Latvia and almost all of Livonia was under communist control by January 1919 and the Latvian government of Karlis Ulmanis had to retreat to Liepaja. He was replaced by the less formidable Andrievs Niedra in the coup of April 1919 but the German Baltic troops wanted him reinstated and the Allies (Britain, France, Italy) were forced to intervene and support Baltic independence.

During the War of Liberation, Latvia managed to drive out the various occupying forces (Bolsheviks, White Russians) with the help of a Polish alliance. An armistice with Soviet Russia was signed, the last of the Baltic countries to do so, and the ethnic Latvians were finally brought together as one state. The first elections were held in April 1920, a new constitution or 'Satsverme' was passed in 1922 and a constituent assembly formed. Latvia joined the League of Nations in 1921 and managed to become quite successful economically and culturally but remained politically unstable due to the large numbers of small parties in parliament. In the 1920s, there were many ethnic divisions within the population of about 2 million, 75.5% Latvian, 12% Russian, 4.8% Jewish, 3.2% German and 2.5% Polish.

As unrest grew during the world wide economic depression of the 1920s and 30s, prime minister Karlis Ulmanis dissolved parliament and in 1936 established a totalitarian regime, with himself as president, which was widely supported. By the 1930s, the country had one of the highest living standards in Europe and the state of emergency was lifted in 1938 but there was little opposition to Ulmanis and no elections resulted. Latvia had received financial support from the German Reich during the 1920s, but anti-German feeling was very strong. Latvian became the language of government, Latvian spellings were used for placenames and personal names were changed to Latvian forms. The Baltic Germans were evacuated after the Nazi-Soviet pact was made in 1939 and settled in former Polish territories.