When was latvia created

Like its Baltic neighbours, Latvia has made a rapid transition to the free market since the early s. More than a quarter of the population is primarily Russian-speaking, and Russian propaganda efforts in this community are a cause of concern for the Latvian authorities. President: Raimonds Vejonis. Raimonds Vejonis was elected in June after five rounds of voting in Latvia's member parliament.

Mr Vejonis's previous position as defence minister was seen as a possible advantage in dealing with heightened military and political tension with neighbouring Russia.

Although generally a ceremonial post, Latvia's president can veto legislation, call referendums, and has some leeway in nominating the prime minister for parliamentary approval. Prime minister: Arturs Krisjanis Karins. Arturs Krisjanis Karins became prime minister in January at the head of a coalition of five conservative and liberal parties, excluding the pro-Russia Harmony party that had emerged as the largest bloc in parliament after the October elections.

Mr Karins was born in the US state of Delaware to Latvian emigre parents, and earned a doctorate in linguistics before emigrating to Latvia and going into business.

He was elected to parliament in as an MP for the centre-right New Era Party, and went on to serve as economy minister before becoming a member of the European Parliament. He was the conservative Unity party's candidate for premiership at the election. The media operate freely, with few legal restrictions. A law provides prison terms for libel and incitement of racial hatred.

A Latvian constituent assembly, elected in April , met in Riga on May 1; and on August 11 a Latvian-Soviet peace treaty was signed in Riga, the Soviet government renouncing all claims to Latvia. The Latvian constitution of Feb. The multiplicity of parties in the Saeima 22 in and 24 in made it impossible to form a stable government; and in Ulmanis, prime minister for the fourth time since , proposed a constitutional reform. This was angrily opposed by the Social Democrats, the communists, and the national minorities.

The German minority became Nazified, and Ulmanis had to suppress the Latvian branch of the Baltischer Bruderschaft "Baltic Brotherhood" , whose program was the incorporation of the Baltic state into the Third Reich; but a Latvian fascist organization called Perkonkrust "Thundercross" developed fierce propaganda. On May 15, , Ulmanis issued a decree declaring a state of siege.

The Saeima and all the political parties were dissolved. On April 11, , on the expiration of the second term of office of President Alberts Kviesis, Ulmanis succeeded him. The country's economic position improved considerably.

The Soviet occupation and incorporation. In October Latvia had to sign a dictated treaty of mutual assistance by which the U. On June 17, , Latvia was invaded by the Red Army. On June 20 the formation of a new government was announced; on July 21 the new Saeima voted for the incorporation of Latvia into the U.

In the first year of Soviet occupation about 35, Latvians, especially the intelligentsia, were deported to Russia. During the German invasion of the U. About two-thirds of the country was occupied by the Red Army in About , fled to Sweden and Germany before the arrival of Soviet forces.

The first postwar decade proved particularly difficult. The uncompromising effort of the regime to transform the country into a typical Soviet bailiwick compounded the devastation of the war. Severe political repression accompanied radical socioeconomic change. Extreme Russification numbed national cultural life. Several waves of mass deportation to northern Russia and Siberia--altogether involving at least , people--occurred, most notably in in connection with a campaign to collectivize agriculture.

Large-scale immigration from Russia and other parts of the Soviet Union began and continued throughout the postwar period. In just over 40 years the proportion of Latvians in the population dropped from roughly three-fourths to little more than one-half.

The ruling Communist Party was disproportionately composed of immigrants. A concerted effort made to nativize the party and especially its ruling cadres triggered a wholesale purge in of indigenous high-level officials. The immigrant element headed by first secretary Arvids Pelse and his successors Augusts Voss and Boriss Pugo remained entrenched in positions of power during the following three decades. Restoration of independence.

A national renaissance developed in the late s in connection with the Soviet campaigns for glasnost "openness" and perestroika "restructuring". Mass demonstrations on ecological questions in were the first non-officially-staged political gatherings in the country in postwar times.

Latvia was accepted into the League of Nations. The first Parliament or Saeima was elected on October For the first four parliaments , the Social Democrats always had the largest fraction of votes, however the runner-up conservative Farmers Union was usually the party which formed a coalition and led the government. Gustavs Zemgals was elected president in and was followed by Alberts Kviesis in Latvia developed regional transit connections and ran international trade with the West and East.

Strong agricultural foundation of the economy permitted Latvia to survive the Great Depression with lesser losses. The state was ruled in an authoritarian way and liberties such as freedom of speech were limited. However, no violence or killings happened. Political deals between the two totalitarian regimes in Europe — the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union — interrupted the independence of Latvia.

Skip to main content. Enter your keywords.