Latvia

The Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika) is a country in Northern Europe. Latvia has land borders with its two fellow Baltic states ? Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south ? and Russia and Belarus to the east. In the west Latvia shares a maritime border with Sweden. The capital of Latvia, Riga (Latvian: R?ga), is the largest city in the Baltic States.

History

Main article: History of Latvia

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Known originally as Livonia, the area that now constitutes Latvia was under the influence of the German Sword Brethren (Schwertbrüder) from the 13th century onward until the 16th century, when the institution of Livonia was terminated and sold by the local aristocracy to Poland. During several wars different regions of Latvia were occupied by Poland, Sweden and Russia. However, in the 18th, during the Great Northern War, and later, following the Partitions of Poland, Russia gained control over Latvia and the neighbouring regions.

Related Topics:
Livonia - German - Sword Brethren - 13th century - 18th - Partitions of Poland - Russia

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With Russia devastated by revolution and World War I, Latvia declared its independence on November 18 1918. After independence was gained, there still were two years of battles against German militarists, Russian communists and adventurers like Pavel Bermont-Avalov. These two years are called The Struggle for Independence.

Related Topics:
Revolution - World War I - November 18 - 1918 - Pavel Bermont-Avalov

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During the 1920s and early 1930s, Latvia enjoyed an elected, republican government. Its constitution was adopted on February 15th, 1922. It acknowledged that the people themselves were sovereign, and provided for the proportional election of their representatives by all Latvians of at least 21 years of age. As with most democratic governments, it was a multi-party system, with between 22 and 28 parties, at any given time, holding at least one seat in the parliament, called the Saeima. Governments (parliamentary governments refer to the administration in power as a "government", not to be confused with the formal entity running a given region, also called "government", such as the United States government) were usually organized by coalitions of parties, forming a large enough percentage to control the whole.

Related Topics:
1920s - 1930s - Republican - Constitution - February - 1922 - Party

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This system was overthrown by Prime Minister K?rlis Ulmanis, in a military coup in 1934. Latvia became an authoritarian state. Its independence lasted only briefly, as the Soviet Union occupied and annexed the country on 17 June 1940 in accordance with the Soviet-German agreement (Ribbentrop-Molotov pact) of 1939.

Related Topics:
K?rlis Ulmanis - 1934 - Authoritarian - Soviet Union - 17 June - 1940 - Ribbentrop-Molotov pact - 1939

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Latvians - like most other Europeans - were involved in World War II; it began when the Red Army recruited troops in 1941. After the Soviet Union was pushed out by Nazi Germany a little later, locals were recruited for a "border patrol" and formed a legion in the Waffen SS. Latvians therefore fought for both sides in large numbers.

Related Topics:
Red Army - Nazi Germany - Waffen SS

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Except for a brief period of German occupation during World War II, Latvia was part of the Soviet Union until the country regained its independence on 21 August 1991. In 2004 the country became a member of both NATO and the European Union.

Related Topics:
German - World War II - Soviet Union - 21 August - 1991 - 2004 - NATO - European Union

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