 Latvia - national flag
A red flag with a white stripe is mentioned in a chronicle from 1279. These
colors were used by the Latvian national movement from the 1870's. In 1917, the
flag received its current design with the characteristic crimson color. The flag
was the flag of Latvia 1918-40, but was banned in Soviet times. From 1987, the
flag had to be shown again in public, and it became the national flag again in
the spring of 1990.
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Latvia - prehistory
The country was inhabited after the ice age by hunters and fishermen, whose
settlements and burial sites have been found along the coast, along streams and
lakes. Hunting, fishing and gathering were the basis of life throughout the
older and most of the Neolithic. Pottery was made from 4000 BC. In the
Neolithic, a distinction is made between the older Narva culture and the younger
comb-pottery culture. Settlements in peat bogs contain well-preserved tools of
wood, bone and roof, as at Sārnate, where amber was also collected and
processed. Farming was not introduced until the end of the Stone Age and
continued into the Bronze Age, at the same time as metal tools gained ground and
fortified settlements were built. From the Iron Age, many simple castles are
known. Finds from Grobin in Kurland testify to Scandinavian settlement
approximately 650-800 AD.
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Latvia - history
In present-day Latvia lived at the beginning of historical time several
Baltic tribes as well as Finno-Ugric livers. The area was conquered
around 1200 by German crusaders and became a diocese under Bremen. Bishop Albert
founded Riga in 1201 and founded the year after the Order of the Sword Knights,
which from 1237 was part of the German Order. Thereafter, the country was part
of a state of order, which disintegrated after the Reformation and in 1561 was
divided. The majority came under Poland-Lithuania, which eventually lost most to
Sweden. At the Peace of Nystad in 1721, the Swedish part (Livonia) was
incorporated into Russia. In 1772 and 1795 also became the Polish part
and KurlandRussian. However, the German-Baltic nobility retained its privileges,
including self-government with its own Landtag. In the early 1800's. the serfdom
was abolished, but at the same time the peasants lost the right to use the
land. The actual liberation came with reforms in the mid-1800's. In opposition to
German domination, a strong Latvian national movement emerged in the cities,
which withstood a brutal Russification that began in the late 1800's. At the same
time, a Latvian labor movement emerged, and the Latvian Social Democratic Party
took an active part in the Russian revolutionary events of 1905-07.
After large parts of the population during World War I had been forcibly
relocated to Russia, Germany occupied most of the country in 1915, and in
February 1918 it occupied all of Latvia. Germany wanted the area incorporated
into Prussia or possibly. to establish a vassal government, but the political
leaders of the country established a People's Council, which with British
support 18.11.1918 proclaimed Latvia as an independent republic with Kārlis
Ulmanisas Prime Minister. The Western powers wanted the German forces to remain
in the country as a defense against the Russians, but when the Germans withdrew,
most of Latvia was occupied by Bolshevik forces, a significant part of whom were
recruited from among evacuated refugees. In December 1918, a Latvian Soviet
government was formed under Pēteris Stučka (1865-1932). This government was
overthrown when German volunteers, supported by whitesLatvian military
units, in May 1919 went on the counterattack. The German units had previously
installed a new government and wanted to regain control of the Baltics, which
was thwarted by the defeat of the Estonian-Latvian forces in June 1919. Ulmanis'
government returned to power and the German forces left the country.. At the
Peace of Riga on August 11, 1920, Soviet Russia recognized Latvia's
independence. The following year, recognition came from several states, and the
country became a member of the League of Nations.
In 1922, Latvia got a democratic constitution, and a land reform dissolved
the mainly German-owned large estates. Political life, however, was marked by
great contradictions, and in connection with the economic crisis of the 1930's,
the situation worsened. In 1934, Ulmanis imposed a state of emergency, dissolved
all political parties and unions, and then ruled the country authoritarianly. At
the outbreak of World War II, Latvia declared neutrality, but the German-Soviet
Non-Aggression Pacthad placed the country in the Soviet sphere of interest, and
it was forced to sign a base agreement with the Soviet Union. The German-Baltic
minority, approximately 53,000 people, was moved to Germany in 1939-41. In June 1940,
Soviet forces occupied Latvia. A pro-Soviet government was formed, which called
elections to a People's Assembly. It proclaimed on July 21, 1940, Latvia as a
Soviet republic, which was subsequently annexed by the Soviet Union.
Sovietization with nationalization, purges and deportations were halted by
the German attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941, and Latvia was occupied by
German troops until October 1944. However, an army group remained in Kurland
until the German capitulation in May 1945. The German occupation was brutal.,
and the majority of Latvian Jews were murdered. In connection with the German
defeat, approximately 140,000-150,000 facilitate escape to the West.
After World War II, Sovietization was completed. In March 1949, over 42,000
were deported, after which agriculture was quickly collectivized. With Mikhail
Gorbachev's new policy in 1985, the desire for independence in the Baltic states
gained new impetus. In 1990, Latvia's Supreme Soviet adopted a declaration of
sovereignty, which was confirmed by a referendum in March 1991. By January,
Soviet forces had stormed the Interior Ministry, killing several
civilians. During the August coup in Moscow the same year, a restoration of
Latvia's independence was declared, which was quickly recognized by several
countries, including The Soviet Union, and Latvia was then admitted to the UN.
In 1993, the country got a new constitution. The first parliamentary election
was won by the liberal "Road of Latvia", which formed the government led by
Valdis Birkavs (b. 1942); Guntis Ulmanis was elected president. In 1994, Russian
troops left the country except for a radar base in Skrunda, which Russia was
allowed to retain for four years. That same year, Latvia joined the
" Partnership for Peace ". In 1995, he joined the Council of Europe. The
parliamentary elections of the same year led to a strengthening of the outer
wings and the formation of a broad government under the non-partisan businessman
Andris Šķēle (b. 1958), who was replaced in August 1997 by Guntars Krasts (b.
1957). Reform policy has been hampered by corruption and
bureaucracy. Disagreement over Russian integration has strained relations with
Russia.
Relations between Latvia and Russia deteriorated in 1998 when Russia imposed
sanctions on Latvia. Andris Šķēle and his People's Party won the election the
same year. Despite this, Vilis Krištopans from the Party of Latvia formed the
government together with the National Conservatives and the New Party. In 1999,
the Latvian Latvian Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga (b. 1937) was elected president by
parliament as a compromise candidate. Krištopans was then replaced by Šķēle, who
took his party into the government. Šķēle fell in 2000 due to disagreement over
the privatization process, after which the post of prime minister went to Andris
Bērziņš from Latvia's Road. His government lasted until October 2002 and thus
became the longest-serving government since independence. In 2003,
Vike-Freiberga was re-elected for a final term.
In a referendum in 2003, 67% voted for the country's accession to the EU, and
in 2004 Latvia became a member of both the EU and NATO. In December 2004, the
12th government since independence was formed; it was, like the previous ones, a
center-right government. Integration into the EU and membership of NATO are the
cornerstones of the country's foreign and security policy, which, however, also
has a significant Russian dimension. The Skrundabase was closed down in 1999,
thus ending the Russian military presence. In 1997, Latvia concluded a border
agreement with Russia, which was not signed until December 2007. In 1999, the
Latvian language law was amended in accordance with the OSCE recommendations,
and in 2001, the OSCE's missions to monitor the minority situation were
disbanded.
But the demands for Latvian knowledge in the school reform of 2004 aroused
renewed Russian criticism of the position of the minority. Conditions for the
large Russian-speaking minority and unresolved historical issues will continue
to create problems between Latvia and Russia. However, the two countries also
have significant common economic interests in relation to Latvia's position as a
transit country for Russian exports of oil and other goods and as a gateway to
the EU. In 2007, the virtually unknown Valdis Zatlers was elected president of
the governing coalition in parliament.
During the international financial crisis, Latvia was one of the hardest hit
in the EU. Up until the crisis in 2008-09, the country had experienced strong
economic growth, but was sensitive to international economic fluctuations. In
2010, the unemployment rate was 20%, and although Latvia has returned to strong
economic growth, there is still high unemployment, just as many younger
well-educated people are leaving the country. Valdis Zatlers was defeated in the
2011 presidential election by Andris Bērziņš.
In 2014, Latvia joined the euro area.
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