Capital : Riga
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.
Latvia was on the trading route from Byzantium to Scandinavia
and had its own sort-after commodity in amber so it became quite
prosperous by the C12th AD and was quite heavily influenced by
the Swedes and Danes. 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
and a 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 organisation, 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 being given more 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. 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 in to 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 and 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 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.
Despite its policy of neutrality, in June 1939 Latvia was pressurised
into signing a non-aggression treaty with Germany which meant
that it couldn't ask the Soviet Union for help but the Soviets
threatened to use force and the neutrality was given up. The Soviets
stationed troops in Liepaja and Ventspils in June 1940 and a new,
pro-Russian government was set up, declaring Latvia to be a Soviet
republic. Ulmanis was deported along with many of his supporters
but in many cases their precise fate is not known. As about 35
000 Latvians were killed or deported, the German army was welcomed
when it arrived in the summer of 1941. The Latvians were considered
to be Bolsheviks by the Hitler regime and written off as a dying
race.
Virtually all the Latvian Jews (10 600 in Riga) were killed and
many Latvian intellectuals escaped to the West. Fighting continued
in the area until the total defeat of Germany in May 1945 and
a resistance movement continued in the forested parts of Kurzeme
until 1957. Under Stalin's rule, deportations
and executions continued although the Soviet annexation of Latvia
was never officially recognised by the international community.
During the 1950s, further industrial development led to large
numbers of Soviet immigrants who were soon to form 56% of the
remaining population (a third of which had left or been killed
since the start of the war). When Krushchev took over, many Latvians
returned from Siberia and their own culture began to revive but
further deportations took place after demands for independence
in 1959. Russification polices were continued under Brezhnev and
there was much persecution of ethnic Latvians.
Under Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of 'glasnost' and 'perestroika'
in the 1980s, political movements began to develop and there were
public demonstrations against the Soviet rule. In October 1987,
the Latvian Popular Front was formed in opposition to the Communist
leader Vagris and it gained two thirds of the vote in the first
relatively free elections which took place in the spring of 1990.
Latvia declared independence under prime minister Bresis but the
Soviet reaction was hostile. Troops were sent to Riga in January
1991 despite civilian resistance but were force to retreat due
to international pressure and the independence of Latvia became
official during the Moscow coup of August 1991 and the statue
of Lenin was removed from Riga.
Latvian is once again the state language but was re-introduced gradually to give the large numbers of non-Latvian residents a chance to learn it. Schools for ethnic minorities such as Poles, Estonians, Lithuanians and Jews were established and the number of multi-cultural schools taught in Latvian is increasing. Minorities include: Livonian, Polish, Belarussian, Azerbaijan, Tatar, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, German, Georgian, Uzbek, Jewish, Armenian and Japanese.
| Aaigars | Adolfs | Aivars | Alfred | Andrejs | Andrievs |
| Andris | Arvids | Atis | Augusts | Auseklis | Brencis |
| Didzis | Eduards | Egils | Einars | Emils | Genadijs |
| Gunars | Guntis | Herc | Igors | Imants | Ingus |
| Ivars | Janis | Jazeps | Juris | Karlis | Krisjanis |
| Lukass | Maris | Mariss | Matiss | Mihalje | Mikelis |
| Modris | Mychajlo | Olegs | Peteris | Raimonds | Reinis |
| Ringold | Roberts | Rodzers | Rojs | Sandis | Serejs |
| Talivaldis | Teodors | Valdis | Valentins | Varis | Viesturs |
| Vilhelms | Zigfrids |
| Dýemma | Erene | Gundega | Ilona | Indra | Inese |
| Jelena | Lita | Lizina | Maija | Mara | Taska |
| Zita |
| Albats | Alunans | Apanis | Babicevs | Barons | Bats |
| Baumanis | Bauskenieks | Beiris | Berklavs | Berzins | Bikerts |
| Bilmanis | Birkavs | Blagonadezdins | Blazevica | Bleidelis | Bojars |
| Brasla | Breinin | Bresis | Bruziks | Dabolins | Darzins |
| Egils | Elsins | Endzelins | Errsa | Ezergailis | Franks |
| Gailis | Galante | Gilis | Gorbanovs | Grinblats | Insakovs |
| Ivanovs | Jansons | Jaunzems | Jelisejevs | Kaktins | Kalnberzins |
| Kalnins | Kalviskis | Karavajevs | Kaudzitis | Kazanovs | Kenins |
| Klavins | Krastins | Kreitus | Kronvalds | Laizans | Liepa |
| Lietriece | Links | Lobanovs | Lodzins | Lurins | Maluhins |
| Mazrocis | Medins | Meierovics | Moraitis? | Nakums | Niedra |
| Olijar | Ozolins | Ozols | Pahars | Pantelejevs | Pauls |
| Pauluks | Pedars | Peders | Pelse | Pendareva | Peters |
| Petersons | Piziks | Plakans | Podnieks | Prusins | Prusis |
| Pumpur | Pumpurs | Purvitis | Rainis | Reinbergs | Repse |
| Rimkus | Rozentals | Rubiks | Sakbartis | Samite | Seleckis |
| Sevlakovs | Siew | Skujans | Skulme | Spricis | Sproge |
| Stepanovs | Stolcers | Streics | Sviklies | Tabaka | Tauninsat |
| Tebelis | Tots | Troickis | Tupuritis | Ulmanis | Upmane |
| Vagris | Valdemars | Vetra | Vitols | Voss | Zabers |
| Zakresevskis | Zale | Zalite | Zemlinskis |
(Latvian - latviski)
| a | as in father |
| i | like 'ee' |
| u | like 'oo' |
| c | like 'ch' |
| g | as in 'giraffe' |
| k | as in Scottish loch? |
| n | as in 'no' |
| s | like 'sh' |
| z | as in 'pleasure' |
| Monday pirmdiena |
| Tuesday otrdiena |
| Wednesday tresdiena |
| Thursday ceturtdiena |
| Friday piektdiena |
| Saturday sestdiena |
| Sunday svetdiena |
| January janvaris | February februaris |
| March marts | April aprilis |
| May maijs | June junijs |
| July julijs | August augusts |
| September septembris | October oktobris |
| November novembris | December decembris |
Return to Former Soviet Union index
This collection of names compiled by Kate Monk. Copyright January
1997, Kate Monk. Last updated February, 98. Copies may be made
for personal use only.