“ WE ALL CAME HERE FROM SOMEWHERE”

“ WE ALL CAME HERE FROM SOMEWHERE”

Olaine Secondary School No 1Latvia2010

History

• The various Latvian tribes functioned under local self-government until the end of the 13th century.

• 13th century – German Teutonic Knights conquered the territory of Latvia.

• Until the 18th century – the Poles and Swedes also wanted to conquer Latvia.

• By 1795 – the territory of Latvia was under Russian control.

The Revolution in Russia

The 1905 Russian Revolution

was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian empire.

Following the shooting of demonstrators in Russia wide-scale general strike began in Riga. On 26 January, Russian army troops opened fire on demonstrators killing 73 and injuring 200 people. During the summer 1905, the focus of revolutionary events moved to the countryside with mass meetings and demonstrations.

Demonstrations on the streets in the capital of Latvia - Riga.

Piemineklis 11. novembra krastmalā par godu 1905.g. revolūcijai.

The Latvian War of Independence

The Latvian War of Independence was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the Republic of Latvia proclaimed its independence, and the signing of the Treaty of Riga between the Republic of Latvia and the Russian SFSR on August 11, 1920.

The war involved Latvia against the Russian SFSR and the Bolsheviks' short-lived in Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic. Germany and the United Baltic Duchy added a new level of intrigue, initially being nominally allied to the Nationalist/Allied force, but attempting to jockey for German domination of Latvia.

The proclamation of the Republic of Latvia in 1918

The Latvian soldiers in the Christmas battle in 1919

Soviet Occupation of Latvia in 1940

The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 refers to the military occupation of the Republic of Latvia by the Soviet Union under the provisions of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany.

When the World War II started in September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland, Latvia had already come under the Soviet sphere of influence in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its Secret Additional Protocol of August 1939. Molotovs paraksta slepeno paktu. Aiz

muguras – Staļins.

June 16, 1940 - the Soviet Union invaded Latvia. Soviets delivered ultimatums to Latvia, to be answered within 6 hours, demanding the establishment of pro-Soviet Governments under the protection of the Red Army.

June 17, 1940 - Soviet troops invade Latvia and occupy bridges, post/telephone, telegraph, and broadcasting offices.

Latvia was incorporated into the Soviet Union.

Deportations

• The Soviet authorities, having gained control over Latvia, immediately imposed a regime of terror. Hundreds of men were arrested, including many leaders of the Republic of Latvia. Tribunals were set up to punish "traitors to the people.“

• Because of the deportations deprived people of their civil and human rights and were carried out in an inhumane manner, the deportations are to be classified as crimes against humanity.

June Deportations 1941

• 13-14 June – 15 600 Latvian residents, including 20% of the last legal government of the Republic of Latvia were deported from Latvia to the distant regions of the Soviet Union.

• The trains were escorted by a NKVD officer and military convoy. Packed into barred cattle cars, with holes in the floor for sanitation, the deportees were taken to Siberia. Many died before even reaching their final destination because of harsh conditions. Many more perished during their first winter.

• 8250 men were sent to the GULAG hard labour camps.

• Women and children (among them 2400 younger than 10) were taken to so-called "administrative settlements" as family members of "enemies of the people"

• Only a small part of those deported in 1941 later returned to Latvia.

World War II

• Soviet repressions in Latvia were interrupted by the beginning of World War II and the rapid invasion of Latvian territory by Nazi Germany's armed forces. By July 10, 1941, German armed forces had occupied all of Latvia's territory.

World War II• The Russians were driven out by Nazi invazion.

• Latvia became a part of Nazi germany's Reichskommisariat Ostland – the Province General of Latvia (Generalbezirk Lettland).

• Anyone who was disobedient to the German occupation regime as well as those who had co-operated with the Soviet

regime were killed or sent to concentration camps.

World War II

• In October 1944 the Soviet Army came to Riga. Latvia again was occupied by the Soviet Union till 1991.

• During WWII Latvia lost about 1/3 of its population – only 1,4 million left from 2 million

of pre-war population.

Deportations March 25-28,1949

• 42,133 people, or more than 2% of the pre-war population of Latvia, were deported from Latvia to places of "special settlement" (mainly in the districts of Krasnoyarsk, Amur, Irkustsk, Omsk, Tomsk and Novosibirsk).

• Among these were more than 10,990 children and youths under 16. Women and children under 16 constituted 73% of the deportees.

After Stalin's death in 1953, many were eventually allowed to return, but they could not resume their previous lives and were treated as unreliables.

Singing Revolution1987-1991

• Campaigning for democracy and independence started.

• October 1988 – Popular Front of Latvia was founded.

Singing Revolution1987-1991

• On August 23, 1989, citizens from the countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania staged a massive demonstration that stretched across all three states.

• The people held hands and sang songs of protest against the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

• The demonstration stretched 372 miles, from Tallinn, Estonia's capital in the north, to Riga, Latvia to Vilnius in Lithuania's southeastern section.

Singing Revolution1987-1991

• This protest was one of the earliest and longest unbroken human chains in history. Documents recording the Baltic Way were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2009 in recognition of their value in documenting history

Singing Revolution1987-1991

• March 1990 – the Popular Front von a victory at the elections to the Supreme Soviet.

Singing Revolution1987-1991

• 4 May 1990 - the declaration of independence from the USSR was issued.

Singing Revolution1987-1991

• In January 1991, Latvia, which had declared independence from the Soviet Union in the previous year, was attacked by pro-Soviet forces, notably the OMONof Riga.

• 7 people were killed, and a total of 15,611 people have registered themselves as participants of the Barricades.

Singing Revolution1987-1991

• 21 August 1991 – the Independence of Latvia proclamation

After seven centuries of foreign domination, Latvia is once again independent and transforming herself into a democracy, ready

for the challanges of the 21st century

Thank you for attention!