The… However the Germans themselves surrendered in November 1918. For the first time, ethnic Latvian peasants were moving to the cities in large numbers, staffing the factories. The Pope decided to convert them to Christianity - by force! The Russians still held parts of South-eastern Latvia but they were driven out by force in the winter of 1919-1920. And Latvia was to be once again merely one of the possessions to change hands. However, a series of defeats (not even stemmed by a Order-Bishoprics unification at 1435) would sink the Order into oblivion. By 2004 the primary language that school pupils were being taught in was Latvian. Both regimes sought to redraw the map of Eastern Europe and independent Latvia had no place in their schemes. But the real game-changer was the conclusion reached by the newly-urban Latvians that their own culture was in no ways inferior to German or Russian ones (and, in fact, it has many unexplored bright sides). Riga was among the 5 largest cities of the Russian Empire.

Latgale was also the part of Latvia where 1862-1863 Polish-Lithuanian uprising was felt the most. Riga was now a political capital, named „Paris of the Baltics“ for its beauty. The Germans formed themselves into a quasi-monastic order called the Brotherhood of the Sword. A third of Russians repatriated to Russia, but hundreds of thousands remained to live in Latvia, rendered stateless (until they would take Latvian exams – which most have refused to do). However the war turned against Germany and the Russians captured Riga in October 1944. German elite was keen to change this, sending missionaries and monks to the Baltic lands. Early history The Latvians constitute a prominent division of the ancient group of peoples known as the Balts. In 2004 Latvia joined NATO and the EU. At the end of the 18th century Russia, Prussia and Austria divided up Poland between them. Riga was connected to rail network by 1860s, starting its exponential growth. Lifestyles changed: birth rates declined, long work hours outside family became common. The Reformation reached Latvia in 1521. Protestant ideas became popular among Latvia’s German nobility who converted to Lutheranism. Having defeated Sweden in the long Great Northern War (1700-1721), Russians captured Vidzeme with its all-important Riga city. In 1993 a new currency the Lat was introduced and the completely free parliamentary elections were held. This meant ethnic Latvians were finding increasingly little use for their own language in their own homeland as most public events would now be in Russian. Merriment spilled across RÄ«ga's streets in 2001 as the capital celebrated its 800th birthday.
Latvia was officially named „Land of Virgin Mary“, fitting its numerous theocracies. As the Crusades in the Middle East were defeated, thousands of German knights also moved to the Baltic lands hoping to at least expand Christianity there. Also in 1999 Vaira Vike-Freiberga became the first woman president of Latvia.

Latvians were taught Russian in schools but Russians would not learn Latvian, seeing Russian language and culture as more important and “international”. Economically, however, Latvia lagged behind the two other Baltic States and was one of the worst-hit countries of the 2009 global economic downturn. In 1918 Russia collapsed and much of her territory was taken by the Germans - including Latvia.

However, Germans and Russians were both weakened by World War 1 and, having joined their forces together, Latvians, Lithuanians, and Estonians routed out the invaders in their Wars of Independence. Meanwhile the Soviet government moved many ethnic Russians into Latvia to break up its ethnic uniformity.
Latvian was declared the sole official language for most public signs and activities.

But nothing could have been farther from the truth. The crusaders sailed into what is now the Gulf of Riga. During the 1930s, much of Europe saw democracies overthrown by dictatorships. The Soviet Union followed on 6 September 1991. They were mostly successful. A 1970s Soviet building in Riga with Soviet propaganda poster that was typical then, declaring (in Russian only): ‘Wherever there is [Communist] party, there is progress, there is victory’.While the Soviet oppressiveness and discrimination surely made the occupation even more hated by Latvians, it was the economic backwardness of the Soviet Union that initiated its final collapse. Latvia joined the World Trade Organisation in 1999. But economic freedom did wonders and young Baltic entrepreneurs put the economy back on track within a decade, filling the cities with new malls and office buildings which the Soviet system lacked. In July 1940 the Red Army occupied Latvia and in August 1940 Latvia was made part of the Soviet Union (regardless of the wishes of the Latvian people).


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