Transcript Slaids 1 - Olaines 1. vidusskola

“ WE ALL CAME HERE
FROM SOMEWHERE”
Olaine Secondary School No 1
Latvia
2010
History
• The various Latvian tribes functioned under local selfgovernment 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' shortlived 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.
Molotovs paraksta slepeno paktu. Aiz
muguras – Staļins.
 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.
June 17, 1940 - Soviet troops
invade Latvia and occupy bridges,
post/telephone, telegraph, and
broadcasting offices.
 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.
Latvia was incorporated into
the Soviet Union.
Deportations
• The Soviet authorities, having
immediately imposed a regime
were arrested, including many
Latvia. Tribunals were set up
people.“
gained control over Latvia,
of terror. Hundreds of men
leaders of the Republic of
to punish "traitors to the
• 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 Revolution
1987-1991
• Campaigning for democracy
and independence started.
• October 1988 – Popular Front
of Latvia was founded.
Singing Revolution
1987-1991
• 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 MolotovRibbentrop 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 Revolution
1987-1991
• 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 Revolution
1987-1991
• March 1990 – the Popular
Front von a victory at the
elections to the Supreme
Soviet.
Singing Revolution
1987-1991
• 4 May 1990 - the
declaration of
independence from the
USSR was issued.
Singing Revolution
1987-1991
• In January 1991, Latvia,
which had declared
independence from the
Soviet Union in the previous
year, was attacked by proSoviet 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 Revolution
1987-1991
• 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!