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Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940

May 18, 2023

See also: Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (1940)

The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940[1][2][3] 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 and its Secret Additional Protocol signed in August 1939.[4] The occupation took place according to the European Court of Human Rights,[5] the Government of Latvia,[6] the United States Department of State,[7] and the European Union.[8][9][10] In 1989, the USSR also condemned the 1939 secret protocol between Nazi Germany and herself that had led to the invasion and occupation of the three Baltic countries, including Latvia.

Red Army BT-7 tank and ZIS-5 truck in Riga (1940)

In July 1989, the country began the process of restoring their independence, and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Latvia's sovereignty was fully restored in 1991. On August 22, 1996, the Latvian parliament adopted a declaration which stated that the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 was a military occupation and an illegal incorporation.[11]

Background

1918–1939: Historical background

In the aftermath of the October Revolution of 1917, Latvia declared its independence on November 18, 1918. After a prolonged War of Independence against Soviet Russia (the predecessor of the Soviet Union), the two countries signed a peace treaty on August 11, 1920. In its Article 2 Soviet Russia "unreservedly recognises the independence and sovereignty of the Latvian State and voluntarily and forever renounces all sovereign rights (...) to the Latvian people and territory." The independence of Latvia was diplomatically recognised by the Allied Supreme Council (France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Belgium) on January 26, 1921. Other states followed the suit. On September 22, 1921 Latvia was admitted to membership in the League of Nations and remained a member until the formal dissolution of the League in 1946. On February 5, 1932, a Non-Aggression Treaty with the Soviet Union was signed, based on the August 11, 1920 treaty whose basic agreements inalterably and for all time form the firm basis of the relationship of the two states.

Relevant treaties between USSR and Latvia

Before World War II, the Republic of Latvia and USSR had both signed and ratified following treaties:

Kellogg–Briand Pact
August 27, 1928 Kellogg–Briand Pact renouncing war as an instrument of national policy[12]
Non-aggression treaty
Latvia, USSR on February 5, 1932[13]
The Convention for the Definition of Aggression
On July 3, 1933 for the first time in the history of international relations, aggression was defined in a binding treaty signed at the Soviet Embassy in London by USSR and among others, Latvia.[14][15]
Article II defines forms of aggression. There shall be recognized as an aggressor that State which shall be the first to have committed one of the following actions:
Relevant chapters:
  • Second: invasion by armed forces of the territory of another State even without a declaration of war.
  • Fourth: a naval blockade of coasts or ports of another State.

1939–1940: The road to loss of independence

 
Signing of German–Estonian and German-Latvian nonaggression pacts. Sitting from the left: Vilhelms Munters, Latvian MFA, Joachim von Ribbentrop, German MFA; Karl Selter, Estonian MFA.

German–Latvian non-aggression pact

Main article: German–Latvian Non-Aggression Pact

The German–Latvian non-aggression pact was signed in Berlin on June 7, 1939. In light of the German advance in the east, the Soviet government demanded an Anglo–French guarantee of the independence of the Baltic states, during their negotiations for an alliance with the Western Powers. The Latvian and Estonian governments, ever suspicious of Soviet intentions, decided to accept a mutual non-aggression pact with Germany. The German–Estonian and German–Latvian Non-aggression pacts were signed in Berlin on June 7, 1939 by Latvian foreign minister Vilhelms Munters and Joachim von Ribbentrop. On the next day Adolf Hitler received the Estonian and Latvian envoys, and in course of these interviews stressed maintaining and strengthening commercial links between Germany and Baltic states. Ratifications of the German-Latvian pact were exchanged in Berlin on July 24, 1939 and it became effective on the same day. It was registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on August 24, 1939.[16]

German–Soviet non-aggression pact

Main article: Timeline of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact

The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, signed August 23, 1939 contained secret protocols to split up territories between Germany and the Soviet Union. According to these protocols, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Bessarabia were within the Soviet sphere of interest, and Poland and Lithuania fell into the German sphere of interest. The Soviet Union did not officially admit the existence of these protocols until, under pressure from the Baltic SSRs, on December 24, 1989, the Congress of the USSR People's Deputies officially recognized the secret deals and condemned them as illegal and invalid from their inception.[17]

Invasion of Poland

Main articles: Invasion of Poland and Soviet invasion of Poland

Nazi Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939.[18] France and Britain, which were obligated by treaty to protect Poland, responded with notes of protest requesting the Germans withdraw. Following French-British indecision, Britain acted alone moving forward with a two-hour ultimatum at 9:00am on September 3, which France was then forced to follow, issuing its own ultimatum. Nevertheless, despite declarations that a state of war now existed with Germany, the inter-Allied military conferences of September 4–6 determined there was no possibility of supporting an eastern front in Poland. France subsequently requested Britain not bomb Germany, fearing military retaliation against the French populace. It was determined to do nothing, so as to not provoke a transfer of German forces to the western front. Chamberlain declared on September 12 "There is no hurry as time is on our side."[19] The abandonment of Poland was complete.

 
A joint parade of Wehrmacht and Red Army in Brest at the end of the invasion of Poland. On the tribune are Major General Heinz Guderian (centre) and Brigadier Semyon Krivoshein (right)

Stalin then moved forward with his part of the Pact, ordering the Red Army on September 17 to cross the Soviet-Polish frontier under the claimed necessity to protect the Belarusians and Ukrainians in the territory of Poland, which Soviets argued "ceased to exist" in the wake of German successes.[20] Stalin then suggested a "trade" to Hitler to solve the "Baltic problem."[21] On September 28, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union having partitioned Poland signed a border agreement, including a second secret protocol, handing Lithuania to Stalin in exchange for two Polish provinces. Shortly thereafter, on October 3, 1939, the German ambassador to the Soviet Union, Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg, had also suggested to Molotov that various changes in the borders of the Lithuanian territory wait until the "Soviet Union incorporates Lithuania, an idea on which, I believe, the arrangement concerning Lithuania was originally based."[22] Subsequently, the Soviet Union further agreed to compensate Nazi Germany 7,500,000 gold dollars (or 31,500,000 Reichsmarks) for the Reich renouncing its "claims" on the Lithuanian territory it was to originally possess based on the September 28th agreement.[23]

The Soviet Union now occupied just over half of all Polish territory, and the Allied powers had demonstrated themselves incapable of military intervention on the Eastern front. There were no impediments remaining to Stalin, in concert with Hitler, achieving his aims in the Baltics.

Baltic–Soviet relations in autumn 1939

Main articles: Soviet–Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty, Soviet–Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty, and Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty

On September 24, 1939, warships of the Red Navy appeared off Latvia's northern neighbour, Estonian ports, Soviet bombers began a threatening patrol over Tallinn and the nearby countryside.[24] USSR then violated the air space of all three Baltic states, flying massive intelligence gathering operations on September 25. Moscow demanded that Baltic countries allow the USSR to establish military bases and station troops on their soil for the duration of the European war.[25]

During talks in Moscow, on October 2, 1939, Stalin told Vilhelms Munters, the Latvian foreign minister: "I tell you frankly, a division of spheres of interest has already taken place. As far as Germany is concerned we could occupy you."[26] The Baltics took this threat seriously.

The government of Estonia accepted the ultimatum signing the corresponding agreement on September 28. 1939; Latvia following on October 5, 1939; and Lithuania shortly thereafter, on October 10, 1939. In Latvia's case it was signed by Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vilhelms Munters and Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov. Ratifications were exchanged in Riga on October 11, 1939, and the treaty became effective on the same day. It was registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on November 6, 1939.[27] Articles of the treaty were:

  • Article 1 provided for military cooperation between the parties in case of an attack by a third party.
  • Article 2 obliged the Soviet government to assist the Latvian government in providing armaments.
  • Article 3 permitted the Soviet government to establish military and naval bases on Latvian territory.
  • Article 4 obliged the Soviet and Latvian governments not to engage in military alliances against the other party.
  • Article 5 stipulated that the political and economic systems and the sovereignty of both parties shall not be affected by the treaty.
  • Article 6 dealt with ratification, and stipulated that the treaty shall remain in force for ten years, with an option to extend it for further ten years.

As Latvian National Foundation says the agreement called for Latvia to:

  • lend bases to the Soviet Union at Liepāja, Ventspils, and Pitrags until 1949;
  • build special airfields for Soviet requirements; and
  • grant the stationing of Soviet military garrisons totalling 30,000 troops.[28]

At face value, this pact did not impinge upon Latvian sovereignty. Section 5 of the Pact reads as follows: "The carrying into effect of the present pact must in no way affect the sovereign rights of the contracting parties, in particular their political structure, their economic and social system, and their military measures. The areas set aside for the bases and airfields remain the territory of the Latvian Republic."[28]

With Baltic Sovietization imminent, Hitler issued a "call home" to ethnic Germans.[29] Latvia entered into agreement with Nazi Germany on the repatriation of citizens of German nationality on October 30, 1939.[28] In spring 1940, 51,000 left Latvia for resettlement in Poland. A second call a year later brought out another 10,500.[30]: 46 

Publicly, on October 31, 1939, the Soviet Supreme Council called fears of Baltic Sovietization "all nonsense."[31] Privately, this stationing of Soviet troops in Latvia under the terms of the mutual assistance pact marked the beginning of the fruition of long-standing Soviet desires to gain control of the Baltics.[32][33]

Soviet invasion of Finland

Main article: Winter War
 
Winter War: Finland's concessions

Similar demands were forwarded to Finland. The Soviets demanded that Finland cede or lease parts of its territory, as well as the destruction of Finnish defenses along the Karelian Isthmus. After the Finns rejected these demands, the Soviets responded with military force. The USSR launched the Winter War on 30 November 1939, with the goal of annexing Finland.[34][35] Simultaneously, a puppet regime, called the Finnish Democratic Republic, was created by the Soviets to govern Finland after Soviet conquest.[36][37] Because the Soviet attack was judged as illegal, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on December 14.[38]

The initial period of the war proved disastrous for the Soviet military, taking severe losses while making little headway. On 29 January 1940, the Soviets put an end to their Finnish Democratic Republic puppet government and recognized the government in Helsinki as the legal government of Finland, informing it that they were willing to negotiate peace.[39][40] The Soviets reorganized their forces and launched a new offensive along the Karelian Isthmus in February 1940. As fighting in Viipuri raged and the hope of foreign intervention faded, the Finns accepted peace terms on 12 March 1940 with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. Fighting ended the following day. The Finns had retained their independence, but ceded 9% of Finnish territory to the Soviet Union. In June 1941, hostilities between Finland and USSR resumed in the Continuation War.

1940–1941: The first Soviet occupation

Political background

Apparent escape from Finland's fate may have led to a false sense of security for Latvia. Four months before the arrival of Soviet troops in Latvia, Vilhelms Munters, addressing an audience at the University of Latvia on February 12, 1940, stated, "We have every reason to describe the relations existing between Latvia and the Soviet Union as very satisfactory. There are people who will say that these favourable conditions are of a temporary nature only, and that sooner or later we shall have to reckon with internal-political and foreign-political pressure on the part of the Soviet Union. The foundation on which they base these prophesies is a secret of the prophets themselves. The experience of our Government certainly does not justify such forebodings."[41]

With Soviet failure in Finland sealed for the moment, it was little more than a month after Munters' positive expressions that Molotov, speaking on March 25, 1940, essentially announced Soviet intentions to annex the Baltic States, stating, "... the execution of the pacts progressed satisfactorily and created conditions favourable for a further improvement of the relations between Soviet Russia and these States." Improvement of the relations being a euphemism for Soviet takeover.

In March and April 1940, immediately after Molotov's speech, the Soviet press commenced attacks on the Latvian government. Next, the NKVD orchestrated a series of strikes in Riga and Liepāja. When those failed to develop into a general strike, the Soviets blamed that failure on the "irresponsible element which spoils the good neighbourly relations."

Fearing Soviet action, on May 17, 1940, the Latvian government secretly issued emergency powers to the Latvian minister in London, Kārlis Reinholds Zariņš, designating Alfreds Bilmanis, the Latvian minister in Washington, as his substitute.[citation needed]

Soviet invasion

 
Schematics of the Soviet naval military blockade of Estonia and Latvia in 1940. (Russian State Naval Archives)
 
Soviet-organized rally in Riga, 1940
 
Parade in Riga. November 7, 1940
 
Soviet-organized first May Day rally in Riga, 1941

On May 28, 1940, the Lithuanian Minister in Moscow received a note from Molotov which dealt with the alleged kidnapping of two Soviet soldiers in Vilna. The Lithuanian government sought to clear up this matter by a Soviet-Lithuanian commission under the terms of the mutual assistance pact. Moscow rejected this proposal and cut off further discussion, soon showing and rapidly playing their hand:

  • On June 12, 1940, the order for a total military blockade on Estonia to the Soviet Baltic Fleet is given: according to the director of the Russian State Archive of the Naval Department Pavel Petrov (C.Phil.) referring to the records in the archive[42][43]
  • June 14, 1940: While world attention is focused on the fall of Paris to Nazi Germany a day earlier, Molotov accuses the Baltic countries of conspiracy against the Soviet Union and delivers an ultimatum to Lithuania for the establishment of a government the Soviets approve of. On the same day, the Soviet blockade of Estonia went into effect. According to eyewitness accounts pieced together by Estonian and Finnish investigators, two Soviet bombers downed Finnish passenger airplane Kaleva flying from Tallinn to Helsinki carrying three diplomatic pouches from the U.S. legations in Tallinn, Riga and Helsinki. The US Foreign Service employee Henry W. Antheil Jr. was killed in the crash.[44]
  • June 15, 1940: Soviet troops invade Lithuania[45] and position troops to invade Latvia.
  • June 15, 1940: Soviet troops attack the Latvian border guards at Masļenki,[6] killing three border guards and two civilians, as well as taking 10 border guards and 27 civilians as hostages to the Soviet Union.[30]: 43 
  • June 16, 1940: the Soviet Union invades Latvia and Estonia.[45] Soviets delivered ultimatums to Estonia and Latvia, to be answered within 6 hours, demanding: (1) the establishment of pro-Soviet Governments which, under the protection of the Red Army, would be better capable of carrying out the Pacts of Mutual Assistance; (2) the free passage of Soviet troops into Estonia and Latvia in order to place them in the most important centers and to avoid possible provocative acts against Soviet garrisons. Unable to resist on their own, with no external assistance available, under threat of the bombing of cities and heavily outnumbered, Latvia and Estonia capitulated.[30]: 43 
  • June 17, 1940: Soviet troops invade Latvia and occupied bridges, post/telephone, telegraph, and broadcasting offices.
  • June 17, 1940: Andrey Vyshinsky, Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union (and prosecutor of Joseph Stalin's show trials in 1937–1938), introduces himself to President Kārlis Ulmanis as Soviet special envoy.

Loss of independence

 
Soviet propaganda demonstration in Riga, 1940. Posters in Russian say: "We demand the full accession to the USSR!"

Soviet orchestration of events continued following the invasion, complete with protestors, who had arrived with the Red Army troops, organizing mass marches and meetings in order to create the impression of popular unrest:

  • June 19, 1940: Vishinski visits Ulmanis again, this time, to deliver the list, pre-approved by Moscow, of the new members of the cabinet of the Latvian government.
  • June 20, 1940: Ulmanis forced to approve pro-Soviet government which takes office. Jailed members of the formerly illegal communist party released. Public "processions of thanksgiving" organized in honour of Stalin.
  • June 30, 1940: The Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Vincas Kreve-Mickevicius, meets with Molotov. Molotov is blunt in communicating the Soviet intent to occupy the entire region: "You must take a good look at reality and understand that in the future small nations will have to disappear. Your Lithuania along with the other Baltic nations, including Finland, will have to join the glorious family of the Soviet Union. Therefore you should begin now to initiate your people into the Soviet system, which in the future shall reign everywhere, throughout all Europe; put into practice earlier in some places, as in the Baltic nations, later in others."
  • July 5, 1940: Decree issued announcing new elections; the Latvian democratic parties organize under the National Committee and attempt to participate.
  • July 9, 1940: Vilis Lācis, the Soviet-appointed Minister of Internal Affairs, orders the National Committee shut down, its most prominent members deported. Deportations are already taking place from territory not (yet) part of the Soviet Union.
  • July 14–15, 1940: Rigged elections held in Latvia (and the other Baltic states). Only one pre-approved list of candidates was allowed for elections for the "People's Parliament".[6] The ballots held following instructions: "Only the list of the Latvian Working People's Bloc must be deposited in the ballot box. The ballot must be deposited without any changes." The alleged voter activity index was 97.6%. Most notably, the complete election results were published in Moscow 12 hours before the election closed. Soviet electoral documents found later substantiated that the results were completely fabricated. Tribunals were set up to punish "traitors to the people." those who had fallen short of the "political duty" of voting Latvia into the USSR. Those who failed to have their passports stamped for so voting were allowed to be shot in the back of the head.[46]
  • July 21, 1940: The fraudulently installed Saeima meets for the first time. It has only one piece of business—a petition to join the Soviet Union. (The consideration of such an action was denied throughout the election.) The petition carried unanimously. However, it was illegal under the Latvian Constitution, still in effect, which required a plebiscite referendum for approving such an action: two-thirds of all eligible participating and a plain majority approving. Ulmanis is forced to resign.
  • July 22, 1940: Ulmanis deported to the Soviet Union, dying in captivity in 1942.[30]: 44  Land is nationalized (see also below).
  • July 23, 1940: the US Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles condemns the "devious processes" by which "the political independence and territorial integrity of the three small Baltic republics were to be deliberately annihilated by one of their more powerful neighbours."
  • July 31, 1940: Minister of Defense Jānis Balodis and family deported to Soviet Union (order hand-written by Vilis Lācis).
  • August 5, 1940: The Soviet Union grants the petitions of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, respectively, to join. Latvia was incorporated as the 15th Republic of the Soviet Union. Aside from Germany, no Western nation recognizes the annexation as legitimate de jure.

Accurate numbers for the losses the Soviets inflicted on Latvia are not available. They have been estimated at 35,000 dead from military action, executions, or deportation.[30]: 48  Many more found refuge abroad. These losses all began during the first Soviet occupation. This has also been referred to, in Latvian, as "Baigais Gads" (Year of Terror). (This term was also used in anti-Soviet propaganda of the period—these two uses should not be confused or allied in purpose. Baigais Gads is also a title of an openly antisemitic, false account of the events of the year penned by Pauls Kovalevskis, a Nazi sympathiser, in 1942.) Further mass deportations and killing were planned, however the German invasion of Soviet territory brought a halt to this. A Lithuanian government official claims to have seen a document envisaging the removal of 700,000 from Lithuania.[30]: 48 

Soviet terror

 
Plaque commemorating the Victims of Soviet NKVD in Bauska, Latvia.

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."

Under arrest and liable to prompt liquidation were Latvia's President Kārlis Ulmanis and Foreign Minister Vilhelms Munters. Immediate confiscation of property and execution within 24 hours was decreed for diplomats abroad who refused to recognize the new regimes and return to Latvia.[46] Later orders expanded the list of repressions, including anyone related to someone in hiding from the government or who had fled abroad—which act made them a traitor to the state.

On June 22, 1940, all three Baltic parliaments passed initial resolutions on the nationalization of land, followed in Latvia by a Bill of Land Reform a week later. Initially, a maximum of 30 hectares of land could be used by a family, reduced during the second Soviet occupation to 15–20 hectares.

The June deportation took place on June 13 and June 14, 1941, estimated at 15,600 men, women, and children, and including 20% of Latvia's last legal government. Approximately 35,000 total (1.8% of Latvia's population) were deported during the first Soviet occupation. Stalin's deportations also included thousands of Latvian Jews. (The mass deportation totalled 131,500 across the Baltics.)

According to the Serov Instructions, the deportations were swift and efficient and came in the middle of the night. Deportees were given an hour or less to get ready to leave. They were allowed to take with them their belongings not exceeding 100 kg in weight (money, food for a month, cooking appliances, clothing). The families would then be taken to the railway station. That was when they discovered that the men were to be separated from the women and children: "In view of the fact that a large number of deportees must be arrested and distributed in special camps and that their families must proceed to special settlements in distant regions, it is essential that the operation of removal of both the members of the deportee's family and its head shall be carried out simultaneously, without notifying them of the separation confronting them ... The convoy of the entire family to the station shall be effected in one vehicle and only at the station of departure shall the head of the family be placed separately from his family in a car specially intended for heads of families."

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.

A number of Latvians who managed to avoid deportations decided to hide in the forests, where anti-Soviet units were organized. When Nazi Germany attacked Soviet Union, those rebels immediately went into collaboration with Nazi Germany.[47]

Aftermath

Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany 1941–1944

Main article: Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany
 
Residents of Riga welcome the arrival of Nazi troops

The Soviet-German war cut short this first year of Soviet occupation. The Nazi offensive, launched June 22, 1941, just over a week after the mass deportations were executed, entered Riga on July 1, 1941. This disrupted documented NKVD plans to deport several hundred thousand more from the Baltic states on June 27 and 28, 1941.

With memories of the mass deportations of a week before still fresh, the German troops were widely greeted at their arrival by the Latvians as liberators. The Latvian national anthem played on the radio, and, as Chris Bellamy wrote: "the [anti-Soviet] rebellion broke out immediately after the news of Barbarossa".[47] The majority of ethnic Latvians who had been forced to serve in the Red Army deserted from their units, and soon afterwards attacked the NKVD. On July 2, 1941, a unit of Latvian deserters captured the town of Sigulda, and three days later, Latvian rebels took control over another town, Smiltene, also blocking the strategic road to Pskov. Latvians did not only desert en masse from regular Red Army units, they also escaped from military training camps, which were part of the Soviet mobilization plan. Among other battles with retreating Soviet units, Bellamy mentions Limbaži (July 4), Olaine (July 5), and Alūksne (July 9). All these locations were captured by Latvian rebels before the first Wehrmacht units appeared in the area.[47]

Nazi Germany, however, had no plan or desire to restore autonomy to Latvia, even though they ordered Colonel Alexander Plesners to oversee formation of the Latvian Defence Forces. On July 8, the Germans announced that wearing of non-German uniforms was banned. Also, rebel units were ordered to disarm. Jewish fears of the Nazis—which had led some to look upon the Soviet occupation as a measure of security—were to prove tragically well founded.

By July 10, 1941, German armed forces had occupied all of Latvia's territory. Latvia became a part of Nazi Germany's Reichskommissariat 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.

In 1939 Generalplan Ost was drawn up by Nazi Germany covering eastern countries. As regards Latvia, it was determined that the population of around 2,000,000 should be reduced by 50%, those remaining being considered worthy of "Germanisation". Accordingly, Jews, Romani people, communists, army officers, politicians, and other intellectuals all found themselves being rounded up.[30]: 54–56  Further reductions in the civilian population would be achieved through the creation of food shortages, resulting in mass starvation.[30]: 56 

Second Soviet occupation 1944–1991

Main articles: Riga Offensive (1944), Baltic Offensive, Occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union 1944–1945, and Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic

The Riga Offensive was part of the larger Baltic Offensive on the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place late in 1944, and drove German forces from the city of Riga.

Latvia was again occupied by the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1991.[citation needed] Under the Soviet occupation thousands of Latvians were deported to Siberian camps, executed or forced into exile.

Many Latvians fled in fishermen's boats and ships to Sweden and Germany, from where until 1951 they drifted to various parts of the Western world (mostly Australia and North America). Approximately 150,000 Latvians ended up in exile in the West.

According to approximate estimates, as a result of World War II the population of Latvia decreased by half a million (25% less than in 1939). In comparison with 1939 the Latvian population had diminished by about 300,000. The war also inflicted heavy losses on the economy – many historic cities were destroyed, as well as industry and the infrastructure.

In July 1989, following the dramatic events in East Germany, the Latvian Supreme Soviet adopted a "Declaration of Sovereignty" and amended the Constitution to assert the supremacy of its laws over those of the USSR.

On August 23, 1989 political demonstration Baltic Way took place. Approximately two million people joined their hands to form an over 600 kilometre long human chain across the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).This demonstration was organized to draw the world's attention to the common historical fate which these three countries suffered.

In March 1990 candidates from the pro-independence party Latvian Popular Front gained a two-thirds majority in the Supreme Council in democratic elections.

On May 4, 1990, the Latvian Council declared its intention to restore full Latvian independence. Soviet political and military forces tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Latvian government. On August 21, 1991, Latvia claimed de facto independence. International recognition, including that of the USSR, followed. The United States, which had never recognized Latvia's forcible annexation by the USSR, resumed full diplomatic relations with Latvia on September 2, 1991.[48]

In February 1992, Russia agreed to start withdrawing its troops from Latvia.[49]

In August 1994 the last Russian troops withdrew from the Republic of Latvia.[50]

Russia officially ended its military presence in Latvia in August 1998 following the decommissioning of the Skrunda-1 radar station, which was the last active Russian military radar in the Baltics. The last Russian troops withdrew from the station the following year.[51]

  •  

    Soviet troops in Riga, October 1944

  •  

    Soviet propaganda poster in Latvia, 1945

Historical Soviet version of events

 
"The Spirit of Great Lenin and his victorious banner inspire us for the Great Patriotic War" (Stalin)

Up to the reassessment of Soviet history that began during the Perestroika, which led to the official condemnation of the 1939 secret protocol by the Soviet government, the Soviet position on the events of 1939–1940 is summarised as follows: The Government of the Soviet Union suggested to the Government of the Republic of Latvia that they conclude a treaty of mutual assistance between the two countries. Pressure from the Latvian working peoples forced the Latvian government to accept this offer. A Pact of Mutual Assistance was signed[52] allowing the USSR to station a limited number of Red Army units in Latvia. Economic difficulties, dissatisfaction with the Latvian government policies "that had sabotaged fulfillment of the Pact and the Latvian government" and political orientation towards Nazi Germany led to a revolutionary situation culminating in June 1940. To guarantee fulfillment of the Pact, additional Soviet military units entered Latvia, welcomed by the Latvian workers who demanded the resignation of the bourgeoisie Latvian government and its fascist leader, Kārlis Ulmanis.[53] That same June, under the leadership of the Latvian Communist Party, the Latvian workers held demonstrations, and on that day, the fascist government was overthrown, and a People's Government formed. Elections for the Latvian Parliament were held shortly thereafter in July 1940. The "Working People's Union", created by an initiative of the Latvian Communist Party, received the vast majority of the votes.[54] The Parliament adopted the declaration of the restoration of Soviet power in Latvia and proclaimed the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. The parliament then declared Latvia's wish to freely and willingly join the USSR, adopting a resolution to that effect. That request was approved by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and Latvia became a constituent republic of the USSR.

Conflicting versions of history

 
Welles Declaration, condemning the 1940 occupation by the Soviet Union of Latvia and the two other Baltic states, and refusing to recognize their annexation as Soviet Republics

The issue of the Soviet occupation, its motives and consequences, remains a bone of contention between the Baltic states and Russia. At the core lie different versions of the historical events during World War II and after: the Latvian (shared also by Estonia and Lithuania and widely espoused by Western historical scholarship) and the Soviet, which continues to be supported and defended by the government of Russia.

According to the European Court of Human Rights,[5] the Government of Latvia,[6] the United States,[7] and the European Union,[8][9][10] the occupation of Latvia by the USSR in 1940, and its subsequent re-incorporation in the Soviet Union in 1944, was illegal. According to this account, the lawful government of Latvia was overthrown in 1940 and Soviet rule was imposed by force. Subsequently, the Soviet Union conducted large-scale and systematic actions including murder and mass deportations against the Latvian population. Rigged elections were organized in which only Soviet-supported candidates were permitted to run;[55] results were accidentally released to the Western press in London before the elections were even complete. As reported by Time in 1940, those who had failed to have their passports stamped for voting Latvia into the USSR were allowed to be shot in the back of the head by Soviet NKVD,[46] The country remained occupied by the Soviet Union until restoration of its independence in 1991. The 48 years of Soviet occupation and annexation of the Baltic States was never recognized as legal by the Western democracies. The United States especially applied the earlier-adopted Stimson Doctrine to the issue of the Baltic states, leading to its becoming an established precedent in International Law.

While the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union condemned the annexation of Latvia and the other Baltic states prior to the dissolution of the USSR,[56] the Russian Federation, the legal successor state of the USSR, does not recognize the forcible occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union. Specifically in reference to Latvia, the Russian Duma passed a resolution to "remind the deputies of the Latvian Saeima that Latvia's being a part of the Soviet Union was grounded by fact and by law from the international juridical point of view."[57] The government of Russia further maintains that the Soviet Union liberated Latvia from the Germans in 1944.

Legacy

In 2000, Soviet Occupation Day—June 17—became a remembrance day in Latvia.[58][59]

See also

Citations

  1. ^ The World Book Encyclopedia ISBN 0-7166-0103-6
  2. ^ "Soviet occupation of the Baltic States" at Encyclopædia Britannica
  3. ^ The History of the Baltic States by Kevin O'Connor ISBN 0-313-32355-0
  4. ^ "The Soviet occupation and incorporation of Latvia" at Encyclopædia Britannica
  5. ^ a b European Court of Human Rights cases on Occupation of Baltic States
  6. ^ a b c d The Occupation of Latvia 2007-11-23 at the Wayback Machine at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia
  7. ^ a b "U.S.-Baltic Relations: Celebrating 85 Years of Friendship" at state.gov
  8. ^ a b Motion for a resolution on the Situation in Estonia by EU
  9. ^ a b Dehousse, Renaud (1993). "The International Practice of the European Communities: Current Survey" (PDF). European Journal of International Law. 4 (1): 141. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.ejil.a035821. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  10. ^ a b European Parliament (January 13, 1983). "Resolution on the situation in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania". Official Journal of the European Communities. C 42/78.
  11. ^ CASE OF KONONOV v. LATVIA European Court of Human Rights. May 17, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  12. ^ Kellogg-Briand Pact 2007-07-03 at the Wayback Machine at Yale University
  13. ^ League of Nations Treaty Series, 1934, No. 3408, pp. 123–125 and 127
  14. ^ at Time magazine
  15. ^ League of Nations Treaty Series, 1934, No. 3391.
  16. ^ League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 198, pp. 106-109.
  17. ^ Jerzy W. Borejsza, Klaus Ziemer, Magdalena Hułas. Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes in Europe. Berghahn Books, 2006. Page 521.
  18. ^ Per Hitler's request, the Soviets transmitted coded messages to support the invading German airforce. Karski, Jan (1985). The Great Powers and Poland 1919–1945. University Press of America. ISBN 0-8191-4398-7.
  19. ^ Karski, pages 373–392; Chamberlain quote confirmed in two original sources cited in Karski.
  20. ^ Moscow dispatched a telegram of congratulations to Berlin on the premature news that Warsaw had fallen to the Nazis. Karski, Jan. The Great Powers and Poland 1919–1945. 1985. University Press of America. Lanham, MD.
  21. ^ These Names Accuse. 1982. Stockholm. "Having learned that Germany after the defeat of the Polish army planned to create the State of Little Poland, Stalin suggested the exchange of Lithuania for two Polish voyevodstva (provinces) with the view of immediately 'solving the Baltic problem' with Hitler's consent. Thus, the second secret protocol, which was signed on September 28 in Moscow, came into being."
  22. ^ Telegram transmitted October 3, 1939. Documents presented to U.N. General Assembly, September 1948
  23. ^ Secret Protocol, signed Moscow, January 10, 1941 by Schulenburg and Molotov. Documents presented to U.N. General Assembly, September 1948
  24. ^ at Time on Monday, October 9, 1939
  25. ^ The Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by David J. Smith, Page 24, ISBN 0-415-28580-1
  26. ^ latvians.com: The Story of Latvia: The Tragedy of 1940
  27. ^ League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 198, pp. 382-387.
  28. ^ a b c These Names Accuse: Historical Introduction, Part 2
  29. ^ Central Europe Review: "A Brief History of Estonia" 2019-03-10 at the Wayback Machine by Mel Huang
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h Buttar, Prit (21 May 2013). Between Giants. ISBN 9781780961637.
  31. ^ These Names Accuse: Historical Introduction, Part 3
  32. ^ Berzins, Alfreds. The Unpunished Crime, introduction by Senator Thomas J. Dodd, (1963), New York, Speller & Sons. quoting Izvestia, December 25, 1918: "Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are directly on the road from Russia to Western Europe and are therefore a hindrance to our revolution because they separate Soviet Russia from Revolutionary Germany. ... This separating wall must be destroyed. The Russian red proletariat should find an opportunity to influence Germany. The conquest of the Baltic Sea would make it possible for Soviet Russia to agitate in favor of the social revolution in the Scandinavian countries so that the Baltic Sea would be transformed into the Sea of Social Revolution."
  33. ^ Stalin ordered the Estonian Communist party to organize a putsch in Tallinn on December 1, 1924, which, should it succeed, would lead to the proclamation of the Estonian Soviet Republic.
  34. ^ Manninen (2008), pp. 37, 42, 43, 46, 49
  35. ^ Reiter (2009), p. 124
  36. ^ Tanner (1956), p. 114
  37. ^ Trotter (2013), p. 58, 61
  38. ^ at Time magazine on Monday, Dec. 25, 1939
  39. ^ Trotter (2002), pp. 234–235
  40. ^ Enkenberg (2020), p.215
  41. ^ Zalts, Alberts Zalts (ed.). Latvian Economic Review, No. 2(18) April 1940. Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Riga.
  42. ^ (in Finnish) Pavel Petrov 2009-08-21 at the Wayback Machine at Finnish Defence Forces home page
  43. ^ (in Russian) documents published 2005-02-19 at the Wayback Machine from the State Archive of the Russian Navy
  44. ^ The Last Flight from Tallinn 2009-03-25 at the Wayback Machine at American Foreign Service Association
  45. ^ a b at Time magazine on Monday, Jun. 24, 1940
  46. ^ a b c at Time magazine on Monday, Aug. 19, 1940
  47. ^ a b c Chris Bellamy. The Absolute War. Soviet Russia in the Second World War, page 196. Vintage Books, New York 2008. ISBN 978-0-375-72471-8
  48. ^ Background Note: Latvia at US Department of State
  49. ^ RUSSIA, LATVIA AGREE ON TROOP WITHDRAWAL Deseret News. February 3, 1992. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  50. ^ Baltic Military District globalsecurity.org
  51. ^ . Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Copenhagen. 21 October 1999. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  52. ^ (in Russian)1939 USSR-Latvia Mutual Aid Pact (full text)
  53. ^ Concise Encyclopedia of the Latvian SSR
  54. ^ Great Soviet Encyclopedia
  55. ^ A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups; p238 ISBN 0-313-30984-1
  56. ^ The resolution passed December 24, 1989, stated the annexation had been "in conflict with the sovereignty and independence of a number of third countries." Kohen, M. Secession: International Law Perspectives, Cambridge University Press, 2006
  57. ^ Reported in Pravda on Friday, November 19, 1999. This declaration states the incorporation of Latvia into the USSR was legal according to the laws of the Soviet Union and according to international law (de jure).
  58. ^ Latvia still occupied today Archived 2012-08-01 at archive.today
  59. ^ Netīrā diena

General references

  • Enkenberg, Ilkka (2020). Talvisota Väreissä (in Finnish). Readme.fi. ISBN 978-952-373-053-3.
  • Frucht, Richard (2005). Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-57607-800-6.
  • O'Connor, Kevin (2003). The History of the Baltic States. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 113–145. ISBN 978-0-313-32355-3.
  • Manninen, Ohto (2008). Miten Suomi valloitetaan: Puna-armeijan operaatiosuunnitelmat 1939–1944 [How to Conquer Finland: Operational Plans of the Red Army 1939–1944] (in Finnish). Edita. ISBN 978-951-37-5278-1.
  • Plakans, Andrejs (1995). The Latvians: A Short History. Hoover Press. pp. 143–166. ISBN 978-0-8179-9302-3.
  • Plakans, Andrejs (2007). Experiencing Totalitarianism: The Invasion and Occupation of Latvia by the USSR and Nazi Germany 1939–1991. AuthorHouse. p. 596. ISBN 978-1-4343-1573-1.
  • Reiter, Dan (2009). How Wars End. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691140605. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  • Rislakki, Jukka (2008). The Case for Latvia: Disinformation Campaigns Against a Small Nation. Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-420-2424-3.
  • Tanner, Väinö (1956). The Winter War: Finland Against Russia, 1939–1940, Volume 312. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press.
  • Trotter, William (2013). A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939–1940. Algonquin Books.
  • Trotter, William R. (2002) [1991]. The Winter War: The Russo–Finnish War of 1939–40 (5th ed.). Aurum Press. ISBN 1-85410-881-6.
  • Wyman, David; Charles H. Rosenzveig (1996). The World Reacts to the Holocaust. JHU Press. pp. 365–381. ISBN 978-0-8018-4969-5.

Further reading

  • Latvian National Foundation, These Names Accuse: Nominal List of Latvians Deported to Soviet Russia, Stockholm: Latvian National Foundation, 2nd edition, 1982
  • Meissner, Boris (1956). Die Sowjetunion, die baltischen Staaten und das Völkerrecht. Köln: Verl. für Politik u. Wirtschaft. XI, 377 pp.
  • Meissner, Boris (1994). "Die russische Politik gegenüber der baltischen Region als Prüfstein für das Verhältnis Russlands zu Europa". In Die Aussenpolitik der baltischen Staaten und die internationalen Beziehungen im Ostseeraum, Hamburg: Bibliotheka Baltica. pp. 466–504.
  • Rutkis, Jānis, editor, Latvia: Country & People, Stockholm: Latvian National Foundation, 1967
  • Švābe, Arveds 1(949). The Story of Latvia: A Historical Survey. Stockholm: Latvian National Foundation.
  • Zalts, Alberts (ed.) (April 1940). "The First Months of the War: Mr. Munters Speaks at the University". Latvian Economic Review, No. 2 (18). Riga: Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

External links

  • The Soviet Occupation 1940–1941
  • Horrible year, 1940–1941, an overview of atrocities committed during the first Soviet occupation
  • Losses during the occupations from 1939 till 1991

May 18, 2023
soviet, occupation, latvia, 1940, also, soviet, occupation, baltic, states, 1940, refers, military, occupation, republic, latvia, soviet, union, under, provisions, 1939, molotov, ribbentrop, pact, with, nazi, germany, secret, additional, protocol, signed, augu. See also Soviet occupation of the Baltic states 1940 The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 1 2 3 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 and its Secret Additional Protocol signed in August 1939 4 The occupation took place according to the European Court of Human Rights 5 the Government of Latvia 6 the United States Department of State 7 and the European Union 8 9 10 In 1989 the USSR also condemned the 1939 secret protocol between Nazi Germany and herself that had led to the invasion and occupation of the three Baltic countries including Latvia Red Army BT 7 tank and ZIS 5 truck in Riga 1940 In July 1989 the country began the process of restoring their independence and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union Latvia s sovereignty was fully restored in 1991 On August 22 1996 the Latvian parliament adopted a declaration which stated that the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 was a military occupation and an illegal incorporation 11 Contents 1 Background 1 1 1918 1939 Historical background 1 2 Relevant treaties between USSR and Latvia 2 1939 1940 The road to loss of independence 2 1 German Latvian non aggression pact 2 2 German Soviet non aggression pact 2 3 Invasion of Poland 2 4 Baltic Soviet relations in autumn 1939 2 5 Soviet invasion of Finland 3 1940 1941 The first Soviet occupation 3 1 Political background 3 2 Soviet invasion 3 3 Loss of independence 3 4 Soviet terror 4 Aftermath 4 1 Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany 1941 1944 4 2 Second Soviet occupation 1944 1991 5 Historical Soviet version of events 6 Conflicting versions of history 7 Legacy 8 See also 9 Citations 10 General references 11 Further reading 12 External linksBackground Edit1918 1939 Historical background Edit In the aftermath of the October Revolution of 1917 Latvia declared its independence on November 18 1918 After a prolonged War of Independence against Soviet Russia the predecessor of the Soviet Union the two countries signed a peace treaty on August 11 1920 In its Article 2 Soviet Russia unreservedly recognises the independence and sovereignty of the Latvian State and voluntarily and forever renounces all sovereign rights to the Latvian people and territory The independence of Latvia was diplomatically recognised by the Allied Supreme Council France Great Britain Italy Japan Belgium on January 26 1921 Other states followed the suit On September 22 1921 Latvia was admitted to membership in the League of Nations and remained a member until the formal dissolution of the League in 1946 On February 5 1932 a Non Aggression Treaty with the Soviet Union was signed based on the August 11 1920 treaty whose basic agreements inalterably and for all time form the firm basis of the relationship of the two states Relevant treaties between USSR and Latvia Edit Before World War II the Republic of Latvia and USSR had both signed and ratified following treaties Kellogg Briand Pact August 27 1928 Kellogg Briand Pact renouncing war as an instrument of national policy 12 Non aggression treaty Latvia USSR on February 5 1932 13 The Convention for the Definition of Aggression On July 3 1933 for the first time in the history of international relations aggression was defined in a binding treaty signed at the Soviet Embassy in London by USSR and among others Latvia 14 15 Article II defines forms of aggression There shall be recognized as an aggressor that State which shall be the first to have committed one of the following actions Relevant chapters Second invasion by armed forces of the territory of another State even without a declaration of war Fourth a naval blockade of coasts or ports of another State 1939 1940 The road to loss of independence Edit Signing of German Estonian and German Latvian nonaggression pacts Sitting from the left Vilhelms Munters Latvian MFA Joachim von Ribbentrop German MFA Karl Selter Estonian MFA German Latvian non aggression pact Edit Main article German Latvian Non Aggression Pact The German Latvian non aggression pact was signed in Berlin on June 7 1939 In light of the German advance in the east the Soviet government demanded an Anglo French guarantee of the independence of the Baltic states during their negotiations for an alliance with the Western Powers The Latvian and Estonian governments ever suspicious of Soviet intentions decided to accept a mutual non aggression pact with Germany The German Estonian and German Latvian Non aggression pacts were signed in Berlin on June 7 1939 by Latvian foreign minister Vilhelms Munters and Joachim von Ribbentrop On the next day Adolf Hitler received the Estonian and Latvian envoys and in course of these interviews stressed maintaining and strengthening commercial links between Germany and Baltic states Ratifications of the German Latvian pact were exchanged in Berlin on July 24 1939 and it became effective on the same day It was registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on August 24 1939 16 Molotov signing the German Soviet Nonaggression Pact German Soviet non aggression pact Edit Main article Timeline of the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov Ribbentrop Pact signed August 23 1939 contained secret protocols to split up territories between Germany and the Soviet Union According to these protocols Finland Estonia Latvia and Bessarabia were within the Soviet sphere of interest and Poland and Lithuania fell into the German sphere of interest The Soviet Union did not officially admit the existence of these protocols until under pressure from the Baltic SSRs on December 24 1989 the Congress of the USSR People s Deputies officially recognized the secret deals and condemned them as illegal and invalid from their inception 17 Invasion of Poland Edit Main articles Invasion of Poland and Soviet invasion of Poland Nazi Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 18 France and Britain which were obligated by treaty to protect Poland responded with notes of protest requesting the Germans withdraw Following French British indecision Britain acted alone moving forward with a two hour ultimatum at 9 00am on September 3 which France was then forced to follow issuing its own ultimatum Nevertheless despite declarations that a state of war now existed with Germany the inter Allied military conferences of September 4 6 determined there was no possibility of supporting an eastern front in Poland France subsequently requested Britain not bomb Germany fearing military retaliation against the French populace It was determined to do nothing so as to not provoke a transfer of German forces to the western front Chamberlain declared on September 12 There is no hurry as time is on our side 19 The abandonment of Poland was complete A joint parade of Wehrmacht and Red Army in Brest at the end of the invasion of Poland On the tribune are Major General Heinz Guderian centre and Brigadier Semyon Krivoshein right Stalin then moved forward with his part of the Pact ordering the Red Army on September 17 to cross the Soviet Polish frontier under the claimed necessity to protect the Belarusians and Ukrainians in the territory of Poland which Soviets argued ceased to exist in the wake of German successes 20 Stalin then suggested a trade to Hitler to solve the Baltic problem 21 On September 28 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union having partitioned Poland signed a border agreement including a second secret protocol handing Lithuania to Stalin in exchange for two Polish provinces Shortly thereafter on October 3 1939 the German ambassador to the Soviet Union Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg had also suggested to Molotov that various changes in the borders of the Lithuanian territory wait until the Soviet Union incorporates Lithuania an idea on which I believe the arrangement concerning Lithuania was originally based 22 Subsequently the Soviet Union further agreed to compensate Nazi Germany 7 500 000 gold dollars or 31 500 000 Reichsmarks for the Reich renouncing its claims on the Lithuanian territory it was to originally possess based on the September 28th agreement 23 The Soviet Union now occupied just over half of all Polish territory and the Allied powers had demonstrated themselves incapable of military intervention on the Eastern front There were no impediments remaining to Stalin in concert with Hitler achieving his aims in the Baltics Baltic Soviet relations in autumn 1939 Edit Main articles Soviet Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty Soviet Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty and Soviet Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty On September 24 1939 warships of the Red Navy appeared off Latvia s northern neighbour Estonian ports Soviet bombers began a threatening patrol over Tallinn and the nearby countryside 24 USSR then violated the air space of all three Baltic states flying massive intelligence gathering operations on September 25 Moscow demanded that Baltic countries allow the USSR to establish military bases and station troops on their soil for the duration of the European war 25 During talks in Moscow on October 2 1939 Stalin told Vilhelms Munters the Latvian foreign minister I tell you frankly a division of spheres of interest has already taken place As far as Germany is concerned we could occupy you 26 The Baltics took this threat seriously The government of Estonia accepted the ultimatum signing the corresponding agreement on September 28 1939 Latvia following on October 5 1939 and Lithuania shortly thereafter on October 10 1939 In Latvia s case it was signed by Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vilhelms Munters and Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov Ratifications were exchanged in Riga on October 11 1939 and the treaty became effective on the same day It was registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on November 6 1939 27 Articles of the treaty were Article 1 provided for military cooperation between the parties in case of an attack by a third party Article 2 obliged the Soviet government to assist the Latvian government in providing armaments Article 3 permitted the Soviet government to establish military and naval bases on Latvian territory Article 4 obliged the Soviet and Latvian governments not to engage in military alliances against the other party Article 5 stipulated that the political and economic systems and the sovereignty of both parties shall not be affected by the treaty Article 6 dealt with ratification and stipulated that the treaty shall remain in force for ten years with an option to extend it for further ten years As Latvian National Foundation says the agreement called for Latvia to lend bases to the Soviet Union at Liepaja Ventspils and Pitrags until 1949 build special airfields for Soviet requirements and grant the stationing of Soviet military garrisons totalling 30 000 troops 28 At face value this pact did not impinge upon Latvian sovereignty Section 5 of the Pact reads as follows The carrying into effect of the present pact must in no way affect the sovereign rights of the contracting parties in particular their political structure their economic and social system and their military measures The areas set aside for the bases and airfields remain the territory of the Latvian Republic 28 With Baltic Sovietization imminent Hitler issued a call home to ethnic Germans 29 Latvia entered into agreement with Nazi Germany on the repatriation of citizens of German nationality on October 30 1939 28 In spring 1940 51 000 left Latvia for resettlement in Poland A second call a year later brought out another 10 500 30 46 Publicly on October 31 1939 the Soviet Supreme Council called fears of Baltic Sovietization all nonsense 31 Privately this stationing of Soviet troops in Latvia under the terms of the mutual assistance pact marked the beginning of the fruition of long standing Soviet desires to gain control of the Baltics 32 33 Soviet invasion of Finland Edit Main article Winter War Winter War Finland s concessions Similar demands were forwarded to Finland The Soviets demanded that Finland cede or lease parts of its territory as well as the destruction of Finnish defenses along the Karelian Isthmus After the Finns rejected these demands the Soviets responded with military force The USSR launched the Winter War on 30 November 1939 with the goal of annexing Finland 34 35 Simultaneously a puppet regime called the Finnish Democratic Republic was created by the Soviets to govern Finland after Soviet conquest 36 37 Because the Soviet attack was judged as illegal the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on December 14 38 The initial period of the war proved disastrous for the Soviet military taking severe losses while making little headway On 29 January 1940 the Soviets put an end to their Finnish Democratic Republic puppet government and recognized the government in Helsinki as the legal government of Finland informing it that they were willing to negotiate peace 39 40 The Soviets reorganized their forces and launched a new offensive along the Karelian Isthmus in February 1940 As fighting in Viipuri raged and the hope of foreign intervention faded the Finns accepted peace terms on 12 March 1940 with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty Fighting ended the following day The Finns had retained their independence but ceded 9 of Finnish territory to the Soviet Union In June 1941 hostilities between Finland and USSR resumed in the Continuation War 1940 1941 The first Soviet occupation EditPolitical background Edit Apparent escape from Finland s fate may have led to a false sense of security for Latvia Four months before the arrival of Soviet troops in Latvia Vilhelms Munters addressing an audience at the University of Latvia on February 12 1940 stated We have every reason to describe the relations existing between Latvia and the Soviet Union as very satisfactory There are people who will say that these favourable conditions are of a temporary nature only and that sooner or later we shall have to reckon with internal political and foreign political pressure on the part of the Soviet Union The foundation on which they base these prophesies is a secret of the prophets themselves The experience of our Government certainly does not justify such forebodings 41 With Soviet failure in Finland sealed for the moment it was little more than a month after Munters positive expressions that Molotov speaking on March 25 1940 essentially announced Soviet intentions to annex the Baltic States stating the execution of the pacts progressed satisfactorily and created conditions favourable for a further improvement of the relations between Soviet Russia and these States Improvement of the relations being a euphemism for Soviet takeover In March and April 1940 immediately after Molotov s speech the Soviet press commenced attacks on the Latvian government Next the NKVD orchestrated a series of strikes in Riga and Liepaja When those failed to develop into a general strike the Soviets blamed that failure on the irresponsible element which spoils the good neighbourly relations Fearing Soviet action on May 17 1940 the Latvian government secretly issued emergency powers to the Latvian minister in London Karlis Reinholds Zarins designating Alfreds Bilmanis the Latvian minister in Washington as his substitute citation needed Soviet invasion Edit Schematics of the Soviet naval military blockade of Estonia and Latvia in 1940 Russian State Naval Archives Soviet organized rally in Riga 1940 Parade in Riga November 7 1940 Soviet organized first May Day rally in Riga 1941 On May 28 1940 the Lithuanian Minister in Moscow received a note from Molotov which dealt with the alleged kidnapping of two Soviet soldiers in Vilna The Lithuanian government sought to clear up this matter by a Soviet Lithuanian commission under the terms of the mutual assistance pact Moscow rejected this proposal and cut off further discussion soon showing and rapidly playing their hand On June 12 1940 the order for a total military blockade on Estonia to the Soviet Baltic Fleet is given according to the director of the Russian State Archive of the Naval Department Pavel Petrov C Phil referring to the records in the archive 42 43 June 14 1940 While world attention is focused on the fall of Paris to Nazi Germany a day earlier Molotov accuses the Baltic countries of conspiracy against the Soviet Union and delivers an ultimatum to Lithuania for the establishment of a government the Soviets approve of On the same day the Soviet blockade of Estonia went into effect According to eyewitness accounts pieced together by Estonian and Finnish investigators two Soviet bombers downed Finnish passenger airplane Kaleva flying from Tallinn to Helsinki carrying three diplomatic pouches from the U S legations in Tallinn Riga and Helsinki The US Foreign Service employee Henry W Antheil Jr was killed in the crash 44 June 15 1940 Soviet troops invade Lithuania 45 and position troops to invade Latvia June 15 1940 Soviet troops attack the Latvian border guards at Maslenki 6 killing three border guards and two civilians as well as taking 10 border guards and 27 civilians as hostages to the Soviet Union 30 43 June 16 1940 the Soviet Union invades Latvia and Estonia 45 Soviets delivered ultimatums to Estonia and Latvia to be answered within 6 hours demanding 1 the establishment of pro Soviet Governments which under the protection of the Red Army would be better capable of carrying out the Pacts of Mutual Assistance 2 the free passage of Soviet troops into Estonia and Latvia in order to place them in the most important centers and to avoid possible provocative acts against Soviet garrisons Unable to resist on their own with no external assistance available under threat of the bombing of cities and heavily outnumbered Latvia and Estonia capitulated 30 43 June 17 1940 Soviet troops invade Latvia and occupied bridges post telephone telegraph and broadcasting offices June 17 1940 Andrey Vyshinsky Deputy Chairman of the Council of People s Commissars of the Soviet Union and prosecutor of Joseph Stalin s show trials in 1937 1938 introduces himself to President Karlis Ulmanis as Soviet special envoy Loss of independence Edit Soviet propaganda demonstration in Riga 1940 Posters in Russian say We demand the full accession to the USSR Soviet orchestration of events continued following the invasion complete with protestors who had arrived with the Red Army troops organizing mass marches and meetings in order to create the impression of popular unrest June 19 1940 Vishinski visits Ulmanis again this time to deliver the list pre approved by Moscow of the new members of the cabinet of the Latvian government June 20 1940 Ulmanis forced to approve pro Soviet government which takes office Jailed members of the formerly illegal communist party released Public processions of thanksgiving organized in honour of Stalin June 30 1940 The Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vincas Kreve Mickevicius meets with Molotov Molotov is blunt in communicating the Soviet intent to occupy the entire region You must take a good look at reality and understand that in the future small nations will have to disappear Your Lithuania along with the other Baltic nations including Finland will have to join the glorious family of the Soviet Union Therefore you should begin now to initiate your people into the Soviet system which in the future shall reign everywhere throughout all Europe put into practice earlier in some places as in the Baltic nations later in others July 5 1940 Decree issued announcing new elections the Latvian democratic parties organize under the National Committee and attempt to participate July 9 1940 Vilis Lacis the Soviet appointed Minister of Internal Affairs orders the National Committee shut down its most prominent members deported Deportations are already taking place from territory not yet part of the Soviet Union July 14 15 1940 Rigged elections held in Latvia and the other Baltic states Only one pre approved list of candidates was allowed for elections for the People s Parliament 6 The ballots held following instructions Only the list of the Latvian Working People s Bloc must be deposited in the ballot box The ballot must be deposited without any changes The alleged voter activity index was 97 6 Most notably the complete election results were published in Moscow 12 hours before the election closed Soviet electoral documents found later substantiated that the results were completely fabricated Tribunals were set up to punish traitors to the people those who had fallen short of the political duty of voting Latvia into the USSR Those who failed to have their passports stamped for so voting were allowed to be shot in the back of the head 46 July 21 1940 The fraudulently installed Saeima meets for the first time It has only one piece of business a petition to join the Soviet Union The consideration of such an action was denied throughout the election The petition carried unanimously However it was illegal under the Latvian Constitution still in effect which required a plebiscite referendum for approving such an action two thirds of all eligible participating and a plain majority approving Ulmanis is forced to resign July 22 1940 Ulmanis deported to the Soviet Union dying in captivity in 1942 30 44 Land is nationalized see also below July 23 1940 the US Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles condemns the devious processes by which the political independence and territorial integrity of the three small Baltic republics were to be deliberately annihilated by one of their more powerful neighbours July 31 1940 Minister of Defense Janis Balodis and family deported to Soviet Union order hand written by Vilis Lacis August 5 1940 The Soviet Union grants the petitions of Lithuania Latvia and Estonia respectively to join Latvia was incorporated as the 15th Republic of the Soviet Union Aside from Germany no Western nation recognizes the annexation as legitimate de jure Accurate numbers for the losses the Soviets inflicted on Latvia are not available They have been estimated at 35 000 dead from military action executions or deportation 30 48 Many more found refuge abroad These losses all began during the first Soviet occupation This has also been referred to in Latvian as Baigais Gads Year of Terror This term was also used in anti Soviet propaganda of the period these two uses should not be confused or allied in purpose Baigais Gads is also a title of an openly antisemitic false account of the events of the year penned by Pauls Kovalevskis a Nazi sympathiser in 1942 Further mass deportations and killing were planned however the German invasion of Soviet territory brought a halt to this A Lithuanian government official claims to have seen a document envisaging the removal of 700 000 from Lithuania 30 48 Soviet terror Edit Plaque commemorating the Victims of Soviet NKVD in Bauska Latvia 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 Under arrest and liable to prompt liquidation were Latvia s President Karlis Ulmanis and Foreign Minister Vilhelms Munters Immediate confiscation of property and execution within 24 hours was decreed for diplomats abroad who refused to recognize the new regimes and return to Latvia 46 Later orders expanded the list of repressions including anyone related to someone in hiding from the government or who had fled abroad which act made them a traitor to the state On June 22 1940 all three Baltic parliaments passed initial resolutions on the nationalization of land followed in Latvia by a Bill of Land Reform a week later Initially a maximum of 30 hectares of land could be used by a family reduced during the second Soviet occupation to 15 20 hectares The June deportation took place on June 13 and June 14 1941 estimated at 15 600 men women and children and including 20 of Latvia s last legal government Approximately 35 000 total 1 8 of Latvia s population were deported during the first Soviet occupation Stalin s deportations also included thousands of Latvian Jews The mass deportation totalled 131 500 across the Baltics According to the Serov Instructions the deportations were swift and efficient and came in the middle of the night Deportees were given an hour or less to get ready to leave They were allowed to take with them their belongings not exceeding 100 kg in weight money food for a month cooking appliances clothing The families would then be taken to the railway station That was when they discovered that the men were to be separated from the women and children In view of the fact that a large number of deportees must be arrested and distributed in special camps and that their families must proceed to special settlements in distant regions it is essential that the operation of removal of both the members of the deportee s family and its head shall be carried out simultaneously without notifying them of the separation confronting them The convoy of the entire family to the station shall be effected in one vehicle and only at the station of departure shall the head of the family be placed separately from his family in a car specially intended for heads of families 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 A number of Latvians who managed to avoid deportations decided to hide in the forests where anti Soviet units were organized When Nazi Germany attacked Soviet Union those rebels immediately went into collaboration with Nazi Germany 47 Aftermath EditOccupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany 1941 1944 Edit Main article Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany Residents of Riga welcome the arrival of Nazi troops The Soviet German war cut short this first year of Soviet occupation The Nazi offensive launched June 22 1941 just over a week after the mass deportations were executed entered Riga on July 1 1941 This disrupted documented NKVD plans to deport several hundred thousand more from the Baltic states on June 27 and 28 1941 With memories of the mass deportations of a week before still fresh the German troops were widely greeted at their arrival by the Latvians as liberators The Latvian national anthem played on the radio and as Chris Bellamy wrote the anti Soviet rebellion broke out immediately after the news of Barbarossa 47 The majority of ethnic Latvians who had been forced to serve in the Red Army deserted from their units and soon afterwards attacked the NKVD On July 2 1941 a unit of Latvian deserters captured the town of Sigulda and three days later Latvian rebels took control over another town Smiltene also blocking the strategic road to Pskov Latvians did not only desert en masse from regular Red Army units they also escaped from military training camps which were part of the Soviet mobilization plan Among other battles with retreating Soviet units Bellamy mentions Limbazi July 4 Olaine July 5 and Aluksne July 9 All these locations were captured by Latvian rebels before the first Wehrmacht units appeared in the area 47 Nazi Germany however had no plan or desire to restore autonomy to Latvia even though they ordered Colonel Alexander Plesners to oversee formation of the Latvian Defence Forces On July 8 the Germans announced that wearing of non German uniforms was banned Also rebel units were ordered to disarm Jewish fears of the Nazis which had led some to look upon the Soviet occupation as a measure of security were to prove tragically well founded By July 10 1941 German armed forces had occupied all of Latvia s territory Latvia became a part of Nazi Germany s Reichskommissariat 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 In 1939 Generalplan Ost was drawn up by Nazi Germany covering eastern countries As regards Latvia it was determined that the population of around 2 000 000 should be reduced by 50 those remaining being considered worthy of Germanisation Accordingly Jews Romani people communists army officers politicians and other intellectuals all found themselves being rounded up 30 54 56 Further reductions in the civilian population would be achieved through the creation of food shortages resulting in mass starvation 30 56 Second Soviet occupation 1944 1991 Edit Main articles Riga Offensive 1944 Baltic Offensive Occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union 1944 1945 and Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic The Riga Offensive was part of the larger Baltic Offensive on the Eastern Front during World War II It took place late in 1944 and drove German forces from the city of Riga Latvia was again occupied by the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1991 citation needed Under the Soviet occupation thousands of Latvians were deported to Siberian camps executed or forced into exile Many Latvians fled in fishermen s boats and ships to Sweden and Germany from where until 1951 they drifted to various parts of the Western world mostly Australia and North America Approximately 150 000 Latvians ended up in exile in the West According to approximate estimates as a result of World War II the population of Latvia decreased by half a million 25 less than in 1939 In comparison with 1939 the Latvian population had diminished by about 300 000 The war also inflicted heavy losses on the economy many historic cities were destroyed as well as industry and the infrastructure In July 1989 following the dramatic events in East Germany the Latvian Supreme Soviet adopted a Declaration of Sovereignty and amended the Constitution to assert the supremacy of its laws over those of the USSR On August 23 1989 political demonstration Baltic Way took place Approximately two million people joined their hands to form an over 600 kilometre long human chain across the three Baltic states Estonia Latvia Lithuania This demonstration was organized to draw the world s attention to the common historical fate which these three countries suffered In March 1990 candidates from the pro independence party Latvian Popular Front gained a two thirds majority in the Supreme Council in democratic elections On May 4 1990 the Latvian Council declared its intention to restore full Latvian independence Soviet political and military forces tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Latvian government On August 21 1991 Latvia claimed de facto independence International recognition including that of the USSR followed The United States which had never recognized Latvia s forcible annexation by the USSR resumed full diplomatic relations with Latvia on September 2 1991 48 In February 1992 Russia agreed to start withdrawing its troops from Latvia 49 In August 1994 the last Russian troops withdrew from the Republic of Latvia 50 Russia officially ended its military presence in Latvia in August 1998 following the decommissioning of the Skrunda 1 radar station which was the last active Russian military radar in the Baltics The last Russian troops withdrew from the station the following year 51 Soviet troops in Riga October 1944 Soviet propaganda poster in Latvia 1945Historical Soviet version of events Edit The Spirit of Great Lenin and his victorious banner inspire us for the Great Patriotic War Stalin Up to the reassessment of Soviet history that began during the Perestroika which led to the official condemnation of the 1939 secret protocol by the Soviet government the Soviet position on the events of 1939 1940 is summarised as follows The Government of the Soviet Union suggested to the Government of the Republic of Latvia that they conclude a treaty of mutual assistance between the two countries Pressure from the Latvian working peoples forced the Latvian government to accept this offer A Pact of Mutual Assistance was signed 52 allowing the USSR to station a limited number of Red Army units in Latvia Economic difficulties dissatisfaction with the Latvian government policies that had sabotaged fulfillment of the Pact and the Latvian government and political orientation towards Nazi Germany led to a revolutionary situation culminating in June 1940 To guarantee fulfillment of the Pact additional Soviet military units entered Latvia welcomed by the Latvian workers who demanded the resignation of the bourgeoisie Latvian government and its fascist leader Karlis Ulmanis 53 That same June under the leadership of the Latvian Communist Party the Latvian workers held demonstrations and on that day the fascist government was overthrown and a People s Government formed Elections for the Latvian Parliament were held shortly thereafter in July 1940 The Working People s Union created by an initiative of the Latvian Communist Party received the vast majority of the votes 54 The Parliament adopted the declaration of the restoration of Soviet power in Latvia and proclaimed the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic The parliament then declared Latvia s wish to freely and willingly join the USSR adopting a resolution to that effect That request was approved by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and Latvia became a constituent republic of the USSR Conflicting versions of history Edit Welles Declaration condemning the 1940 occupation by the Soviet Union of Latvia and the two other Baltic states and refusing to recognize their annexation as Soviet Republics The issue of the Soviet occupation its motives and consequences remains a bone of contention between the Baltic states and Russia At the core lie different versions of the historical events during World War II and after the Latvian shared also by Estonia and Lithuania and widely espoused by Western historical scholarship and the Soviet which continues to be supported and defended by the government of Russia According to the European Court of Human Rights 5 the Government of Latvia 6 the United States 7 and the European Union 8 9 10 the occupation of Latvia by the USSR in 1940 and its subsequent re incorporation in the Soviet Union in 1944 was illegal According to this account the lawful government of Latvia was overthrown in 1940 and Soviet rule was imposed by force Subsequently the Soviet Union conducted large scale and systematic actions including murder and mass deportations against the Latvian population Rigged elections were organized in which only Soviet supported candidates were permitted to run 55 results were accidentally released to the Western press in London before the elections were even complete As reported by Time in 1940 those who had failed to have their passports stamped for voting Latvia into the USSR were allowed to be shot in the back of the head by Soviet NKVD 46 The country remained occupied by the Soviet Union until restoration of its independence in 1991 The 48 years of Soviet occupation and annexation of the Baltic States was never recognized as legal by the Western democracies The United States especially applied the earlier adopted Stimson Doctrine to the issue of the Baltic states leading to its becoming an established precedent in International Law While the Congress of People s Deputies of the Soviet Union condemned the annexation of Latvia and the other Baltic states prior to the dissolution of the USSR 56 the Russian Federation the legal successor state of the USSR does not recognize the forcible occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union Specifically in reference to Latvia the Russian Duma passed a resolution to remind the deputies of the Latvian Saeima that Latvia s being a part of the Soviet Union was grounded by fact and by law from the international juridical point of view 57 The government of Russia further maintains that the Soviet Union liberated Latvia from the Germans in 1944 Legacy EditIn 2000 Soviet Occupation Day June 17 became a remembrance day in Latvia 58 59 See also EditOccupation of the Baltic states Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany European Court of Human Rights cases on Occupation of Baltic States United States resolution on the 90th anniversary of the Latvian Republic Litene Latvian fleet that fought for the Allies in World War II Occupation of the Latvian Republic DayCitations Edit The World Book Encyclopedia ISBN 0 7166 0103 6 Soviet occupation of the Baltic States at Encyclopaedia Britannica The History of the Baltic States by Kevin O Connor ISBN 0 313 32355 0 The Soviet occupation and incorporation of Latvia at Encyclopaedia Britannica a b European Court of Human Rights cases on Occupation of Baltic States a b c d The Occupation of Latvia Archived 2007 11 23 at the Wayback Machine at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia a b U S Baltic Relations Celebrating 85 Years of Friendship at state gov a b Motion for a resolution on the Situation in Estonia by EU a b Dehousse Renaud 1993 The International Practice of the European Communities Current Survey PDF European Journal of International Law 4 1 141 doi 10 1093 oxfordjournals ejil a035821 Retrieved 2011 01 28 a b European Parliament January 13 1983 Resolution on the situation in Estonia Latvia Lithuania Official Journal of the European Communities C 42 78 CASE OF KONONOV v LATVIA European Court of Human Rights May 17 2010 Retrieved June 15 2013 Kellogg Briand Pact Archived 2007 07 03 at the Wayback Machine at Yale University League of Nations Treaty Series 1934 No 3408 pp 123 125 and 127 Aggression Defined at Time magazine League of Nations Treaty Series 1934 No 3391 League of Nations Treaty Series vol 198 pp 106 109 Jerzy W Borejsza Klaus Ziemer Magdalena Hulas Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes in Europe Berghahn Books 2006 Page 521 Per Hitler s request the Soviets transmitted coded messages to support the invading German airforce Karski Jan 1985 The Great Powers and Poland 1919 1945 University Press of America ISBN 0 8191 4398 7 Karski pages 373 392 Chamberlain quote confirmed in two original sources cited in Karski Moscow dispatched a telegram of congratulations to Berlin on the premature news that Warsaw had fallen to the Nazis Karski Jan The Great Powers and Poland 1919 1945 1985 University Press of America Lanham MD These Names Accuse 1982 Stockholm Having learned that Germany after the defeat of the Polish army planned to create the State of Little Poland Stalin suggested the exchange of Lithuania for two Polish voyevodstva provinces with the view of immediately solving the Baltic problem with Hitler s consent Thus the second secret protocol which was signed on September 28 in Moscow came into being Telegram transmitted October 3 1939 Documents presented to U N General Assembly September 1948 Secret Protocol signed Moscow January 10 1941 by Schulenburg and Molotov Documents presented to U N General Assembly September 1948 Moscow s Week at Time on Monday October 9 1939 The Baltic States Estonia Latvia and Lithuania by David J Smith Page 24 ISBN 0 415 28580 1 latvians com The Story of Latvia The Tragedy of 1940 League of Nations Treaty Series vol 198 pp 382 387 a b c These Names Accuse Historical Introduction Part 2 Central Europe Review A Brief History of Estonia Archived 2019 03 10 at the Wayback Machine by Mel Huang a b c d e f g h Buttar Prit 21 May 2013 Between Giants ISBN 9781780961637 These Names Accuse Historical Introduction Part 3 Berzins Alfreds The Unpunished Crime introduction by Senator Thomas J Dodd 1963 New York Speller amp Sons quoting Izvestia December 25 1918 Estonia Latvia and Lithuania are directly on the road from Russia to Western Europe and are therefore a hindrance to our revolution because they separate Soviet Russia from Revolutionary Germany This separating wall must be destroyed The Russian red proletariat should find an opportunity to influence Germany The conquest of the Baltic Sea would make it possible for Soviet Russia to agitate in favor of the social revolution in the Scandinavian countries so that the Baltic Sea would be transformed into the Sea of Social Revolution Stalin ordered the Estonian Communist party to organize a putsch in Tallinn on December 1 1924 which should it succeed would lead to the proclamation of the Estonian Soviet Republic Manninen 2008 pp 37 42 43 46 49 Reiter 2009 p 124 Tanner 1956 p 114 Trotter 2013 p 58 61 Minus a Member at Time magazine on Monday Dec 25 1939 Trotter 2002 pp 234 235 Enkenberg 2020 p 215 Zalts Alberts Zalts ed Latvian Economic Review No 2 18 April 1940 Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Riga in Finnish Pavel Petrov Archived 2009 08 21 at the Wayback Machine at Finnish Defence Forces home page in Russian documents published Archived 2005 02 19 at the Wayback Machine from the State Archive of the Russian Navy The Last Flight from Tallinn Archived 2009 03 25 at the Wayback Machine at American Foreign Service Association a b Five Years of Dates at Time magazine on Monday Jun 24 1940 a b c Justice in The Baltic at Time magazine on Monday Aug 19 1940 a b c Chris Bellamy The Absolute War Soviet Russia in the Second World War page 196 Vintage Books New York 2008 ISBN 978 0 375 72471 8 Background Note Latvia at US Department of State RUSSIA LATVIA AGREE ON TROOP WITHDRAWAL Deseret News February 3 1992 Retrieved January 8 2013 Baltic Military District globalsecurity org Latvia takes over the territory of the Skrunda Radar Station Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Copenhagen 21 October 1999 Archived from the original on 29 February 2012 Retrieved 15 June 2013 in Russian 1939 USSR Latvia Mutual Aid Pact full text Concise Encyclopedia of the Latvian SSR Great Soviet Encyclopedia A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups p238 ISBN 0 313 30984 1 The resolution passed December 24 1989 stated the annexation had been in conflict with the sovereignty and independence of a number of third countries Kohen M Secession International Law Perspectives Cambridge University Press 2006 Reported in Pravda on Friday November 19 1999 This declaration states the incorporation of Latvia into the USSR was legal according to the laws of the Soviet Union and according to international law de jure Latvia still occupied today Archived 2012 08 01 at archive today Netira dienaGeneral references EditBrecher Michael Jonathan Wilkenfeld 1997 A Study of Crisis University of Michigan Press p 596 ISBN 0472108069 Enkenberg Ilkka 2020 Talvisota Vareissa in Finnish Readme fi ISBN 978 952 373 053 3 Frucht Richard 2005 Eastern Europe An Introduction to the People Lands and Culture ABC CLIO p 132 ISBN 978 1 57607 800 6 O Connor Kevin 2003 The History of the Baltic States Greenwood Publishing Group pp 113 145 ISBN 978 0 313 32355 3 Manninen Ohto 2008 Miten Suomi valloitetaan Puna armeijan operaatiosuunnitelmat 1939 1944 How to Conquer Finland Operational Plans of the Red Army 1939 1944 in Finnish Edita ISBN 978 951 37 5278 1 Plakans Andrejs 1995 The Latvians A Short History Hoover Press pp 143 166 ISBN 978 0 8179 9302 3 Plakans Andrejs 2007 Experiencing Totalitarianism The Invasion and Occupation of Latvia by the USSR and Nazi Germany 1939 1991 AuthorHouse p 596 ISBN 978 1 4343 1573 1 Reiter Dan 2009 How Wars End Princeton University Press ISBN 978 0691140605 Retrieved 29 October 2010 Rislakki Jukka 2008 The Case for Latvia Disinformation Campaigns Against a Small Nation Rodopi ISBN 978 90 420 2424 3 Tanner Vaino 1956 The Winter War Finland Against Russia 1939 1940 Volume 312 Palo Alto Stanford University Press Trotter William 2013 A Frozen Hell The Russo Finnish Winter War of 1939 1940 Algonquin Books Trotter William R 2002 1991 The Winter War The Russo Finnish War of 1939 40 5th ed Aurum Press ISBN 1 85410 881 6 Wyman David Charles H Rosenzveig 1996 The World Reacts to the Holocaust JHU Press pp 365 381 ISBN 978 0 8018 4969 5 Further reading EditLatvian National Foundation These Names Accuse Nominal List of Latvians Deported to Soviet Russia Stockholm Latvian National Foundation 2nd edition 1982 Meissner Boris 1956 Die Sowjetunion die baltischen Staaten und das Volkerrecht Koln Verl fur Politik u Wirtschaft XI 377 pp Meissner Boris 1994 Die russische Politik gegenuber der baltischen Region als Prufstein fur das Verhaltnis Russlands zu Europa In Die Aussenpolitik der baltischen Staaten und die internationalen Beziehungen im Ostseeraum Hamburg Bibliotheka Baltica pp 466 504 Rutkis Janis editor Latvia Country amp People Stockholm Latvian National Foundation 1967 Svabe Arveds 1 949 The Story of Latvia A Historical Survey Stockholm Latvian National Foundation Zalts Alberts ed April 1940 The First Months of the War Mr Munters Speaks at the University Latvian Economic Review No 2 18 Riga Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry External links EditThe Soviet Occupation 1940 1941 Horrible year 1940 1941 an overview of atrocities committed during the first Soviet occupation Losses during the occupations from 1939 till 1991 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 amp oldid 1155084473, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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