Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
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| Latvijas Padomju Sociālistiskā Republika (Latvian) Латвийская Советская Социалистическая Республика (Russian) Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic |
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| Capital | Rīga | ||||
| Official language | Latvian and Russian | ||||
| Established In the USSR: - Since - Until |
July 21, 1940 August 5, 1940 August 21, 1991 |
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| Area - Total - Water (%) |
Ranked 12th in the USSR 64,589 km² 1.5% |
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| Population - Total - Density |
Ranked 14th in the USSR 2,666,567 (1989) 41.3/km² |
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| Time zone | UTC + 3 | ||||
| Anthem | Anthem of Latvian SSR | ||||
| Medals |  Order of Lenin |
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The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Latvian: Latvijas Padomju Sociālistiskā Republika; Russian: Латвийская Советская Социалистическая Республика Latviyskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika), also known as the Latvian SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union. Established on on July 21, 1940 as a puppet state during World War II in the territory of the previously independent Republic of Latvia after it had been occupied by the Soviet army on June 17, 1940 in conformity with the terms of August 23, 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The Latvian SSR was formally annexed into the Soviet Union (USSR) on August 5, 1940, when it nominally became the 15th constituent republic of the USSR. Its territory was subsequently conquered by Nazi Germany in 1941, before being retaken by the Soviets in 1944-1945.
The United States, United Kingdom, and other western powers considered the annexation of Latvia by the USSR illegal. They retained diplomatic relations with the representatives of the independent Republic of Latvia, never recognized the existence of the Latvian SSR de jure, and never recognized Latvia as a legal constituent part of the Soviet Union.
In addition to the human and material losses suffered due to war, thousands of civilians were killed and tens of thousands of people deported from Latvia by the Soviet authorities until Joseph Stalin's death in 1953.[citation needed] In comparison with other parts of the USSR its economy fared better and today Latvia remains one of the wealthiest of the formerly Soviet-controlled states.
In Soviet Latvia industrial capacity was increased,automobile (RAF) and electrotechnical (VEF) factories, the food-processing industry, oil pipelines, bulk-oil ports (Ventspils), due to investments by the central Soviet government.[citation needed] But in Latvia the population was too small for such rapid industrial growth,so labour was moved from Russia, which included an influx of non-Latvian Soviet citizens into Latvia. Within 40 years of its recapture, the non-Latvian population comprised almost half of Riga, and majority in the cities of Daugavpils, Rēzekne, Ogre and Jelgava. This raised concerns of a demographic crisis among Latvians, who feared becoming a minority in their own homeland.
The Latvian SSR, along with the other Baltic Republics was allowed greater autonomy in the late 1980s, and in 1988 the old pre-war Flag of Latvia was allowed to be used, and replaced the Soviet Latvian flag as the official flag in 1990. Pro-independence Latvian Popular Front candidates gained a two-thirds majority in the Supreme Council in the March 1990 democratic elections. On May 4, the Council declared its intention to restore full Latvian independence after a transitional period through negotiations with the USSR. This is also the date, when Latvian SSR was renamed Republic of Latvia. However, the central power in Moscow continued to regard Latvia as Soviet republic in 1990-1991. In January 1991, Soviet political and military forces tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the Republic of Latvia authorities by occupying the central publishing house in Riga and establishing a Committee of National Salvation to usurp governmental functions. During the transitional period Moscow maintained many central Soviet state authorities in Latvia. In spite of this, seventy-three percent of all Latvian residents confirmed their strong support for independence on March 3, 1991, in a nonbinding advisory referendum. A large number of ethnic Russians also voted for the proposition.
The Republic of Latvia declared the end of the transitional period and restored full independence on August 21, 1991 in the aftermath of the failed Soviet coup attempt. Latvia, as well as Lithuania and Estonia de facto ceased to be parts of the USSR 4 months before the Soviet Union itself ceased to exist (December 26, 1991). Soon, on September 6, the independence of three Baltic states was officially recognised by the USSR.
Today's Republic of Latvia is a legal continuation of the sovereign state whose first independent existence dates back to 1918-1940, and does not accept any legal connection with the former Latvian SSR which had been occupied and annexed into USSR 1940-1941 and 1944-1991. Since independence, the Communist Party of the Latvian SSR was discontinued, and a number of high-ranking LSSR officials faced prosecution for their role in various human rights abuses during the LSSR regime.
[edit] See also
- Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic (1919–20)
[edit] External links
- "Ethnic structure of Latvia" at lettia.lv, illustrating changes in population of Latvia over the last hundred years.
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