Publisher's Synopsis
The 20th century was a very trying time for Latvia, complete with success, tragedy and still unrealized promise. Within the course of a generation, the country experienced revolutions, wars and independent statehood, and then the slide into authoritarianism. World War II brought new occupations. The tragedies were staggering: holocaust, executions and an exodus of refugees. Soviet consolidation bred deportations, forced collectivization and partisan warfare. Almost 50 years later, Latvia regained its independence and emerged from decades of disastrous Soviet rule.;This is a survey of Latvia's past and prospects for the third millennium, placing contemporary events in historical perspective. The authors address the evolution of the country from the movement against Soviet rule to the dilemmas of contemporary politics: party formation, the problem of corruption, the quest for the future and a regional and international role, the struggle to develop a civil society, the issue of ethnic relations and the recurring tendency towards statist solutions. Proper attention is also given to economic developments.
