Adolf Sprudzs
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199244089
- eISBN:
- 9780191600364
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199244081.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
Emphasizes the difficult process of constitutional engineering in Latvia. The author argues that these difficulties stem from two historical legacies: the inter‐war independence period and the Soviet ...
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Emphasizes the difficult process of constitutional engineering in Latvia. The author argues that these difficulties stem from two historical legacies: the inter‐war independence period and the Soviet occupation. The quick re‐adoption of the 1922 Latvian constitution after the country's leaders declared independence from the USSR, paradoxically exacerbated the process of institutional engineering and ultimately slowed the pace of democratic consolidation. The chapter indicates several important gaps in the inter‐war constitution, e.g. the absence of basic rights or the provisions for local government administration. Despite the difficulties presented by the 1922 Constitution, the author argues that the high legitimacy achieved through its re‐adoption kept Latvia on the democracy‐building track. Finally, several positive and negative lessons learned from the Latvian transition period are presented.Less
Emphasizes the difficult process of constitutional engineering in Latvia. The author argues that these difficulties stem from two historical legacies: the inter‐war independence period and the Soviet occupation. The quick re‐adoption of the 1922 Latvian constitution after the country's leaders declared independence from the USSR, paradoxically exacerbated the process of institutional engineering and ultimately slowed the pace of democratic consolidation. The chapter indicates several important gaps in the inter‐war constitution, e.g. the absence of basic rights or the provisions for local government administration. Despite the difficulties presented by the 1922 Constitution, the author argues that the high legitimacy achieved through its re‐adoption kept Latvia on the democracy‐building track. Finally, several positive and negative lessons learned from the Latvian transition period are presented.
Vello Pettai
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199244096
- eISBN:
- 9780191600371
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019924409X.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
Argues that the Baltic states, mainly Estonia and Latvia, represent examples of the complicated sequence of endogenously derived transition and exogenously influenced consolidation. These democratic ...
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Argues that the Baltic states, mainly Estonia and Latvia, represent examples of the complicated sequence of endogenously derived transition and exogenously influenced consolidation. These democratic transitions set certain parameters for their subsequent democratic consolidation. In particular, Estonia and Latvia opted for a nationalist, ‘legal restorationist’ view of independence. This interpretation of transition represented a somewhat problematic combination of two paths towards redemocratization—‘society‐led regime termination’ and ‘internal restoration after external reconquest’. The first section of this chapter examines this apparent contradiction. The second part examines the Estonian and Latvian cases, focusing on the major international actors involved in these transitions and the mechanisms of their engagement up to early 2000. In conclusion, it is argued that international influences (mainly from the European Union) have increased as the two countries have integrated more closely with the West. Overall, this case study of Estonia and Latvia argues that the specific path a country chooses towards democratic transition is likely to create certain path‐dependent problems that it (and the rest of the democratic community) will ultimately have to face during democratic consolidation.Less
Argues that the Baltic states, mainly Estonia and Latvia, represent examples of the complicated sequence of endogenously derived transition and exogenously influenced consolidation. These democratic transitions set certain parameters for their subsequent democratic consolidation. In particular, Estonia and Latvia opted for a nationalist, ‘legal restorationist’ view of independence. This interpretation of transition represented a somewhat problematic combination of two paths towards redemocratization—‘society‐led regime termination’ and ‘internal restoration after external reconquest’. The first section of this chapter examines this apparent contradiction. The second part examines the Estonian and Latvian cases, focusing on the major international actors involved in these transitions and the mechanisms of their engagement up to early 2000. In conclusion, it is argued that international influences (mainly from the European Union) have increased as the two countries have integrated more closely with the West. Overall, this case study of Estonia and Latvia argues that the specific path a country chooses towards democratic transition is likely to create certain path‐dependent problems that it (and the rest of the democratic community) will ultimately have to face during democratic consolidation.
Julie Bernier
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199242146
- eISBN:
- 9780191599651
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199242143.003.0016
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Nationalizing impulses in countries with substantial ethnic minorities often provoke counter‐mobilization by those minorities. This chapter looks at the effectiveness of international organizations ...
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Nationalizing impulses in countries with substantial ethnic minorities often provoke counter‐mobilization by those minorities. This chapter looks at the effectiveness of international organizations in providing a counterweight to these impulses, with particular reference to the cases of Latvia and Estonia. It is divided into two main sections. The first shows that the adoption of nationalizing measures in Latvia and Estonia is rooted in concerns about the identity, demography, and social mobility of the core group, and outlines the types of nationalizing strategies that have been adopted to reallocate power, status, and resources in favour of this group. The second section examines interventions in Latvia and Estonia by the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co‐operation in Europe) High Commissioner on National Minorities, the Council of Europe, and the EU. Argues that the combination of these pressures has made an important contribution to the recent relaxation of the nationalizing policies that these two countries adopted in their first years of independence.Less
Nationalizing impulses in countries with substantial ethnic minorities often provoke counter‐mobilization by those minorities. This chapter looks at the effectiveness of international organizations in providing a counterweight to these impulses, with particular reference to the cases of Latvia and Estonia. It is divided into two main sections. The first shows that the adoption of nationalizing measures in Latvia and Estonia is rooted in concerns about the identity, demography, and social mobility of the core group, and outlines the types of nationalizing strategies that have been adopted to reallocate power, status, and resources in favour of this group. The second section examines interventions in Latvia and Estonia by the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co‐operation in Europe) High Commissioner on National Minorities, the Council of Europe, and the EU. Argues that the combination of these pressures has made an important contribution to the recent relaxation of the nationalizing policies that these two countries adopted in their first years of independence.
Vello Pettai
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199248155
- eISBN:
- 9780191602955
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019924815X.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This paper raises a number of points in relation to the basic concept of ‘ethnocultural justice’ and Kymlicka’s five models of ethnopolitical conflict. It argues that while ‘ethnopolitical justice’ ...
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This paper raises a number of points in relation to the basic concept of ‘ethnocultural justice’ and Kymlicka’s five models of ethnopolitical conflict. It argues that while ‘ethnopolitical justice’ has become the focus of debate on all five of these contexts, a critical causal puzzle piece remains missing if these definitions are not complemented with the discourses ethnocultural groups use to wage their ethnopolitical struggles. The cases of Estonia and Latvia are examined.Less
This paper raises a number of points in relation to the basic concept of ‘ethnocultural justice’ and Kymlicka’s five models of ethnopolitical conflict. It argues that while ‘ethnopolitical justice’ has become the focus of debate on all five of these contexts, a critical causal puzzle piece remains missing if these definitions are not complemented with the discourses ethnocultural groups use to wage their ethnopolitical struggles. The cases of Estonia and Latvia are examined.
Alexander V. Prusin
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199297535
- eISBN:
- 9780191594328
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199297535.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History, Political History
The book traces the turbulent history of the borderlands that before World War constituted the frontier‐zones between the Austro‐Hungarian, German, and Russian empires and in the course of the ...
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The book traces the turbulent history of the borderlands that before World War constituted the frontier‐zones between the Austro‐Hungarian, German, and Russian empires and in the course of the twentieth‐century changed hands several times. It subscribes to the notion that internal socio‐economic cleavages and ethnic rivalries — the most common patterns to the East European landscape — were at the root of conflicts in the borderlands. However, its dominating thrust is predicated upon the notion that the borderlands' ethno‐cultural diversity was in basic conflict with the nationalizing policies of the states that dominated the region. In peacetime, when the state's control over all forms of social relations was unchallenged, it acted as the highest arbitrator, manipulating the conflicting claims of rival groups and maintaining relative stability in its domain. But in the time of crisis, when the state's resources became strained to the limit, suspicions of the groups deemed less loyal to the state blurred the concept of internal and external enemies and entailed the persecution of allegedly ‘corrosive’ ethnic elements. Simultaneously, state‐violence was sustained and exacerbated by popular participation and acquired its own destructive logic, mutating into a vicious cycle of ethnic conflicts and civil wars.Less
The book traces the turbulent history of the borderlands that before World War constituted the frontier‐zones between the Austro‐Hungarian, German, and Russian empires and in the course of the twentieth‐century changed hands several times. It subscribes to the notion that internal socio‐economic cleavages and ethnic rivalries — the most common patterns to the East European landscape — were at the root of conflicts in the borderlands. However, its dominating thrust is predicated upon the notion that the borderlands' ethno‐cultural diversity was in basic conflict with the nationalizing policies of the states that dominated the region. In peacetime, when the state's control over all forms of social relations was unchallenged, it acted as the highest arbitrator, manipulating the conflicting claims of rival groups and maintaining relative stability in its domain. But in the time of crisis, when the state's resources became strained to the limit, suspicions of the groups deemed less loyal to the state blurred the concept of internal and external enemies and entailed the persecution of allegedly ‘corrosive’ ethnic elements. Simultaneously, state‐violence was sustained and exacerbated by popular participation and acquired its own destructive logic, mutating into a vicious cycle of ethnic conflicts and civil wars.
Ammon Cheskin
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780748697434
- eISBN:
- 9781474418539
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748697434.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Language Families
The political shocks of the 2014 Ukrainian crisis have been felt in many former Soviet countries, not least Latvia, where over 35% of the population are native Russian speakers. At a time when ...
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The political shocks of the 2014 Ukrainian crisis have been felt in many former Soviet countries, not least Latvia, where over 35% of the population are native Russian speakers. At a time when analysts and commentators are unsure about Russia’s future plans to intervene on behalf of their ‘compatriots’, this study provides a detailed political and cultural analysis of Russian-speaking identity in Latvia.By using Russian-speakers in Latvia as a specific case study, this volume also offers a fresh methodological approach to the study of discourses and discursive strategies. It outlines a coherent methodology to study the evolution of discourses over time, rather than a single de-contextualized and static time period.Drawing on media analysis, elite interviews, focus groups and survey data, Russian Speakers in Post-Soviet Latvia situates the identity strategies of Russian speakers within the political, cultural, and economic transformations of the post-Soviet era. By assessing political, cultural, and economic links with their home state (Latvia) and their potential kin-state (Russia), it offers important insights into the complex identity positions of Latvia’s Russian speakers, and how these positions have evolved in Latvia since the late Soviet period.In a time when many will question the loyalty of Russian speakers to their various ‘host states’ this book provides a timely, scholarly account of ethnicity and ethnic politics in Latvia. It also offers a methodological framework that allows for the mapping of trends in discursive strategies, exploring how they evolve through time.Less
The political shocks of the 2014 Ukrainian crisis have been felt in many former Soviet countries, not least Latvia, where over 35% of the population are native Russian speakers. At a time when analysts and commentators are unsure about Russia’s future plans to intervene on behalf of their ‘compatriots’, this study provides a detailed political and cultural analysis of Russian-speaking identity in Latvia.By using Russian-speakers in Latvia as a specific case study, this volume also offers a fresh methodological approach to the study of discourses and discursive strategies. It outlines a coherent methodology to study the evolution of discourses over time, rather than a single de-contextualized and static time period.Drawing on media analysis, elite interviews, focus groups and survey data, Russian Speakers in Post-Soviet Latvia situates the identity strategies of Russian speakers within the political, cultural, and economic transformations of the post-Soviet era. By assessing political, cultural, and economic links with their home state (Latvia) and their potential kin-state (Russia), it offers important insights into the complex identity positions of Latvia’s Russian speakers, and how these positions have evolved in Latvia since the late Soviet period.In a time when many will question the loyalty of Russian speakers to their various ‘host states’ this book provides a timely, scholarly account of ethnicity and ethnic politics in Latvia. It also offers a methodological framework that allows for the mapping of trends in discursive strategies, exploring how they evolve through time.
Alan Rosen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195395129
- eISBN:
- 9780199866588
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195395129.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter roots the interview project in Boder's Jewish European life and training as well as his transplanted North American surroundings. Little has been previously done to provide a life ...
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This chapter roots the interview project in Boder's Jewish European life and training as well as his transplanted North American surroundings. Little has been previously done to provide a life context for this extraordinary project; what has been done often stands in need of correction. Boder was himself keenly interested in biography (hence the title of his opus, Topical Autobiographies); his own life story shows some remarkable consistencies, even as it tells of living through events of great personal and collective upheaval. His multilingual Latvian–Jewish upbringing set him on a course where languages mattered; he learned early that Jewish tradition provided a vocabulary for catastrophe. He studied with one of psychology's founding masters, Wilhelm Wundt, and carried influential impressions for the remainder of his life. His training in psychology thereafter was blended with literature, all of which came to fruition in St. Petersburg's ethnographically alert metropolis. As a Russian Civil War refugee with a young daughter, he knew the difficulties of displacement and relocation. Both his daughter and psychology became the passions that oriented his life. The latter gave him the inspiration to undertake the DP interview project, where many of his skills found their eloquent expression.Less
This chapter roots the interview project in Boder's Jewish European life and training as well as his transplanted North American surroundings. Little has been previously done to provide a life context for this extraordinary project; what has been done often stands in need of correction. Boder was himself keenly interested in biography (hence the title of his opus, Topical Autobiographies); his own life story shows some remarkable consistencies, even as it tells of living through events of great personal and collective upheaval. His multilingual Latvian–Jewish upbringing set him on a course where languages mattered; he learned early that Jewish tradition provided a vocabulary for catastrophe. He studied with one of psychology's founding masters, Wilhelm Wundt, and carried influential impressions for the remainder of his life. His training in psychology thereafter was blended with literature, all of which came to fruition in St. Petersburg's ethnographically alert metropolis. As a Russian Civil War refugee with a young daughter, he knew the difficulties of displacement and relocation. Both his daughter and psychology became the passions that oriented his life. The latter gave him the inspiration to undertake the DP interview project, where many of his skills found their eloquent expression.
Sadhana Naithani
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781496823564
- eISBN:
- 9781496823618
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496823564.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
Folklore in Baltic History: Resistance and Resurgence is a study of how the discipline of folklore studies was treated under the totalitarian rule of the USSR in the Baltic countries of Estonia, ...
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Folklore in Baltic History: Resistance and Resurgence is a study of how the discipline of folklore studies was treated under the totalitarian rule of the USSR in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from 1945 to 1991 and what role the study of folklore has played since independence in 1991. It is a “dramatic history” of what happened to folklorists, folklore archives and folklore departments in the universities under the Soviet rule. On the one hand was a coercive and brutal state and on the other peoples conscious of their national, cultural and linguistic identity as comprised in their folklore. On the one hand, scholars and archivists fell in line and on the other, continued to subvert the coercion by devising ingenious ways of communicating among themselves. When freedom came in 1991 they were ready to create the record of undocumented brutality by documenting life stories and oral history. Sadhana Naithani juxtaposes the work of folklore scholars in the Baltic countries between 1945 and 1991 to the life of the people in the same period to reach an evaluation of the Baltic folkloristics. She concludes that the study of folklore has been an act of resistance and has aided in the resurgence of freedom and identity in the post-Soviet Baltic countries.Less
Folklore in Baltic History: Resistance and Resurgence is a study of how the discipline of folklore studies was treated under the totalitarian rule of the USSR in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from 1945 to 1991 and what role the study of folklore has played since independence in 1991. It is a “dramatic history” of what happened to folklorists, folklore archives and folklore departments in the universities under the Soviet rule. On the one hand was a coercive and brutal state and on the other peoples conscious of their national, cultural and linguistic identity as comprised in their folklore. On the one hand, scholars and archivists fell in line and on the other, continued to subvert the coercion by devising ingenious ways of communicating among themselves. When freedom came in 1991 they were ready to create the record of undocumented brutality by documenting life stories and oral history. Sadhana Naithani juxtaposes the work of folklore scholars in the Baltic countries between 1945 and 1991 to the life of the people in the same period to reach an evaluation of the Baltic folkloristics. She concludes that the study of folklore has been an act of resistance and has aided in the resurgence of freedom and identity in the post-Soviet Baltic countries.
Dace Dzenovska
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781501716836
- eISBN:
- 9781501716867
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501716836.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, European Cultural Anthropology
Following independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, economic and political liberalization projects were rolled out in Latvia and across Eastern Europe. While economic liberalism was welcomed, ...
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Following independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, economic and political liberalization projects were rolled out in Latvia and across Eastern Europe. While economic liberalism was welcomed, political liberalism was contested. Many in Latvia insisted on the importance of the nation alongside individual liberties and respect for diversity. From the perspective of liberal Europe, this often led to the conclusion that Latvia’s residents exhibited too much socialist mentality or nationalist sentiment and thus required lessons in political liberalism in order to become fully European. This ethnography examines the efforts to extend lessons in political liberalism to Latvia’s residents. The book argues that, rather than viewing Eastern Europe as falling behind, it should be viewed as the laboratory for forging post-Cold War political liberalism in Europe. It shows that Europe’s liberal democratic polities are based on a fundamental tension between the need to exclude and the requirement to profess and institutionalize the value of inclusion. The book provides insight with regard to the current crisis of political liberalism from a moment in time when it was still confident and from the perspective of a place and people that were thought to have never been liberal.Less
Following independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, economic and political liberalization projects were rolled out in Latvia and across Eastern Europe. While economic liberalism was welcomed, political liberalism was contested. Many in Latvia insisted on the importance of the nation alongside individual liberties and respect for diversity. From the perspective of liberal Europe, this often led to the conclusion that Latvia’s residents exhibited too much socialist mentality or nationalist sentiment and thus required lessons in political liberalism in order to become fully European. This ethnography examines the efforts to extend lessons in political liberalism to Latvia’s residents. The book argues that, rather than viewing Eastern Europe as falling behind, it should be viewed as the laboratory for forging post-Cold War political liberalism in Europe. It shows that Europe’s liberal democratic polities are based on a fundamental tension between the need to exclude and the requirement to profess and institutionalize the value of inclusion. The book provides insight with regard to the current crisis of political liberalism from a moment in time when it was still confident and from the perspective of a place and people that were thought to have never been liberal.
Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195337105
- eISBN:
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195337105.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Although legislation expressly separates church and state, the Latvian authorities have unofficially distinguished new religions from the “traditional” Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, ...
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Although legislation expressly separates church and state, the Latvian authorities have unofficially distinguished new religions from the “traditional” Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Old Believers, Baptist, and Jewish denominations, which have permanent seats on the Ministry of Justice's Advisory Committee for Religious Affairs, and the right to offer religion classes in public schools. Latvia is the only Baltic country that institutionalized relations between religious groups and the government, which seeks the opinion of the Advisory Council of Traditional Confessions, the New Religions Consultative Council, and the Ecclesiastical Council. Religion instruction in pre-university public schools was reintroduced as an elective subject immediately after the country declared its independence, but proposals to teach religion in an ecumenical, all-inclusive manner have been rejected in favor of allowing denominations the freedom to decide the content of religion classes.Less
Although legislation expressly separates church and state, the Latvian authorities have unofficially distinguished new religions from the “traditional” Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Old Believers, Baptist, and Jewish denominations, which have permanent seats on the Ministry of Justice's Advisory Committee for Religious Affairs, and the right to offer religion classes in public schools. Latvia is the only Baltic country that institutionalized relations between religious groups and the government, which seeks the opinion of the Advisory Council of Traditional Confessions, the New Religions Consultative Council, and the Ecclesiastical Council. Religion instruction in pre-university public schools was reintroduced as an elective subject immediately after the country declared its independence, but proposals to teach religion in an ecumenical, all-inclusive manner have been rejected in favor of allowing denominations the freedom to decide the content of religion classes.
Juris Krumins and Uldis Usackis
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198297413
- eISBN:
- 9780191685347
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198297413.003.0012
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Latvia — as well as its neighbouring countries of Estonia and Lithuania forming the Baltic States — enjoyed a remarkable healthcare system resulting in a life ...
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During the 19th and 20th centuries, Latvia — as well as its neighbouring countries of Estonia and Lithuania forming the Baltic States — enjoyed a remarkable healthcare system resulting in a life expectancy of ten years longer than that of Russia’s. It’s life expectancy even exceeded the life expectancies of Italy, Germany and Austria. When Latvia was politically independent, its life expectancy further increased by two years. However, events like World War II, repression against civil population, collapse of the USSR, the persistent mismanagement of the USSR and the subsequent transition from command economy to market economy strongly influenced the population of Latvia. The chapter particularly studies the factors affecting the mortality rate of Latvia during the transition period which shall base its findings from statistical data.Less
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Latvia — as well as its neighbouring countries of Estonia and Lithuania forming the Baltic States — enjoyed a remarkable healthcare system resulting in a life expectancy of ten years longer than that of Russia’s. It’s life expectancy even exceeded the life expectancies of Italy, Germany and Austria. When Latvia was politically independent, its life expectancy further increased by two years. However, events like World War II, repression against civil population, collapse of the USSR, the persistent mismanagement of the USSR and the subsequent transition from command economy to market economy strongly influenced the population of Latvia. The chapter particularly studies the factors affecting the mortality rate of Latvia during the transition period which shall base its findings from statistical data.
Ammon Cheskin
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780748697434
- eISBN:
- 9781474418539
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748697434.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Language Families
This final chapter ties together the preceding analysis and offers some general conclusions. It notes how, despite significant discursive challenges, Russian speakers have been remarkably proficient ...
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This final chapter ties together the preceding analysis and offers some general conclusions. It notes how, despite significant discursive challenges, Russian speakers have been remarkably proficient in carving out identity spaces in contemporary Latvia which discursively place them between the nationalising discourses of the Latvian state, and the compatriot discourses of Russia.Less
This final chapter ties together the preceding analysis and offers some general conclusions. It notes how, despite significant discursive challenges, Russian speakers have been remarkably proficient in carving out identity spaces in contemporary Latvia which discursively place them between the nationalising discourses of the Latvian state, and the compatriot discourses of Russia.
Arsenii Formakov
Emily D. Johnson (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780300209310
- eISBN:
- 9780300228199
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300209310.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Russian and Former Soviet Union History
Memoirs and works of fiction that describe the Stalinist Gulag often depict labor camps as entirely cut off from the rest of Soviet society. In fact, however, many prisoners corresponded at least ...
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Memoirs and works of fiction that describe the Stalinist Gulag often depict labor camps as entirely cut off from the rest of Soviet society. In fact, however, many prisoners corresponded at least sporadically with relatives either through the official, censored Gulag mail system or by smuggling letters out of camp with free laborers. Examples of such correspondence that survive to the present day represent a powerful, largely unstudied historical source with the potential to fundamentally change the way we understand both the Soviet forced labor system and Stalinist society in general.
Gulag Letters offers readers an English-language translation of the letters of a single Gulag inmate, the journalist, poet, and novelist Arsenii Formakov (1900-1983), who was a prominent member of Latvia’s large and vibrant Russian Old Believer community during the interwar period. Formakov was arrested by the Soviet secret police in June 1940 as part of a broad round-up of anti-Soviet elements that began just weeks after the Soviet Union forcibly annexed Latvia, and survived two terms in Soviet labor camps (1940-1947 and 1949-1955). The letters that he mailed home to his wife and children while serving these sentences reveal the surprising porousness of the Gulag and the variability of labor camp life and describe the difficult conditions that prisoners faced during and after World War II. They also represent an important eye-witness account of the experience of Latvian citizens deported to internment sites in the Soviet interior during the 1940s.Less
Memoirs and works of fiction that describe the Stalinist Gulag often depict labor camps as entirely cut off from the rest of Soviet society. In fact, however, many prisoners corresponded at least sporadically with relatives either through the official, censored Gulag mail system or by smuggling letters out of camp with free laborers. Examples of such correspondence that survive to the present day represent a powerful, largely unstudied historical source with the potential to fundamentally change the way we understand both the Soviet forced labor system and Stalinist society in general.
Gulag Letters offers readers an English-language translation of the letters of a single Gulag inmate, the journalist, poet, and novelist Arsenii Formakov (1900-1983), who was a prominent member of Latvia’s large and vibrant Russian Old Believer community during the interwar period. Formakov was arrested by the Soviet secret police in June 1940 as part of a broad round-up of anti-Soviet elements that began just weeks after the Soviet Union forcibly annexed Latvia, and survived two terms in Soviet labor camps (1940-1947 and 1949-1955). The letters that he mailed home to his wife and children while serving these sentences reveal the surprising porousness of the Gulag and the variability of labor camp life and describe the difficult conditions that prisoners faced during and after World War II. They also represent an important eye-witness account of the experience of Latvian citizens deported to internment sites in the Soviet interior during the 1940s.
Kevin C. O'Connor
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781501747687
- eISBN:
- 9781501747700
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501747687.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, Russian and Former Soviet Union History
This concluding chapter details the aftermath of the city of Riga, as well as the changes it experienced, after falling to Russian rule. The migration of Jews to Riga, and of Russian officials and ...
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This concluding chapter details the aftermath of the city of Riga, as well as the changes it experienced, after falling to Russian rule. The migration of Jews to Riga, and of Russian officials and laborers, are among the many developments that would take place during the two centuries that followed Riga's capitulation to the tsar. The city's renovation and the appearance of dozens of yellow-brick factory buildings in the suburbs were still to come. The ruined city that fell to Tsar Peter I in 1710 had none of the parks, canals, gardens, and urban villas that would transform Riga into one of northeastern Europe's most attractive and welcoming cities during the twilight years of the Russian Empire. Yet, as this chapter shows, even as Riga tore down its medieval walls in the 1850s and incorporated the suburban areas, where promenades and beautiful homes were built for the city's prosperous bourgeoisie, the oldest parts of Riga would retain many of their traditional features into present times.Less
This concluding chapter details the aftermath of the city of Riga, as well as the changes it experienced, after falling to Russian rule. The migration of Jews to Riga, and of Russian officials and laborers, are among the many developments that would take place during the two centuries that followed Riga's capitulation to the tsar. The city's renovation and the appearance of dozens of yellow-brick factory buildings in the suburbs were still to come. The ruined city that fell to Tsar Peter I in 1710 had none of the parks, canals, gardens, and urban villas that would transform Riga into one of northeastern Europe's most attractive and welcoming cities during the twilight years of the Russian Empire. Yet, as this chapter shows, even as Riga tore down its medieval walls in the 1850s and incorporated the suburban areas, where promenades and beautiful homes were built for the city's prosperous bourgeoisie, the oldest parts of Riga would retain many of their traditional features into present times.
Tomas Balkelis
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199654918
- eISBN:
- 9780191744273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199654918.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History, Military History
In this chapter, Tomas Balkelis compares different paramilitary movements in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and their pivotal importance in building these three newly independent nation-states.
In this chapter, Tomas Balkelis compares different paramilitary movements in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and their pivotal importance in building these three newly independent nation-states.
Barbara Forey, Jan Hamling, Peter Lee, and Nicholas Wald
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780198508564
- eISBN:
- 9780191723773
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198508564.003.0029
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter presents annual data for the USSR and some constituent/successor republics on national sales of cigarettes for the years 1960–1995. Both Russian-style papyrosi and western-style ...
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This chapter presents annual data for the USSR and some constituent/successor republics on national sales of cigarettes for the years 1960–1995. Both Russian-style papyrosi and western-style cigarettes are considered. These data are also presented on a per-adult basis. The transition from plain to filter cigarettes is documented. Data for other types of tobacco are available only for Latvia. Survey-based data are presented on the sex- and age-specific prevalence of smoking from 1960, and on amount smoked from 1973. Data representative of individual republics are shown when available, supplemented by relevant data from international, regional, and epidemiological studies. Surveys of adolescents and adults are included. Appropriate attention is given to the varying definitions and methodologies of the source material, while presenting data in a consistent format. Summary estimates for all adults are presented. Sources of data are fully cited.Less
This chapter presents annual data for the USSR and some constituent/successor republics on national sales of cigarettes for the years 1960–1995. Both Russian-style papyrosi and western-style cigarettes are considered. These data are also presented on a per-adult basis. The transition from plain to filter cigarettes is documented. Data for other types of tobacco are available only for Latvia. Survey-based data are presented on the sex- and age-specific prevalence of smoking from 1960, and on amount smoked from 1973. Data representative of individual republics are shown when available, supplemented by relevant data from international, regional, and epidemiological studies. Surveys of adolescents and adults are included. Appropriate attention is given to the varying definitions and methodologies of the source material, while presenting data in a consistent format. Summary estimates for all adults are presented. Sources of data are fully cited.
Klaus Richter
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198843559
- eISBN:
- 9780191879371
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198843559.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The First World War led to a radical reshaping of Europe’s political borders like hardly any previous event. Nowhere was this transformation more profound than in East Central Europe, where the ...
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The First World War led to a radical reshaping of Europe’s political borders like hardly any previous event. Nowhere was this transformation more profound than in East Central Europe, where the collapse of imperial rule led to the emergence of a series of new states. New borders intersected centuries-old networks of commercial, cultural, and social exchange. The new states had to face the challenges posed by territorial fragmentation and at the same time establish durable state structures within an international order that viewed them at best as weak and at worst as provisional entities that would sooner or later be reintegrated into their larger neighbours’ territory. Fragmentation in East Central Europe challenges the traditional view that the emergence of these states was the product of a radical rupture that naturally led from defunct empires to nation states. Using the example of Poland and the Baltic States, it retraces the roots of the interwar states of East Central Europe, of their policies, economic developments, and of their conflicts back to deep in the First World War. At the same time, it shows that these states learned to harness the dynamics caused by territorial fragmentation, thus forever changing our understanding of what modern states can do.Less
The First World War led to a radical reshaping of Europe’s political borders like hardly any previous event. Nowhere was this transformation more profound than in East Central Europe, where the collapse of imperial rule led to the emergence of a series of new states. New borders intersected centuries-old networks of commercial, cultural, and social exchange. The new states had to face the challenges posed by territorial fragmentation and at the same time establish durable state structures within an international order that viewed them at best as weak and at worst as provisional entities that would sooner or later be reintegrated into their larger neighbours’ territory. Fragmentation in East Central Europe challenges the traditional view that the emergence of these states was the product of a radical rupture that naturally led from defunct empires to nation states. Using the example of Poland and the Baltic States, it retraces the roots of the interwar states of East Central Europe, of their policies, economic developments, and of their conflicts back to deep in the First World War. At the same time, it shows that these states learned to harness the dynamics caused by territorial fragmentation, thus forever changing our understanding of what modern states can do.
Liivoja Rain
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199671144
- eISBN:
- 9780191751516
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199671144.003.0012
- Subject:
- Law, Public International Law, Legal History
This chapter analyses the attempts of three Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — to prosecute offences against international law committed in their territories by the Soviet authorities ...
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This chapter analyses the attempts of three Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — to prosecute offences against international law committed in their territories by the Soviet authorities during and after World War II. It highlights the storytelling or history-writing function of trials of international crimes. The situation of the Baltic states also illustrates what happens if the historical record produced by such trials is in conflict with existing historical paradigms.Less
This chapter analyses the attempts of three Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — to prosecute offences against international law committed in their territories by the Soviet authorities during and after World War II. It highlights the storytelling or history-writing function of trials of international crimes. The situation of the Baltic states also illustrates what happens if the historical record produced by such trials is in conflict with existing historical paradigms.
Peter Dale and John McLaughlin
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198233909
- eISBN:
- 9780191916502
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198233909.003.0010
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Economic Geography
Classic economic theory holds that there are three vehicles for generating wealth in an economy—capital, labour, and land. Land is fundamental, for labour cannot live ...
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Classic economic theory holds that there are three vehicles for generating wealth in an economy—capital, labour, and land. Land is fundamental, for labour cannot live without space and capital cannot be managed without offices and the infrastructure that is built upon the land. The management of land has social, political, and economic dimensions. While the post-war land reforms were driven largely by political agendas, current reforms are primarily concerned with the development of land markets. In their study of urban land markets, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) pointed out that: . . . Land plays an important role as a financial asset. It is an important element in the portfolios of central and local government, nationalized industries, private companies and financial institutions. Financial markets and property markets are intimately connected. Land, especially seen from an historical perspective, is often considered from an investor’s point of view as a superior asset to the financial assets available on capital markets, mainly because of the potential of land to maintain its value over time and because of favourable tax treatment. The more capital and land markets are developed, the higher is the degree of possible substitution between land and other assets. Land and building values together can account for a substantial share of the market capitalization or many businesses and are often a prime consideration of corporate strategy. Stock market growth can be fuelled by rising prices in real estate markets when land is used as collateral for loans. Should land and prices fall in a volatile market place, a high level of dependency on land and property-based assets may carry the risk of serious financial disruptions. . . . The report went on to state that: Land policy cannot be effectively designed and pursued if governments do not understand how their land markets operate (OECD 1992). Land and property are important components in any market driven economy—their value is a measure of the wealth of any society and probably accounts for more than 20 per cent of GDP (UNECE 1996). In most countries, the biggest landowner is the state.
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Classic economic theory holds that there are three vehicles for generating wealth in an economy—capital, labour, and land. Land is fundamental, for labour cannot live without space and capital cannot be managed without offices and the infrastructure that is built upon the land. The management of land has social, political, and economic dimensions. While the post-war land reforms were driven largely by political agendas, current reforms are primarily concerned with the development of land markets. In their study of urban land markets, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) pointed out that: . . . Land plays an important role as a financial asset. It is an important element in the portfolios of central and local government, nationalized industries, private companies and financial institutions. Financial markets and property markets are intimately connected. Land, especially seen from an historical perspective, is often considered from an investor’s point of view as a superior asset to the financial assets available on capital markets, mainly because of the potential of land to maintain its value over time and because of favourable tax treatment. The more capital and land markets are developed, the higher is the degree of possible substitution between land and other assets. Land and building values together can account for a substantial share of the market capitalization or many businesses and are often a prime consideration of corporate strategy. Stock market growth can be fuelled by rising prices in real estate markets when land is used as collateral for loans. Should land and prices fall in a volatile market place, a high level of dependency on land and property-based assets may carry the risk of serious financial disruptions. . . . The report went on to state that: Land policy cannot be effectively designed and pursued if governments do not understand how their land markets operate (OECD 1992). Land and property are important components in any market driven economy—their value is a measure of the wealth of any society and probably accounts for more than 20 per cent of GDP (UNECE 1996). In most countries, the biggest landowner is the state.
Peter Dale and John McLaughlin
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198233909
- eISBN:
- 9780191916502
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198233909.003.0014
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Economic Geography
Land administration strategies and processes need to be structured within a broad policy framework, the shape of which will depend on the jurisdiction concerned. A ...
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Land administration strategies and processes need to be structured within a broad policy framework, the shape of which will depend on the jurisdiction concerned. A common thread between systems will be the promotion of economic development, social justice and equity, political stability, and environmentally sustainable development. The processes of re-engineering, total quality management, and other management reforms discussed in Chapter 9 were originally designed for use in the private sector so that organizations could respond better to the demands of the market place. More recently, they have increasingly been adopted by public sector administrators who have been forced to respond to the market oriented approach and hence have been required to upgrade land administration systems. In the United States the processes of re-engineering have been packaged under such labels as ‘entrepreneurial government’ and ‘reinventing government’ and were addressed in the National Performance Review (known as the Gore Commission) which had a mandate to ‘re-invent and to reinvigorate the entire national government’. The ideas were picked up by many other governments—from Australia to the UK (Butler 1994), the Netherlands to New Zealand, and Singapore to Sweden-regardless of party or ideology. Although reinventing government means different things to different people, it has generally entailed: 1. restructuring the way government services are organized; 2. developing new strategies and processes for managing government services (for instance, simplifying administrative programmes); 3. empowering the recipients of public services. As with the private sector, a crucial component of reinventing government has been the effective use of information technology (IT). Governments in general have only recently begun to review their national information strategies and to develop new ways in which they deliver services to citizens and businesses. Over the past few years, IT has changed the way that many people live through the creation of new products and services. Examples include the use of credit and debit cards, the ability to withdraw cash from a ‘hole in the wall’ even in a foreign country, the mobile phone and fax machine, and access to information on the Internet. Information technology now makes it possible for citizens and businesses to deal directly with government agencies if they so wish (UK Government 1996).
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Land administration strategies and processes need to be structured within a broad policy framework, the shape of which will depend on the jurisdiction concerned. A common thread between systems will be the promotion of economic development, social justice and equity, political stability, and environmentally sustainable development. The processes of re-engineering, total quality management, and other management reforms discussed in Chapter 9 were originally designed for use in the private sector so that organizations could respond better to the demands of the market place. More recently, they have increasingly been adopted by public sector administrators who have been forced to respond to the market oriented approach and hence have been required to upgrade land administration systems. In the United States the processes of re-engineering have been packaged under such labels as ‘entrepreneurial government’ and ‘reinventing government’ and were addressed in the National Performance Review (known as the Gore Commission) which had a mandate to ‘re-invent and to reinvigorate the entire national government’. The ideas were picked up by many other governments—from Australia to the UK (Butler 1994), the Netherlands to New Zealand, and Singapore to Sweden-regardless of party or ideology. Although reinventing government means different things to different people, it has generally entailed: 1. restructuring the way government services are organized; 2. developing new strategies and processes for managing government services (for instance, simplifying administrative programmes); 3. empowering the recipients of public services. As with the private sector, a crucial component of reinventing government has been the effective use of information technology (IT). Governments in general have only recently begun to review their national information strategies and to develop new ways in which they deliver services to citizens and businesses. Over the past few years, IT has changed the way that many people live through the creation of new products and services. Examples include the use of credit and debit cards, the ability to withdraw cash from a ‘hole in the wall’ even in a foreign country, the mobile phone and fax machine, and access to information on the Internet. Information technology now makes it possible for citizens and businesses to deal directly with government agencies if they so wish (UK Government 1996).
