History of Latvia

Anthem of LatviaOfficial lyrics English translation

Dievs, svētī Latviju,Mūs' dārgo tēviju,Svētī jel Latviju,Ak, svētī jel to! (repeat)

Kur latvju meitas zied,Kur latvju dēli dzied,Laid mums tur laimē diet,Mūs' Latvijā! (repeat)

God bless Latvia,Our beloved fatherland.Bless Latvia,Oh bless it, we beseech thee! (repeat)

Where Latvian daughters bloom,Where Latvian sons sing,Let us dance happily there,In our Latvia! (repeat)

History timeline

1944-1991 •Soviet era

1988-1991

• Popular Front of Latvia

• The Baltic Way• Barricades

1990-1991 •Restoration of independence

1991- •Modern history

Back to timeline

Road to independence

Soviet era• Latvia was occupied by Soviet Union in 1944.

• On March 25, 1949, 43,000 rural residents and Latvian patriots were deported to Siberia

• 1955 About thirty thousand deportees returned to Latvia from the USSR under a general amnesty.

Flag of Latvian SSR

Popular Front of Latvia

• 1988 - The Latvian Popular Front (LPF) is established.

• It becomes the guiding force toward the restoration of Latvian independence.

• Journalist Dainis Ivāns is elected as Chairman of LPF.

Manifestation in 1991

The Baltic Way• 1989 23 August - Mass demonstrations against

the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.• Human Chain linking the three states• More than 2 million people paricipated

Barricades• 13 January, 1991- Barricades are set in Old Riga

to protect the Latvian government against Pro-Communist political forces, which had attempted to restore Soviet power in Latvia.

I want to live in a free Latvia.

• Latvia’s old currency, witch was made specially for the Barricades.

Restoration of independence• 1990 May 4 -The Latvian SSR Supreme Council

adopted the declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia.

• The law in part re-establishes the 1922 Constitution of Latvia and the official name of the Republic of Latvia.

• 1991 September 17- Latvia became a member of the United Nations.

Modern history• 2004, April 2 - Latvia became a member of NATO.• 1 May - Latvia became a member of European

Union.

Flag of European Union Flag of NATO

• In 2014 Latvia joined the Eurozone.• Samples of Latvian euro coins design.

€ 0.05€ 0.02€ 0.01

€ 0.20€ 0.10 € 0.50

€ 1.00 € 2.00