Latvian-Soviet Riga Peace Treaty
Encyclopedia
The Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty also known as the Treaty of Riga, was signed on 11 August 1920 by representatives of the Republic of Latvia
and Soviet Russia. It officially ended the Latvian War of Independence.
In article II of the treaty, the Soviet Russia recognised the independence of Latvia as inviolable "for all future time".
, declared its independence. The Red Army was able to capture the capital, Riga, and a Soviet Government replaced Ulmanis. Germany sent troops to help Latvia oust the Bolshevik troops. However, when the German and Latvian troops did this, the Germans refused to leave, going against the Treaty of Versailles
. After the Estonian 3rd Division and the Latvians expelled the German troops, the Soviet troops once again advanced onto Riga. These troops were pushed out of Latvia by early 1920. The Latvian-Soviet Peace Treaty formally ended Latvia's War for Independence.
. The Red Army invaded and occupied the country on June 1940. Latvia was later illegally annexed to the Soviet Union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic through rigged elections.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Soviet Russia. It officially ended the Latvian War of Independence.
In article II of the treaty, the Soviet Russia recognised the independence of Latvia as inviolable "for all future time".
Timeline
- November 11, 1918: The end of World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
- November 18, 1918: Republic of LatviaLatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
is proclaimed - December 1, 1918: The Red Army invades Latvia
- December 17, 1918: The Latvian Socialist Soviet RepublicLatvian Socialist Soviet RepublicThe Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic was a short-lived socialist republic formed during the Latvian War of Independence. It was proclaimed on 17 December 1918 with the political, economic, and military backing of Vladimir Lenin and his Bolshevik government in the Russian SFSR...
is formed - January 13, 1920: Government of the Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic resigns
- February 1, 1920: A ceasefire between Russia and Latvia is signed
- August 11, 1920: The Latvian-Soviet Peace Treaty is signed
- October 4, 1920: Retification exchanged in Moscow, and the treaty went into effect.
Background
After World War I, Soviet Russia want to regain Latvia, since it had once been a part of the Russian Empire. The Red Army invaded Latvia in 1918, after the prime minister, Karlis UlmanisKarlis Ulmanis
Kārlis Augusts Vilhelms Ulmanis was a prominent Latvian politician in pre-World War II Latvia during the Latvian period of independence from 1918 to 1940.- Education and early career :Ulmanis studied agriculture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and...
, declared its independence. The Red Army was able to capture the capital, Riga, and a Soviet Government replaced Ulmanis. Germany sent troops to help Latvia oust the Bolshevik troops. However, when the German and Latvian troops did this, the Germans refused to leave, going against the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
. After the Estonian 3rd Division and the Latvians expelled the German troops, the Soviet troops once again advanced onto Riga. These troops were pushed out of Latvia by early 1920. The Latvian-Soviet Peace Treaty formally ended Latvia's War for Independence.
Provisions of the Treaty
The treaty had twenty two articles and dealt with the sovereignty of the state of Latvia. The first article stated that "The state of war existing between the Parties shall be ended as of the effective date of this Peace Treaty." Article Two declares the independence and sovereignty of Latvia, and Article Three sets the borders of the State of Latvia, while also creating deadlines for which foreign troops should leave by. Articles Eleven through Sixteen deal with reparations Russia will make to the state Latvia and its citizens.Effects of the Treaty
Because much of Latvia's industry had been taken to Russia, land reform was the focus of the economy of the new state. In 1934, Karlis Ulmanis took over the government in a bloodless coup. October 5, 1939, Soviet Troops were admitted onto Latvian Soviet Territory through the Molotov-Ribbentrop PactMolotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
. The Red Army invaded and occupied the country on June 1940. Latvia was later illegally annexed to the Soviet Union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic through rigged elections.