The Case for Latvia
Encyclopedia
The Case for Latvia. Disinformation Campaigns Against a Small Nation. Fourteen Hard Questions and Straight Answers about a Baltic Country is the complete title of a non-fiction
al book on the history of Latvia
by the awarded Finnish author Jukka Rislakki
. The book was first published 2007 in the Finnish language
with the title "Tapaus Latvia. Pieni kansakunta disinformaatiokampanjan kohteena", and has since then also been published in the Latvian language
with the title: "Maldināšana: Latvijas gadījums", and in the Russian language
with the title: "Манипуляции фактами: латвийский вариант". The Finnish version was translated to English by Richard Impola and published by the Rodopi
publishing house 2008.
The image on the cover of the book is of a drawing by Benita Plezere, who was deported on 25 May 1949 from Latvia
to Siberia
, together with her family. She created drawings of their experiences during their travel, which she mailed as postcards to her grandmother. The drawing now is the property of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
.
, was awarded the Latvian Cross of Recognition
for "selfless promotion of the Latvian image abroad and national patriotic education of youth". The Case for Latvia is the only book by Jukka Rislakki about Latvia, that has been translated to English. Jukka Rislakki received the Cross of Recognition in Riga on 4 May 2009, the day of restoration of independence of the Republic of Latvia.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
al book on the history of Latvia
History of Latvia
The History of Latvia began when the area which is today Latvia was settled following the end of the last glacial period, around 9000 BC. Ancient Baltic peoples appeared during the second millennium BC and four distinct tribal realms in Latvia's territories were identifiable towards the end of the...
by the awarded Finnish author Jukka Rislakki
Jukka Rislakki
Jukka Rislakki is an awarded Finnish journalist and non-fiction writer who has published a number of books, mostly on recent history of Finland, the Baltic states, and books on intelligence activities....
. The book was first published 2007 in the Finnish language
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
with the title "Tapaus Latvia. Pieni kansakunta disinformaatiokampanjan kohteena", and has since then also been published in the Latvian language
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
with the title: "Maldināšana: Latvijas gadījums", and in the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
with the title: "Манипуляции фактами: латвийский вариант". The Finnish version was translated to English by Richard Impola and published by the Rodopi
Rodopi Publishers
Rodopi, founded in 1966 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is an independent academic publishing company with offices in the Netherlands and the United States.Rodopi publishes over 150 titles per year in around 70 peer-reviewed book series and journals...
publishing house 2008.
The image on the cover of the book is of a drawing by Benita Plezere, who was deported on 25 May 1949 from Latvia
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...
to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, together with her family. She created drawings of their experiences during their travel, which she mailed as postcards to her grandmother. The drawing now is the property of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia 1940-1991 is an historic educational institution located in Riga, Latvia. It was established in 1993 to exhibit artifacts, archive documents, and educate the public about the 51-year period in the 20th century when Latvia was successively occupied by the USSR in...
.
Cross of Recognition
The author of The Case for Latvia, Jukka RislakkiJukka Rislakki
Jukka Rislakki is an awarded Finnish journalist and non-fiction writer who has published a number of books, mostly on recent history of Finland, the Baltic states, and books on intelligence activities....
, was awarded the Latvian Cross of Recognition
Cross of Recognition
The Cross of Recognition is a state decoration of Latvia, founded in 1938, but tracing its historical origins to 1710. It is awarded to Latvians and foreigners for meritorious services in the development of the military, ensuring national security and public order, defending the national borders,...
for "selfless promotion of the Latvian image abroad and national patriotic education of youth". The Case for Latvia is the only book by Jukka Rislakki about Latvia, that has been translated to English. Jukka Rislakki received the Cross of Recognition in Riga on 4 May 2009, the day of restoration of independence of the Republic of Latvia.
Questions and Answers
- Are minorities, especially the RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, discriminated against in Latvia? Is it very difficult for them to become citizens? Do they have political rights? - Are the Russians denied the right to use their language in Latvian society and in the schools?
- Were the Baltic lands a small, underdeveloped province in a far corner of Europe, to which GermansGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, SwedesSwedesSwedes are a Scandinavian nation and ethnic group native to Sweden, mostly inhabiting Sweden and the other Nordic countries, with descendants living in a number of countries.-Etymology:...
, PolesPolesthumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, and Russians brought religion, culture, and well-being and where no prerequisites for independence existed? - Did the Latvian Reds help LeninVladimir LeninVladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
seize power in RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
? Did they help murder the Russian royal family? - Was Latvia granted independence as a present? Was the War of Independence an exaggerated myth? Was it a series of minor skirmishes that the Latvians were able to win with foreign help?
- Why did the Latvians not resist the Soviet ArmyRed ArmyThe Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's taking over their country in 1940? Did the people carry out an anti-bourgeois anti-fascist revolution, after which Latvia joined the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
legally, by means of election? - Did Latvians murder their Jews in 1941? How anti-Semitic is and was Latvia?
- Why did tens of thousands of Latvian volunteers fight in the SS troops, and why are SS veterans still allowed to march on the streets of Riga instead of being brought to justice?
- Did the Soviet Union occupy Latvia? Were the Latvians victims of genocide?
- Did the Latvians succumb to Soviet power, cooperate with the Communist authorities, and start their independence movement only after the Lithuanians and EstoniansEstoniansEstonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...
had begun theirs? - Has Latvia always belonged to Russia and benefited from it? Is it a strategically indispensable area for Russia?
- Shouldn't Latvia be grateful for factories, houses, schools, roads, and harbors built during the Soviet era? Shouldn't she pay compensation as well?
- Has Latvia been unwilling to establish good relations with neighboring Russia? Does Latvia champion an intransigent, hostile line toward Russia in the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, and did she decline a border agreement with Russia? Does she demand that Russia hand over some border areas to her? - Have the new leaders of Latvia privatized state property for their own use and are they guilty of massive corruption while the majority of the people live in poverty?
Back of the Book
- Acknowledgements: How and Why This Book Came to Be
- Basic Facts about Latvia
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Further reading
- The Case for Latvia at Google Book SearchGoogle Book SearchGoogle Books is a service from Google that searches the full text of books that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical character recognition, and stored in its digital database. The service was formerly known as Google Print when it was introduced at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October...