jjares reviewed on 12/30/2020 + 3302 more book reviews

Sometimes, history books tell the tale of a country from the beginning of times. This book tells Latvia's story during the 20th century, rather than the longer view. I soon found out why; the 20th century has been an incredibly busy time for all the Baltic States. Because of Latvia's geographical location, the country has had many ethnic groups move through and to Latvia. They have a sizable German ethnic minority and have been overrun by Russians for many generations.

As the author says so eloquently, "Latvia has endured the occupation of the Russian Empire, the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, authoritarianism, Soviet annexation, Nazi occupation and brutality, and decades of Soviet domination during the Cold War. Nonetheless, Latvia managed to carve out an independent state against all the odds, and though there was plenty of political turbulence for the Latvians during the 1910s and 1990s, these periods set the model for a future autonomous state." (p. 44)

One of the reasons the country is now independent is that they quickly did what was necessary to join NATO and become a member of the EU. By getting under the umbrella of America's NATO coalition, they are protected from Russia's desires to pull them back into satellite-status. EU membership has helped Latvia to become prosperous and autonomous.

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