History of interethnic relations in the territory of Latvia since the second half of the 19th century: History of political ideas and ideologies in the Baltic region since the second half of the 19th century

Dr.hist., leading researcher Inese Runce Inese.Runce@lu.lv

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4731-1984

Since the late 19th century, Latvia’s interethnic relations have been shaped by rising national movements, the influence of Baltic Germans, expanding Russian imperial control, and growing Latvian demands for cultural and political rights. Industrialization and urbanization brought different ethnic groups—Latvians, Germans, Russians, Jews—into closer contact, creating both cooperation and tension. During the same period, the Baltic region became a meeting point for major political ideologies. Nationalism, liberalism, and socialism gained strength, later followed by communism and Nazism. These ideas influenced independence movements, shaped conflicts during Soviet and Nazi occupations, and defined public life under Soviet rule. By the late 20th century, renewed nationalism and democratic ideals supported Latvia’s path to restored independence and reshaped interethnic relations in modern society. The topic of this current academic interest and research is linked with the issues of the antisemitism in the Latvian society and among variety of ethnic and religious communities, issues of the tsarist era Russification, aspects of religion and regionalism in the interethnic relations. The focus of the research is also linked with the history of the Jewish community in Latvia.