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It was mistake of Russian administration. They automatically used in Baltic region those concepts which were
normal for low educated Russian peasants without any concrete national and social identities. In the same time
Baltic inorodtsy were more educated and they had numerous and various contacts with Baltic Germans. Ukrainian
Canadian historian Stephen (Stepan) Velychenko presume that Russian imperialism was too weak for systematic
anti-inorodtsy actions in non-Russian regions 1 . That it is why Russian authorities were not ready to National
Awaking among Estonian and Latvian peasants. The fact that by the beginning of the 20th century modern Estonian
and Latvian nations appeared was real and unpleasant surprise as for local Germans as for Russian administration.
In the early 1900s Russian government did not know what to do with Latvians and Estonians. It was too
late for assimilation – that is why dialogue begun.
Russian officials also knew a little about Latgale. Probably, Latgale for them was local Ukraine in miniature.
It was not Polish, it was not Belarus, but it also was not Latvian and Russian. In the same time Russian intellectuals
were not able to imagine Latgale as Russian lieux de memoire because they by themselves had not concrete
ideas about Russian historical memory and identity. In the 1917 Russian revolution destroyed Russian Empire and
Latvia got independence. During period of active armed struggle for independence Latvian politicians were able
to unite all territories which were Latvian for them including Latgale. In the same time many Latvian communists
and social-democrats of extreme left orientation emigrated to the Soviet Russia.
During the 1920s and early 1930s Soviets plaid with numerous non-Russian ethnic groups in different games
which concerned their languages and identities. They declared politics of korenizatsiia which had different forms
and expressions. As for political emigrants from Latvia, Soviets decided that among them were not only Latvians,
but Latgalians also. In such situation Latvian and Latgalian communities in the USSR co-existed. But in the
middle of the 1930s Soviet government suddenly decided that it was impossible to organize communistic revolution
in Latvia and Soviet officials decided that there is no more need in emigrants. On another hand national policy
changed greatly and numerous Latvians and Latgalians were repressed. But, Russian Soviet officials, like their
Russian predecessors in Russian Empire, mistaken.
In 1939 – 1940 Latvian Republic was occupied and incorporated in the Soviet Union as LSSR – Latvian Soviet
Socialist Republic. For authors and ideologists of Soviet national policy it was not only Socialist, but mainly
– Latvian. That is why, in such Latvia was no place for Latgale and Latgalians with their own language and
separate identity. Soviets simply presented Latgale to loyal Latvian communists in Riga who declared that new
type of nation, Latvian socialistic nation, appeared. Russians were not interesting in development of any separate
Latgalian identity. Latgale in opposite to Ukraine or Belarus was too far from Russia mentally and was not part
of Russian historical memory.
Russian Soviet intellectuals had a little in common with Latgale and it wasn’t for them their own lieux de memoire
like some for example some of Ukrainian regions. Soviet Russian intellectuals who lived in Russia practically
did nothing for Latgalian studies. They preferred to present Latgale with its unique past to Latvian intellectuals.
Perception of history was and still is the main battlefield for an identity 2 – that is why history was often used in
intellectual debates which touched upon Latgalian past.
Latvian intellectuals in the Soviet Latvia were firstly Latvian and secondly Soviet intellectuals. That is why
they were ready to take such un-expected present from Russians as Latgale. It was so because Latvian historians
and intellectuals by themselves tried to integrate Latgale to Latvia and Latgalian historical narratives to the great
and common Latvian one. But in this way they met with numerous difficulties. Historically Latgale and other
Latvian lands developed under various historical influences. Vidzeme, Kurzeme and Zemgale belonged to the
zones where German language and German political institutions dominated. Latgale was the zone where German
influence was not such strong as Slavic one.
That is why history by herself assisted to appearances of differences between Latvian lands. When in the mid
of 19th century national movement made its first steps in Latvia – it moved quicker in Vidzeme and Kurzeme then
in Latgale. Latvian nationalists, who were the first Latvian intellectuals also, tried to change situation and integrate
Latgale to Latvian context. That is why they began cultivating their own image of Latgale as Latvian lieux
1 VELYCHENKO, 1999.
2 KOHUT, 2004, 219.
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