Latvian War of Independence 1918-1920

Latvian independence was proclaimed on November 18, 1918, and Bolshevik forces invaded the country on December 2, 1918, intending to restore Soviet rule. The Red Army seized the capital city of Riga on January 4, 1919 and almost the entire territory claimed by independent Latvia over the next few weeks. A pro-Soviet government was then set established and, at least initially, it was believed to have popular support among Latvians.

Latvians opposed to Soviet rule were forced to rely on the German army, which had been occupying Latvia after the conclusion of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, to resist the Bolshevik occupation. With the approval of the Allies, the German army, supported by Latvian and German volunteers, pressed the Red Army to retreat from Riga. The city was liberated by May 22nd. The German volunteer troops then attempted to impose a pro-German government in what was now German occupied Riga and this resulted in violent resistance from Latvians who received military support from Estonian forces.

A combined army of Latvian and Estonian troops successfully engaged the German volunteer forces during June. The Entente great powers intervened and organized negotiations which resulted in an armistice being agreed upon on June 10th. It lasted until June 20th when the German volunteer forces resumed their offensive. The Latvian-Estonian forces held and, by the beginning of July 1919, they managed to advance toward Riga. The Allies again demanded a ceasefire and this agreement called for all German forces to pull out of Riga by July 5th and to completely withdraw from Latvia as soon as possible, in accordance with the implementation of the Treaty of Versailles.

An independent Latvian national government was reestablished in Riga shortly after the Germans withdrew and the Latvian army was established on July 10th. As the German withdrawal proceeded, Latvian independence was once again threatened by the return of the Red Army; fighting broke out again on October 20th. The German withdrawal was completed on November 20th. Under diplomatic Allied pressure, the Bolsheviks, who again tried to take over after the Germans retreated, were completely evicted from the country by Latvian forces in January 1920.

The Soviet government concluded an armistice with the Latvians on February 1, 1920. With the Treaty of Riga, signed on August 11, 1920, the Soviet government recognized Latvian independence. Latvia became a member of the League of Nations in 1921.

References

COW108; Dupuy and Dupuy, 1096; EB - Baltic War of Liberation; Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - Country Studies; Kohn, 269.

Region

Eastern Europe

Belligerents

Latvia, Bolsheviks, Estonia, Germany, Germans

Dispute

Territory, Governance

Initiation Date

Decenber 2, 1918

Termination Date

February 1, 1920

Duration

1 year, 2 months
(427 days)

Outcome

Negotiated Settlement
(Latvian victory)

Fatalities

Total: 13,246
Bolshevik: 8,000
Latvia: 3,046
Estonia: 1,000
Germany: 450
Germans: 750

Magnitude

4.1

Armed Conflict Events Data