Latvia Proclaims Independence from Russia
Following the collapse of the Russian Empire amid World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution, Baltic nationalists moved to establish sovereign states. In Riga, the Latvian People's Council, a coalition of political parties, convened and formally declared the Republic of Latvia on November 18, 1918. Kārlis Ulmanis was named head of the provisional government. The declaration occurred as German occupation forces withdrew and Soviet forces threatened from the east, launching the Latvian War of Independence. The new state sought international recognition while organizing defenses. Latvia maintained independence until Soviet annexation in 1940.
