Remove ads
Prime Minister of Latvia (1877-1942), agronomist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kārlis Ulmanis (September 4, 1877 – September 20, 1942) was a leader of the Latvian independence movement, who served intermittently as the Prime Minister and President of Latvia until the Soviet takeover on 21 July 1940. Ulmanis was deported to Russia and ultimately died of dysentery in prison in Krasnovodsk, Turkmenistan.[1]
Ulmanis started out as an agricultural scientist in Latvia, who studied agronomy[2] in Germany. In 1905, he joined the Russian Revolution and got detained, but managed to escape and flee to the United States, where he earned a degree in agriculture at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and taught as a lecturer.[1][3]
Ulmanis returned to Latvia in 1913 when Tsar Nicolas II declared a general amnesty. In 1915, Latvia was occupied by the German Empire amid World War I. In 1918, Ulmanis founded the Latvian Farmers' Union and co-founded the People's Council to prepare for independence from Russia.[1][3]
Ulmanis led the People's Council to declare Latvia's independence on 18 November 1918, becoming the first Prime Minister of Latvia. The nascent Republic of Latvia was invaded by Soviet Russia aided by native Latvian communists.[4] With help from the Baltic German, Finnish, Estonian and Polish forces and Anglo-French navies, the Latvian War of Independence was won.[1][5]
Just as other European states, Latvia's democracy was not immune to instability.[6] Amid instability posed by the ultranationalist Pērkonkrusts ("Thunder Cross") party[7] and the Nazified German minority, Kārlis Ulmanis and general Jānis Balodis launched a coup d'état, dissolving the Saeima (Latvian Parliament) and all parties.[8]
Individuals across the spectrum, including the Pērkonkrusts, were jailed. In 1936, Ulmanis took over the positions of both President and Prime Minister, ruling until the Soviet annexation.[8][9]
Several historians deemed Kārlis Ulmanis nationalist and authoritarian. Latvianization was reportedly enforced in education to assimilate minorities, which also greatly improved the literacy among the populace.[9][10] It is claimed that all secular Yiddish schools were closed, while considerable restrictions were imposed on Hebrew schools.[11][12]
Following the Soviet annexation of Latvia, Ulmanis was deported to Russia and ultimately died of dysentery in prison in present-day Turkmenistan's Krasnovodsk.[1][3]
Kārlis Ulmanis has been a controversial figure since the end of WWII. In Soviet historiography, Ulmanis was demonized as a "corrupt fascist culpable for the bloody repression of Latvian workers." Whereas, the then-Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin committed several genocides across the Soviet Union, killing up to 20 million,[14] including the Holodomor and deportation of 10% of Baltic states' population.[15]
In present-day Latvia, Ulmanis holds substantial appeal among Latvians for his vital role in Latvia's nation-building. His achievements in his early years of prime ministership are viewed positively by historians,[16] despite criticism of his high-handed rule between 1934 and 1940.[17]
It is claimed that Kārlis Ulmanis never married or dated. When asked, he answered,[18]
I am married to Latvia, and that is enough for me.
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.