Abstract
The year 1939 is one of the most crucial ones in Latvian history. The purpose of this chapter is to evaluate how prepared the Latvians were for, and how they addressed, this decisive turn in their history. How did the political elite and the ordinary people react? What kind of military forces did Latvia have before the outbreak of the hostilities, and what was their attitude? How did the Latvian authorities envisage the use of military force in the context of the unfolding events of the Soviet invasion of neighbouring Finland? The chapter outlines the response of the Latvian government, the media and the army during the decisive turn of events in 1939-40. The Latvian diplomatic manoeuvre room was limited, especially after the conclusion of the mutual assistance treaty with the Soviet Union on 5 October 1939. Keywords:army; Finnish Winter War; Latvian government; Second World War; Soviet Union
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