“State Sovereignty and Protection of Minorities”: Maksim Lazerson and the Development of the Idea of National-Cultural Autonomy in the Republic of Latvia (1920s — 1930s)

Abstract

The article deals with the activities of M. Ya. Lazerson — a well-known lawyer, politician and public figure of the Republic of Latvia in the 1920s — 1930s, who aimed at protecting the rights of minorities. Lazerson was a deputy of the first, second and third Saeima of Latvia and paid much attention to the topic of protecting the rights of national minorities. He saw a direct connection between the development of special legislation and the recognition of minorities as a subject of law with the establishment of genuine democracy. Не was the author of numerous articles published in the “Segodnya” newspaper. He stressed, that the system of protection of the rights of minorities, formalized in law, was connected with the expansion of the scope of international law. One of Lazerson's key ideas, which served as a justification for the development of a system of law aimed at protecting the cultural and social life of minorities, was the requirement to recognize national minorities as a subject of international law. He paid much attention to the discussion of the development of Latvian legislation and the adoption of a special law on national-cultural autonomy for the minorities of Latvia, for which, among other things, he turned to the Estonian experience and analysed in detail the law of February 12, 1925 in Estonia on the cultural self-government of national minorities. Active participation of M. Ya. Lazerson in discussions on the national question reflects the struggle of representatives of minorities in Latvia for their rights in the conditions of a nationalizing state.