Transcending boundaries: Riga’s Baltic German entrepreneurs in an era of nationalism, revolution, and war

Abstract

ABSTRACTInvestigating the politics of merchants and entrepreneurs, this paper discusses how Riga’s economic elite reacted to the challenges of nationalism, revolution, and war and (re)defined themselves during and after World War One. Riga’s entrepreneurs had traditionally sought protection of their businesses by maintaining close relations with the Russian tsar. War and the Russian Revolution forced them to look for protection elsewhere. This paper argues that orientation toward the German Empire in 1917/18 was not so much the outcome of desired national belonging but of economic pragmatism. Spatial identity and the perception of belonging to the Baltics proved stronger than national affiliation to Germany.