Latvian peasants in the circles of time: perception of agrarian reforms of the 20th century

• In Event: Land Reform and Historical Memory in the Baltics

Abstract

During the 20th century, Latvian agriculture underwent comprehensive changes three times: with the agrarian reform of the 1920s peasants were given the opportunity to become owners of land that then had been nationalized in the 1940s under Soviet occupation and collectivization, and finally returned to the rightful owners or their heirs in the 1990s. Large-scale transformations each time changed both socio-economic relations in general and the private lives of people, requiring them to adapt to new conditions. The purpose of the study is to reveal the attitude of Latvian peasants to the changes that took place. The life stories from the collection of the Oral History Centre of Daugavpils University record the unique experience of several generations of rural residents of south-eastern Latvia. Study of oral history sources clarifies people’s attitude to the changes that took place, as well as their motivation when making choices in the process of adaptation.

Author

• Irēna Saleniece, Daugavpils University