Soviet Occupation (1940–1941)
Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, Latvia was assigned to the Soviet sphere of influence. Forced to accept the Soviet–Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty, Latvia allowed 25,000 Soviet troops onto its soil. In June 1940, the Soviet Union issued an ultimatum and occupied Latvia on June 17 without resistance. Rigged elections in July led to Latvia’s formal annexation into the Soviet Union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic on August 5, 1940.
The Soviet regime quickly moved to eliminate opposition. On June 13–14, 1941, over 15,000 Latvians were deported to Siberia, including political figures, intellectuals, and their families. In the first year of occupation, around 35,000 people were deported, destabilizing Latvian society. Plans for further deportations were interrupted by the Nazi invasion.
Nazi Occupation (1941–1944)
In June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and captured Riga on July 1, 1941. The German occupation dismantled Soviet structures but introduced its own repressive policies. Nazi officials sought to enlist local collaborators and conscripts, forming two divisions of Latvian Waffen-SS units to support the German war effort.
Resistance to Nazi rule developed in parallel with military collaboration. Some Latvians joined the Latvian Central Council, which sought to restore independence, while others joined pro-Soviet partisan units, operating with Soviet support. The Nazis planned to Germanize the Baltics and made use of local manpower to secure the region for future expansion.
The dual occupations devastated Latvia. Tens of thousands were deported, executed, or conscripted into foreign armies. The Soviet and Nazi regimes left Latvia's economy and infrastructure severely damaged. Cities, farms, and factories were destroyed or repurposed for war. The conflict also deepened internal divisions, with factions emerging on all sides—those collaborating with occupying powers, those fighting for independence, and those supporting Soviet interests. Latvia would face renewed Soviet occupation in 1944 as the Red Army advanced westward, bringing an end to the Nazi regime but imposing another era of repression.
Soviet retakes Latvia
In 1944, as the Soviet Red Army advanced westward, intense fighting erupted between German and Soviet forces on Latvian territory. Riga was re-captured by the Red Army on October 13, 1944, though the Courland Pocket, where German forces and Latvian conscripts made a last stand, held out until May 9, 1945. This prolonged resistance delayed the full Soviet takeover but did not prevent Latvia’s eventual occupation.
Both the Germans and Soviets conscripted Latvians into their armies during the war, causing significant human losses. Latvians found themselves divided, with some fighting alongside the German military, while others were recruited or coerced into serving in the Soviet forces.
As the Soviets re-established control in 1944, around 160,000 Latvians fled to Germany and Sweden to avoid Soviet reprisals. At the same time, some Latvians who had supported the Bolsheviks earlier chose to stay in Soviet Russia, where they continued to hold influential positions in the Communist Party.