In the mid-1980s, Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika created political openings in the Soviet Union, sparking Latvia’s national reawakening. In 1987, large demonstrations began in Riga, and by 1988 the Popular Front of Latvia (Tautas Fronte) formed as a leading force for independence. Latvia’s push for greater autonomy gained momentum, and in 1990, the old national flag was restored. In March 1990 elections, pro-independence candidates secured a majority in the Supreme Council.
On May 4, 1990, the Supreme Council declared Latvia’s independence and began a transition period toward full sovereignty, arguing that the 1940 Soviet annexation was illegal under international law. Latvia claimed it was not seceding from the Soviet Union but restoring independence established in 1918. However, the Soviet central government continued to consider Latvia a republic of the USSR during the transitional period.
In January 1991, Soviet military forces attempted to reassert control, leading to clashes with Latvian demonstrators who successfully defended strategic locations. On March 3, 1991, 73% of Latvian residents voted in favor of independence in a non-binding referendum, with significant support even from the ethnic Russian population.
After the failed Soviet coup in August 1991, Latvia took decisive steps. On August 21, 1991, the transitional period ended, and full independence was restored. On September 6, 1991, the Soviet Union formally recognized Latvia’s sovereignty. Latvia maintained that it was the legal continuation of the pre-war Republic of Latvia and rejected any legal connection with the Latvian SSR, which had been occupied from 1940 to 1991.
Following independence, Soviet institutions were dismantled, the Communist Party was banned, and some former officials faced prosecution for human rights violations.