Soviet occupation of Latvia

1940 Latvia occupied by USSR troops.

1940 The USA Foreign Affairs department declares that the occupation of the Baltic countries is illegal and their incorporation into the USSR is not recognised by the USA.

1941 15,424 Latvians are deported from Latvia to Siberia: the political and business elite of Latvia is considered to be hostile towards the occupation regime. Among the deported are almost 100 infants under the age of 1 and more than 3000 children under the age of 16.

1941 – 1945 Latvia occupied by the German Third Reich.

1943 Germany begins compulsory recruitment of Latvian civilians into its occupation army.

1941 – 1944 The German occupation regime exterminates over 90,000 Latvian civilians, mainly Jews.

1945 End of the Second World War. The German occupation army capitulates and the USSR occupation power is re-established in the territory of Latvia.

1945 – 1956 A continuous Latvian national partisan armed struggle against the second Soviet occupation spread throughout the country.

1949 More than 43,000 innocent people are labelled as enemies of the re-established Soviet regime and are deported to Siberia.

1987 The first large anti-Soviet and anti-occupation demonstrations in Rīga.