Historical Dictionary of Latvia

Located on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, Latvia did not emerge as an independent country until the twentieth century, having been occupied at different times in the past by its larger neighbors: Russia, Germany, Poland, and Sweden. In 1993, Latvia held its first parliamentary election and elected its first president after 50 years of a Communist dictatorship. With the entrance of Latvia in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union in 2004, the "post-Communist" era appears to be over. The first edition of the Historical Dictionary of Latvia was written shortly after the liberation of the country from the U.S.S.R. when much about the country's future seemed uncertain. The new edition details the changes the country has undergone since and tells the turbulent history of Latvia through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, an appendix, and several hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, and events.

The first edition of the Historical Dictionary of Latvia was written shortly after the liberation of the country from the U.S.S.R. when much about the country's future seemed uncertain. The new edition details the changes the country has undergone since and tells the turbulent history of Latvia through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, an appendix, and several hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, and events.

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Plakans (history, Iowa State U.) offers a first step toward the creation of a integrated history of his native Baltic country, which was independent in the 1920s and 1930s, annexed by the Soviet Union in the 1940s, and granted sovereignty again in 1991. He presents entries on political events and their players, agencies and organizations, regions and locations, movements, artists, writers, scientists, and other contributors to Latvian culture. He also includes a simple map, a chronology, and an introductory survey of the country's history. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Andrejs Plakans is emeritus professor of history at Iowa State University. He has served on committees of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, the American Historical Association, and the Social Science History Association. In 1992, he was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C., and since 1990 he has been a foreign member of the Academy of Sciences of Latvia.