Latvia has started its growth from scratch several times over the last century, and that has been a uniquely difficult challenge, as the President of Latvia indicated. “However, the Latvian nation has been able to manage this and even more severe challenges, to survive, and to thrive brilliantly. Having based growth of the country on a smart society consisting of a competitive education system and politicians, who make and implement smart decisions, we can make our country even more successful and prosperous in the next centenary.”
The President of Latvia pointed out that the economic challenges of the newly established Republic of Latvia were important also in the context of modern Latvia when the state faced emigration of residents and loss of usual markets, “Experience of developing of the economy of Latvia in early twenties of the previous century can provide some guidance in solving current challenges, even more so taking into account the fact that the situation, when development of the Republic of Latvia began after the First World War, was far more complicated than the one we faced, for example, after the collapse of the Soviet Union”.
In his speech, Raimonds Vējonis called for historians to use the conference as a forum for discussion with the purpose to provide an academic contribution to the science of history so that the current achievements could be summed up in a research by the centenary of Latvia, which would add significantly to the knowledge of history and the role of Latvia in single Baltic Sea region and Europe. It also requires interdisciplinary research, where the contribution of historians is supplemented by experts of economics, foreign policy, domestic policy, and other areas.
The Commission of Historians of Latvia continues the research direction commenced three years ago and it focuses on lesser studied aspects of the establishment of the state of Latvia like economics this time taking into account a wider regional context as well. Estonian, Finnish, and Russian scientists delivered their reports on historical experience in neighbouring countries of Latvia at the conference.
The Commission of Historians of Latvia was established on 13 November 1998 at the incentive of former President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis. It consists of 14 Latvian historians and 5 foreign historians under the leadership of Professor of the University of Latvia, Dr.habil.hist. Inesis Feldmanis.
