The unfinished business of perestroika: Latvia's memory politics and its quest for acknowledgment of victimhood in Europe

Abstract

In the 25 years since the re-establishment of Baltic independence from the Soviet Union, there has been no conclusive public conversation, or “coming to terms with the past” with respect to crimes against Latvian and other persecuted groups under Communism. This paper examines how national politicians, members of the European Parliament in Brussels, representatives of Latvia's Russian-speaking minority, and the Russian government have engaged in a difficult, long-overdue conversation. Conflicting historical narratives about victimhood are at the heart of these disagreements. Special emphasis is given to Latvia's historical narrative, its development over the past 25 years, and the way it challenges Russia's interpretation of history. I argue that Latvian memory politics at the European level are a continuation of Latvia's quest for acknowledgment of its victimhood, thereby trying to finish the process started in the late 1980s when Balts first demanded acknowledgment of human rights violations they had suffered under the Soviet regime. Latvia's methods of transitional justice are examined, arguing that its memory politics at the European level are an extension of steps taken at the national level to come to terms with the past and to increase its negotiating power against Russia's neo-Soviet historical narrative.

Keywords:

• memory politics
• European parliament
• Baltic states
• transitional justice
• post-Communism
• Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my colleague Abigail Owen for her thoughtful remarks to earlier versions of this article and for her support in editing my manuscript.

Notes

1. Ivars Godmanis, (Latvijas Pirmā Partija & Latvijas Ceļš/First Latvian Party and The Latvian Way), Sandra Kalniete (Vienotība/Unity), Krišjānis Kariņš (Vienotība/Unity), Alexander Mirsky (Politiskā Partija “Alternative”/Politial Party “Alternative”), Alfrēds Rubiks (Latvijas Sociālistikā partija/Socialist Party of Latvia), Kārlis Šadurskis (Vienotība/Unity), Inese Vaidere (Vienotība/Unity), Tatjana Ždanoka (Par cilvēka tiesībam vienotā Latvijā/For Human Rights in a United Latvia), and Roberts Zīle (Tēvzemei un Brīvībai & LNNK/For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK).

2. This “disgrace” of Rubiks’ election as an MEP was highlighted by other Latvian MEPs, for instance Roberts Zīle in the debate on “European conscience and totalitarianism,” 25 March 2009.

3. Numbers from July 2015, see: http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/policy/society-integration/citizenship-in-latvia/citizenship-policy-in-latvia/basic-facts-about-citizenship-and-language-policy-of-latvia-and-some-sensitive-history-related-issues.

4. The remaining files contain 411 folders of KGB operations, a KGB register with 9199 file cards of KGB operations, register books with 25,000 names and pseudonyms, and 4819 name cards of KGB informants. However, these name cards contain no information about whether a person has been an informant for years or was simply approached by the KGB in order to become an informant. The real personal files, which would give information about the function and duration of a person's collaboration with the KGB, were brought to Russia. Unpublished lecture by Kārlis Kangeris held in Erfurt (Germany), 5 December 2009.