The death of ‘Socialism with a Latvian Face’: The purge of the Latvian national communists, July 1959–1962

ABSTRACT

The purge of the Latvian national communists was the most extensive of the Khrushchev era. This article offers the first comprehensive examination of the purge, based on research in Russian and Latvian archives, and utilizing recently released Communist Party personal files. Previous works rarely proceed beyond the beginning of the purge in July 1959 or provide only a cursory overview. This article, however, identifies patterns in the purge with a comprehensive analysis. The methodology of Arvīds Pelše, the purge’s architect, is explored, exposing the purge’s six distinct phases, which ousted the national communists and defined Latvian politics for a quarter-century.

KEYWORDS:

• National communism
• Latvian Communist Party
• purges
• Khrushchev
• Pelše

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Latvijas Valsts arhīvs – Partija arhīvs hereafter LVA-PA, 100. f., 22. apr., 15. l., 95, 98, 143 lp.

2. ‘Iz arkhivnykh fondov: Stenogramma 7–ia zakrytogo Plenuma TsK KPL 7–8 iiulia 1959.’ 1989. Kommunist Sovetskoi Latvii, no. 6: 95.

3. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 3753. l., 19 lp.

4. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 3768. l., 46 lp.

5. “Stenogramma 7–ia plenuma,” 96.

6. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 15. l., 57 lp.

7. “Stenogramma 7–ia plenuma,” 96.

8. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 54. l., 24, 27 lp.

9. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 74. l., 36 lp.

10. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 3768. l., 47 lp.

11. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 4054. l., 14 lp.

12. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 29. l., 12–14 lp.

13. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 81. l., 175 lp.

14. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22, apr., 29. l., 12–14 lp.

15. Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi arkhiv sotsial’no–politicheskoi istorii hereafter RGASPI, fond 17, opis 89, delo 518, list 233 – f. 17, op. 89, d. 518, l. 233.

16. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 7890. l., 38 lp.

17. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 29. l., 57 lp.

18. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 57. l., 164 1p.

19. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 29. l., 40–43 lp.

20. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 15. l., 20 lp.

21. Semichastnyi, Vladimir. 2002. ‘Bespokoinoe serdtse.’ Accessed 4 June 2016. http://www.rulit.me/books/bespokojnoe–serdce–read–318540–40.htmlSemichastnyi was a key member of the Moscow coalition that helped create the circumstances for the purge.

22. Ibid. Semichastnyi claims he persuaded Khrushchev to make Kalnbērziņš Presidium Chairman.

23. RGAPSI, f. 17, op. 89, d. 507, l. 109–10.

24. Ibid., l. 111.

25. Latvijas zinātņu akadēmija arhīvs hereafter LZAA, 1. f., 15. apr., 4274. l., 39, 43, 52 lp.

26. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 185. l., 45 lp.

27. LVA–PA, 101. f., 23. apr., 3. l., 63 lp.

28. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 1682. l., 47 lp.

29. LVA–PA, 101. f., 23. apr., 2. l., 123 lp.

30. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 5432. l., 49 lp.

31. LVA–PA, 101. f., 23. apr., 3. l., 63–64 lp.

32. LVA–PA, 101. f., 23. apr., 10. l., 4 lp.

33. LVA–PA, 101. f., 23. apr., 31. l., 65 lp.

34. LVA–PA, 101. f., 23. apr., 3. l., 63–64 lp.

35. Ibid. 64, 67 lp.

36. Ibid. 68 lp.

37. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 6280. l., 35 lp.

38. LVA–PA, 101. f., 23. apr., 10. l., 81–82. lp.

39. Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi arkhiv noveishei istorii hereafter RGANI, f. 5, op. 31, d. 59, l. 89.

40. LZAA, 1. f., 15. apr., 4274. l., 39, 43, 52 lp.

41. LVA–PA, 15500. f., 2. apr., 874. l., 38 lp.

42. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 29. l., 38–39 lp.

43. LVA–PA, 101. f., 22. apr., 31. l., 65 lp.

44. Ibid., 62–64 lp.

45. LVA–PA, 101. f., 24. apr., 2. l., 211–12 lp.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael Loader

Michael Loader completed his Ph.D. thesis entitled ‘The Thaw in Soviet Latvia: National Politics 1953–1959’ at King’s College London in 2015. He is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow between 2016 and 2017. His research interests include Latvian history, nationalism and nationality politics in the Soviet Union.