Latvia should be Dictatorship in 1936

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commanderx

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I noticed that in HoI 4 wiki it was mentioned that Latvia is a republic in 1936, that is kind of false, cause in 1934 Karlis Ulmanis, the leader of Latvia in 1936, staged a coup in which he outlawed all of political parties.


Plain old copy paste about Latvia after 1934 coup

The Coup of May 15, 1934

On the night from May 15 to May 16, 1934, Ulmanis as Prime Minister with the support of Minister of War Jānis Balodis proclaimed a State of War in Latvia and dissolved all political parties and Saeima (parliament). Ulmanis established executive non-parliamentary authoritarian rule where he ruled as the Prime Minister, and later as State President. The bloodless coup was carried out by army and units of the national guard Aizsargi loyal to Ulmanis. They moved against key government offices, communications and transportation facilities. Many elected officials and politicians (almost exclusively Social Democrats, as well as figures from the extreme right and left) were detained, as were any military officers that resisted the coup d'etat. Some 2,000 Social Democrats were initially detained by the authorities, including most of the Social Democratic members of the disbanded Saeima, as were members of various right-wing radical organisations, such as Pērkonkrusts.

In all, 369 Social Democrats, 95 members of Pērkonkrusts, pro-Nazi activists from the Baltic German community, and a handful of politicians from other parties were interned in a prison camp established in the Karosta district of Liepāja. After several Social Democrats, such as Bruno Kalniņš, had been cleared of weapons charges by the courts, most of those imprisoned began to be released over time. Those convicted by the courts of treasonous acts, such as the leader of Pērkonkrusts Gustavs Celmiņš, remained behind bars for the duration of their sentences, three years in the case of Celmiņš.

The incumbent State President Alberts Kviesis supported the coup and served out the rest of his term until April 11, 1936, after which Ulmanis assumed office of the State President, a move considered unconstitutional. In the absence of parliament, laws continued to be promulgated by the cabinet of ministers.



Authoritarian regime

The Ulmanis regime was unique among other European dictatorships of the interwar period. Ulmanis did not create a ruling party, rubber-stamp parliament or a new ideology. It was a personal, paternalistic dictatorship in which the leader claimed to do what he thought was best for Latvians. All political life was proscribed, culture and economy was eventually organized into a type of corporate statism made popular during those years by Mussolini. Chambers of Professions were created, similar to Chambers of Corporations in other dictatorships.

All political parties, including Ulmanis own Farmers' Union, were outlawed. Part of the constitution of the Latvian Republic and civil liberties were suspended. All newspapers owned by political parties or organisations were closed and all publications were subjected to censorship and government oversight by the Ministry of Public Affairs led by Alfrēds Bērziņš. The regime based its legitimacy on the founding myth of the war of independence. The army and the Aizsargi paramilitary were lavished with privileges.

Ulmanis is often believed to have been a popular leader especially among farmers and ethnic Latvians. This is debatable. Before his 1934 coup, his party gained only 12.2% of the popular vote in the Latvian parliamentary election, 1931, continuing a steady decline from the 1922 Constitutional convention, and an all-time low. Some historians believe that one of the chief motives for the coup was his fear of losing even more votes in the upcoming elections. From the time of his coup until his demise, for obvious reasons, no reliable voting or popularity statistics were available.

Ideology

Ulmanis was a Latvian nationalist, who espoused the slogan "Latvia for Latvians" which meant that Latvia was to be a Latvian nation state, not a multinational state with traditional Baltic German elites and Jewish entrepreneurial class. At the same time, the slogan "Latvia's sun shines equally over everyone" was used and no ethnicity was subjected to repressions. German, Jewish and other minority newspapers and organizations continued to exist as far as the limitations of authoritarian dictatorship permitted. Officially Ulmanis held that every ethnic community in Latvia should develop its own authentic national culture, instead of assimilating into Latvians, but the state's primary purpose is to help Latvians to become masters in their homeland. This was to be achieved by active state involvement in economy and greater emphasis on Latvian culture. Statistics were produced showing that the German, Jewish and Polish (in Latgale) minorities have too much power in economy and certain professions, thus preventing Latvians from achieving their full potential.

Latvianisation policies were followed in the area of education. During Ulmanis' rule, education was strongly emphasized and literacy rates in Latvia reached high levels. Especially in eastern Latvia Latgale region however, education was actively used as a tool of assimilation[4][5] of minorities. Many new schools were built, but they were Latvian schools and minority children were thus assimilated.

It is important to notice that while an absolute ruler, Ulmanis did not allow any physical violence or unlawful acts towards minorities and dealt harshly with right and left wing extremists, and with both Nazi and Communist sympathizers.[6] Between 1920 and 1939, many Jews escaping Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany found refuge in Latvia.

Economy

During his leadership Latvia recorded major economic achievements. The state assumed a larger role in the economy and state capitalism was introduced by purchasing and uniting smaller competing private companies into larger state enterprises. This process was controlled by Latvijas Kredītbanka, a state bank established in 1935. Many large-scale building projects were undertaken - new schools, administrative buildings, Ķegums Hydroelectric Power Station. Due to an application of the economics of comparative advantage, the United Kingdom and Germany became Latvia's major trade partners, while trade with the USSR was reduced. The economy, especially the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, were micromanaged to an extreme degree. Ulmanis nationalised many industries. This resulted in rapid economic growth, during which Latvia attained a very high standard of living.[citation needed] At a time when most of the world's economy was still suffering from the effects of the Great Depression, Latvia could point to increases in both gross national product (GNP) and in exports of Latvian goods overseas.[citation needed] This, however, came at the cost of liberty and civil rights.

The policy of Ulmanis, even before his accession to power, was openly directed toward eliminating the minority groups from economic life and of giving Latvians of Latvian ethnicity access to all positions in the national economy. This was sometimes referred to as "Lettisation".[7] According to some estimates, about 90% of the banks and credit establishments in Latvia were state owned or under Latvian management in 1939, against 20% in 1933.[citation needed] Alfrēds Birznieks (lv), the minister of agriculture, in a speech delivered in Ventspils on January 26, 1936, said:''Latvian people are the only masters of this country; Latvians will themselves promulgate the laws and judge for themselves what justice is.''

As a result, the economic and cultural influence of minorities – Germans, Jews, Russians, Poles – declined.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kārlis_Ulmanis
 
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FOARP

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Sleight of Hand

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I don't know if we've seen Latvia on a screenshot yet, but most of the game's non-fascist/non-communist dictatorships are presented by the Non-Aligned faction.
 
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