Latvia & Russia: One Problem of the World-Peace Considered

In the volatile aftermath of the Great War, when the map of Europe hung in the balance and the Russian Empire lay shattered by civil war, a Latvian statesman made the case for a new world order. Arveds Bergs, a member of the National Council of Latvia, wrote this urgent treatise in 1920 to argue for the immediate international recognition of Latvian independence. Bergs confronts a question that would shape the next century: can small nations survive in a world dominated by great powers? He systematically dismantles the idea of a federated Russia, arguing that centuries of imperial subjugation have made any such union untenable. Instead, he advocates for the principle of self-determination. This is not abstract political theory. Bergs warns that unless the independence of nations like Latvia is recognized and supported, Europe will repeat the conquests and resentments that produced the Great War. His arguments resonate far beyond Latvia, speaking to any small nation facing absorption by a larger neighbor.