Coup d’etat in Latvia in 1934 and Reactions Abroad

Latvia was among the countries in Central and Eastern Europe that transitioned from parliamentary democracy to an authoritarian regime during the interwar period. This authoritarian rule was established in Latvia in May 1934 through a coup d’état. During the following years, the country was governed by a single authoritarian leader, Kārlis Ulmanis, until it lost its independence and was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. This article aims to delineate the specifics of this emergence of the authoritarian regime in Latvia. It analyses the causes that lead to the coup, its progression, the subsequent repression of political opponents, and the primary characteristics of the newly established authoritarian regime. Considerable attention and research have been devoted to the foreign reactions to the Latvian coup among the neighbouring countries, European great powers and the USA, and the international community.