Reproduction and Ethnicity in Interwar Latvia

This paper analyzes the pronatalist and abortion debate in Latvia in the 1920s. After World War I, Latvia won its independence with the collapse of the Russian empire and defeat of Germany. During the first five years of the independent Republic of Latvia, political leaders emphasized a civic definition of the nation and not an ethnic one. Latvia's population was diverse, with considerable Russian, German, and Jewish communities and the explicitly civic definition sought to create an inclusive modern state. In the late 1920s and 1930s, however, groups on the extreme right as well as conservative politicians began to call for a redefinition of the Latvian state—one based on ethnicity. This reconsideration of the nation-state coincided with an emerging discussion of pronatalist and abortion politics. Most significantly, participants in the debate included leaders of the ethnic minority communities. In sum, this project considers to what extent debates on the family and motherhood were tied to ethnic politics and competing conceptualizations of a "modern" Republic of Latvia. The sources for this study include publications by Latvian, Russian, and Jewish communities as well as government archival documents.