The Idea of Latvia's Statehood and Defence: From Founding to the Present Day

On the order of the Ministry of Defence, in 2022 Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences created a project "Idea and defense of the Latvian state: from the foundation to the present". The aim and purpose of the project was to develop interdisciplinary teaching materials to explain the foundations of Latvian statehood and the importance of defending for every citizen of Latvia historically and in the context of modern security. During the project, educational material in the amount of more than 270 pages, a cycle of 23 video clips, as well as a cycle of three discussion programs in cooperation with Re:TV were created.

The study and video materials include topics such as the idea and constitutional basis of the Latvian state, the victory of independence of the Latvian state – the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920), armed resistance against the occupying regimes, non-violent resistance against the Soviet occupation and restoration of independence of Latvia, doctrine of continuity of the state, strategic communications during the restoration of independence of Latvia and nowadays, renewal and development of the Latvian Armed Forces, the importance of international co-operation in defence of the state historically and nowadays, comprehensive protection of the state and society's role in the state defence.

The authors of the study and video materials are Ieva Berzina, lead researcher of the National Defence Academy of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences Gatis Krumins,  assistant professor of the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia Jānis Pleps, and Janis Silins, lead researcher of the Latvian State Historical Archive, as well as Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences Head of the Multimedia Lab Iveta Auniņa. In the prepared materials, the researchers have included 30 conversations with eyewitnesses, participants and leaders of the National Resistance Movement, the Third Awakening and the process of rebuilding the National Armed Forces.

The project was finansed from grants by Kārlis Vīrs and Anna Trēziņa-Vīra.

The videos (in Latvian) are available in our YouTube channel.