Editing History of Latvia (section)

==World War I==
[[File:1916 Zariņš Tēvuzemei Grūti Laiki.jpg|thumb|right|Hard times for the fatherland, sons, sons, help! A patriotic postcard, 1916.]]
{{Main|Diplomatic history of World War I#Three Baltic states|
Ober Ost|Latvian Riflemen}}
On August 1, 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. Since Courland Governorate had a direct border with Germany it was immediately involved in warfare. On August 2 German warships [[SMS Augsburg]] and [[SMS Magdeburg]] shelled port city [[Liepāja]], causing it light damage. On August 19 German navy tried to capture [[Užava Lighthouse]] but were repelled, after which German artillery destroyed it. In October British submarines [[HMS E1]] and [[HMS E9]] from the [[British submarine flotilla in the Baltic]] arrived in Liepāja. On November 17 German navy again shelled Liepāja and military installations of [[Karosta]] damaging some 100 buildings.

Many Latvians served in the Russian units stationed at German border and took part in [[Russian invasion of East Prussia (1914)|Russian invasion of East Prussia]]. They participated in the early battles of [[First Battle of the Masurian Lakes]], [[Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes]] and Battle of Augustow; total Latvian losses during these battles might have reached 25,000 dead.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sargs.lv/Vesture/Vesture/2014/04/30-01.aspx#lastcomment |title=1914. gads: mobilizācija un kaujas Austrumprūsijā |date=May 30, 2014 |access-date=April 5, 2016 |archive-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027175508/http://www.sargs.lv/Vesture/Vesture/2014/04/30-01.aspx#lastcomment |url-status=live }}</ref>

===German attack and refugees===
By May 1915 the war reached most of Latvia. On April 30 Russian Commander-in-Chief ordered the evacuation of all Jews from Courland within 24 hours. On May 2, 1915, German attack against [[Jelgava]] was repelled. On May 7 the Germans captured [[Liepāja]] and [[Kuldīga]].

On June 29 the Russian Supreme Command ordered the whole population of [[Courland]] evacuated, and around 500,000 refugees fled to the east. Much of the crops and housing was destroyed by the army to prevent them from falling into the German hands. Some of the refugees settled in [[Vidzeme]] but most continued their way to Russia where they had to settle in primitive conditions, suffering from hunger and diseases. In August 1915 the Latvian Refugee Aid Central Committee was established in Petrograd, it was run by future politicians [[Vilis Olavs]], [[Jānis Čakste]] and [[Arveds Bergs]]. Committee organized refugee housing, organized 54 schools, 25 hospitals and distributed aid. Many refugees returned to Latvia only after 1920, when a peace treaty was signed between Latvia and Soviet Russia. Many Latvians stayed in the new Bolshevik state, achieving high army and party offices, only to be purged and executed by Stalin during 1937–38.

On July 19, 1915, the Russian War Minister ordered the factories of Riga evacuated together with their workers. In the summer of 1915, 30,000 railway wagons loaded with machines and equipment from factories were taken away reducing the population of Riga by some 50%. This action effectively destroyed Riga as a great industrial center until the later industrialization under the Soviet regime.

On August 1, the Germans captured the capital of Courland, Jelgava. A week later [[Battle of the Gulf of Riga]] started and eventually was lost by Germany. By October 23, Germans captured [[Ilūkste]] and were within the striking distance of [[Daugavpils]] with its fortress.

===Latvian Riflemen===
After on July 17 and 18, 1915 Germans captured [[Dobele]], [[Talsi]], [[Tukums]] and [[Ventspils]], a public proclamation by State Duma members, written by [[Kārlis Skalbe]], called for the formation of volunteer [[Latvian Riflemen]] units. In August the formation of Latvian battalions started. From 1915 to 1917, the Riflemen fought in the Russian army against the Germans in defensive positions along the [[Daugava River]], notably the ''Nāves sala'' (Island of Death) bridgehead position. In December 1916 and January 1917, they suffered heavy casualties in month-long [[Christmas Battles]]. Many of them were buried in the newly created Riga [[Brothers' Cemetery]].

After the great offensive of 1915, the front line stabilized along the Daugava river until the Russian army started to collapse in early 1917. In February 1917 [[February Revolution|Revolution]] broke out in Russia and in the summer the Russian army collapsed. By this time the Riflemen had overwhelmingly transferred their allegiances to the Bolsheviks.<ref name="oDe"/> The following [[Battle of Jugla|German offensive]] was successful and on September 3, 1917, they entered Riga.

In November 1917, the Communist [[Bolshevik]]s took power in Russia. Even though ethnic Latvians had become important assets in the task of securing Soviet power military (with the first ever commander-in-chief of the Red Army being Latvian [[Jukums Vācietis]])<ref name="oDe"/> the Bolshevik government tried to end the war and in March 1918, the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Russia–Central Powers)|Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]] was signed which gave Courland and Livland Governorate to the Germans, who quickly established occupational regime which lasted until November 11, 1918. During this time Germans tried to create the [[United Baltic Duchy]] in perpetual union with the Crown of Prussia.

===War damages===
A survey in 1920 established that 56,7% of parishes had war damages. Population had decreased from 2,55 million to 1,59 million. The number of ethnic Latvians has never again reached the 1914 levels. 87,700 buildings were destroyed. 27% of the arable land laid in waste. Much of the industry was evacuated to Russia and lost forever. Ports were damaged by sunken ships, bridges blown up and railways damaged. 25,000 farms were destroyed, 70,000 horses, 170,000 cattle lost.<ref name="bank.lv">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bank.lv/images/stories/pielikumi/publikacijas/citaspublikacijas/Karnups_EN.pdf |title=Economic and Financial Development in Latvia (1920–1940) |access-date=April 16, 2016 |archive-date=June 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630050127/https://www.bank.lv/images/stories/pielikumi/publikacijas/citaspublikacijas/Karnups_EN.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
<gallery widths=180>
SMSAugsburg.jpg|SMS Augsburg on August 4, 1914
Strelnieki.JPG|Volunteer riflemen, 1915
Ilūkste before 1915.jpg|Ilūkste before destruction in 1915
PJV-Brali-Kapi-Horseman-HIRES.jpg|Riga Brother's Cemetery
Libau hafen.jpg|German troops in Liepāja, May 1915
German troops Riga 1917.jpg|German parade in Riga, 1917
German troops crossing Daugava.jpg|German troops on [[Railway Bridge, Riga|Riga railway bridge]]
</gallery>

{{Anchor|Independence}}