Editing History of Latvia (section)

===Latvian National Council===
In October 1917 centrist politicians met in [[Petrograd]] and agreed to create a united council of all Latvian parties, refugee-support organizations and soldiers' committees. On November 29, 1917, the [[Latvian Provisional National Council]] was established in [[Valka]]. On December 2, 1917, it proclaimed Latvia's autonomy in Latvian-inhabited lands and declared itself the only representative organ of Latvians. The council announced three main goals – convening of a Constitutional Assembly, creation of political autonomy and uniting of all ethnic Latvian-inhabited lands.

The National Council, under the chairmanship of [[Voldemārs Zāmuēls]], sent a delegation - led by the future Minister of Foreign Affairs [[Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics]] - to the [[Allies of World War I|Allied countries]] to get their support for an independent Latvia.

The Provisional National Council operated in the same place and at the same time as the Bolshevik-controlled Iskolat – in the small city of Valka, which is situated on the border between ethnic Estonian and ethnic Latvian lands, and which for a couple of months was the virtual capital of the Latvians. Iskolat moved to ban the Provisional Council in December 1917.

On January 5, 1918, during the only meeting of the democratically elected [[Russian Constituent Assembly|Constituent Assembly of Russia]] (subsequently dissolved by Bolsheviks), Latvian deputy [[Jānis Goldmanis]], the initiator in 1915 of the formation of the Latvian Riflemen units, read a declaration of separation of Latvia from Russia.

At its second meeting, which took place in Petrograd, the Latvian National Council on January 30, 1918, declared that Latvia should be an independent, democratic republic, uniting the Latvian regions of Kurzeme (which includes Zemgale), Vidzeme and Latgale.

On March 3, 1918 [[RSFSR|Soviet Russia]] signed the treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the [[Central Powers]]. In terms of the treaty Russia gave up Kurzeme and Vidzeme (but not Latgale). The National Council protested against the splitting of Latvian lands and the annexation of Kurzeme by Germany.

On November 11, 1918, the British Empire recognized the Latvian National Council as a ''de facto'' government, confirming a prior verbal communication of October 23 to [[Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics]] from the British [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]], [[Arthur Balfour|A. J. Balfour]].<ref>Laserson, Max. ''The Recognition of Latvia'', The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 37, No. 2 (April 1943), pp. 233–247</ref>

Despite these diplomatic successes, the National Council had a major problem: the Social Democrats and the Democratic Bloc refused to join it. This prevented the creation of a truly national consensus for proclaiming independence. This disunity came to an end only on November 17, 1918, when the [[People's Council of Latvia|People's Council]] (''Tautas padome'') was created.