35 Years After the Barricades: History, Uncertainty, and Latvia’s Place in the World

On the 35th anniversary of the Latvian Barricades, scholars, diplomats, and the public gathered to reflect on one of the most decisive moments in Latvia’s modern history and on why its lessons remain strikingly relevant today.

The occasion marked the Latvian launch of historian Una Bergmane’s book Politics of Uncertainty: The United States, the Baltic Question, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union, published in Latvian with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Baltic States.
The afternoon opened with welcome remarks from Beate Martin, Director of the FES Baltic, followed by the book’s author, Una Bergmane, and Agnese Lāce, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

Reflecting on Latvia’s long tradition of book culture, Beate Martin highlighted the idea that events only become history once they are given language and that history, in turn, allows societies to judge what they are doing in the present. Bergmane expanded on this point, emphasizing the necessity of preserving records from a Baltic perspective: “History books,” she suggested, “do what diaries do under tyranny: they preserve a sense of what used to be unacceptable.” Agnese Lāce linked the memory of the Barricades to contemporary struggles over territory and identity, arguing that understanding Latvia’s past is essential to understanding how societies respond to external threats today.
Together, they set the tone for an event that was both commemorative and forward-looking: honoring the courage of the Barricades while asking what they mean for Latvia’s political identity today.

Bergmane’s book takes readers back to 1990–1991, when Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania challenged the Soviet Union amid profound global uncertainty. Drawing on multilingual archival research, Politics of Uncertainty shows how Baltic independence was shaped not only by long-term strategy, but also by fragile negotiations, shifting power balances, and last-minute decisions in Washington, Moscow, and the Baltic capitals. What once seemed like a “small” regional issue became a test of Europe’s future. As Bergmane noted, what distinguishes this period is not hindsight clarity but the absence of guarantees: independence emerged through contingent choices rather than along an inevitable historical arc.

These themes came to life during the panel discussion on the role of the Barricades in building collective identity and securing international recognition, moderated by journalist Pauls Raudseps. The panel brought together a range of voices: Una Bergmane; Gints Jegermanis (former Latvian ambassador and UN representative); Dainis Īvāns (first Chairman of the Latvian Popular Front and key activist of the independence movement); and Ineta Ziemele (Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union).

Much of the discussion revolved around the contrast between uncertainty at the international level and striking certainty within Latvian society. Speakers reflected on how the Barricades were not only an act of physical resistance, but also a political message to the world: that Latvia’s independence was backed by a united society willing to defend it. Īvāns recalled that while Soviet authorities attempted to sow doubt and division, participants in the Barricades were “completely certain” about one thing: returning to Soviet rule was not an option. The conversation also highlighted how international recognition, diplomacy, and legal continuity were as vital as the barricades themselves in securing Latvia’s return to Europe. Former diplomat Gints Jegermanis emphasized that international recognition did not emerge spontaneously, but resulted from sustained diplomatic work that had already made the Baltic question visible in Washington and other Western capitals. Ineta Ziemele highlighted the legal dimension of the independence struggle, noting that despite decades of occupation, Latvia’s statehood had never disappeared under international law – a fact that proved crucial in 1991.

As today’s geopolitical landscape again feels uncertain, the event underscored a central message of Bergmane’s book: history is shaped not only by grand strategies, but also by moments of courage, hesitation, and choice. For Latvia and the Baltic states, those moments 35 years ago changed the course of history and continue to shape their place in the world. As speakers reflected on Ukraine, Iran, and a volatile global order, the lesson of the Barricades was not that history repeats itself, but that moments of crisis can also be moments of possibility – particularly when societies act with clarity and conviction. The choice, as several panelists noted, is whether democratic societies are willing to stand visibly, legally, and collectively for their values.

The evening concluded with a reception, where many participants picked up a complimentary copy of the newly published Latvian edition of Politics of Uncertainty and continued the conversation informally.

Free copies of the book remain available by contacting office.baltic(at)fes.de.