Authors

Discussion

After its establishment in 1918, the Republic of Latvia needed to set its legal framework to regulate land ownership. Before the First World War, a significant part of the land belonged to the nobility (mainly Baltic Germans). At the same time, most of the inhabitants were landless (mainly Latvians). The new political conditions opened the possibility of reversing existing land ownership traditions.

In the considered period, warfare took place, and the government of the Republic of Latvia had to compete with other political and military powers (e.g., Bolsheviks). The question of land reform took a crucial place in the election campaigns of the first parliament. Public and parliamentary debates showed the diversity of opinions of different parts of the society, allowing one to question whether and to what extent diverse visions were included in the Agrarian Law (1920).

The purpose of the presentation is to examine the correlation between public discussions and the adopted Agrarian Law using publications in the press, materials from pre-election campaigns, transcripts of parliamentary sessions, legislative acts, and other materials.