Latvian “active nationalists” and the Latvian Conservatory

Abstract

In Latvia, as in several other Eastern European countries, nationalism remains an influential force that sets the agenda. Understanding the ideology and practice of modern nationalism involves studying its origin and evolution. The article uses an interdisciplinary approach and briefly outlines the prehistory and prerequisites for the emergence of Latvian “active nationalism” and, for the first time in historiography, examines in detail the relationship between the largest fascist organization in the first half of the 1920s – the Latvian National Club with the Latvian Conservatory, as well as the indirect influence of the ideas of “active nationalists” and reveals its close connection with the respectable circles of the Latvian bourgeoisie and with the leading Latvian bourgeois party Peasant Union. We conclude that a significant part of the Latvian artistic intellectuals, including pupils and graduates of the Latvian Conservatory, joined the Latvian fascism, which largely explains both the active cooperation of the Latvian intelligentsia with the Nazis during World War II, and the mass emigration of people of artistic professions from Latvia, in particular musicians, during the retreat of the German army.