Access
Use
Acquisition Information
Preferred Citation
Scope and Content of Collection
Title: Latvian Oral History Project interviews
Date (inclusive): 1995-2016
Collection Number: 99028
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In Latvian and English
Physical Description:
2 manuscript boxes, 20 digital sound files
(0.8 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Sound recordings of interviews of Latvian political leaders, governmental officials, and others relating to political, social,
and economic conditions in Latvia. Includes transcripts of questions and some related printed matter. Project sponsored by
the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace. Interviews conducted by David Jacobs. Digital copies also available.
Creator:
Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace
Creator:
Jacobs, David
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1999, with an increment acquired in 2016.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Latvian Oral History Project interviews, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library
& Archives.
Scope and Content of Collection
The initial set of interviews were conducted in 1999 and 2000 by David Jacobs of the Hoover Institution Library & Archives
in an attempt to document political and social conditions, as well as cultural trends, in Latvia at the time. Each interviewee
was asked a set of prepared questions designed to elicit information on leading issues of the day in a country that had become
independent again in 1991, following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Topics covered in the interviews include Latvia's relations
with the Russian Federation, its efforts to join the European Union (a goal that Latvia achieved in 2004), and the status
of the sizeable Russian minority in the country. The role of business interests in Latvian politics was also addressed in
a number of the interviews, as were questions of regional and social inequalities in the country. The interviews were recorded
on compact sound cassettes and have since been digitized so that researchers can listen to them.
The sizeable increment to the collection is comprised of interviews conducted in 2016 (again by David Jacobs) with Latvian
government officials, politicians, historians, and archivists. Each interviewee was asked a set of questions tailored to his
or her position, as well as a set of questions that was asked of each individual. The questions focus on the 25th anniversary
of renewed independence for Latvia: each interviewee was asked to give an account of the country's successes and failures
since 1991. Issues such as NATO and European Union membership are addressed in most of the interviews, as are relations between
Latvia and the Russian Federation. Other topics include the demographic situation in Latvia following the Great Recession,
when some 400,000 Latvians left the country in search of employment. It should be noted that some of the interviews consist
of informal discussions rather than structured question and answer sessions.
The increment also contains background information, as well as lists of the questions that each interviewee was asked. There
is also a considerable amount of printed matter, consisting largely of brochures and handouts provided by some of the interviewees.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Audiotapes
Latvia -- Social conditions
Latvia -- Politics and government -- 1991-
Latvia -- Economic conditions -- 1991-