15 May 1934 coup d’état in Latvia: Regularity of Development of the Existing Parliamentary System or a Breakthrough Called by the Actual Situation. The View of the USA Legation in Latvia

Abstract

, researcher. Research interests: Latvia's political history of the 20th century. One of the most contradictorily estimated events in Latvia's 20th century history was the coup d'etat of 15 May 1934. Some researchers consider that the reasons of the coup d'etat are to be found in then existing parliamentary system. They characterised the coup d'etat as a regularity of the development of the existing parliamentary system highlighting the influence of implemented transformations that were realised by the new authoritarian regime of Kārlis Ulmanis. However, the majority of researchers have rejected the view that the flawbacks of the existed parliamentary system were invincible. They have formulated the reasons of the coup d'etat as through the prism of personal ambitions and claims of K. Ulmanis estimating the coup d'etat as a breakthrough in Latvia's political development, which actually was called for by the actual political situation. In the context of these two diverging views it would be useful to acquaint the readers with the opinion of the USA Legation in Latvia on the causes of the coup d'etat on 15 May 1934, which was expressed in two confidential memorandums of the Legation to the USA Secretary of State.