The 20th century is particularly significant in Latvian history, because during this period unquestionable progress was made in the development of society, major transformations took place in various fields and the political and economic conditions of the Latvian nation changed several times. Initially it was a fight for survival, intertwined with an effort to preserve the Latvian nation as a community, as well as its culture. The three most significant dates of the 20th century for Latvia were 1918, 1940 and 1991, marking the creation, destruction and renewal of an independent state.The period from 1918 - 1940 was the period of Latvia's initial independence and was a sharp turning point in Latvia's historical development, whichhad previously taken place under the rule of foreign powers. During these20 years the Latvian people, who had previously been subdued and enslaved, were able to achieve excellent results in the prosperity of their country through the development of agriculture and industry, as well as the promotion of culture and education. With the development of the economy and increase in trade the number of motor cars also increased, resulting in an urgent need for the re-organisation of road traffic and improvement in the road infrastructure, because the existing one had aged and no longer responded to the growing requirements of society. The work that Latvians invested in the consolidation of their nation and the organisation of their roadnetwork is looked at in more detail in this lecture. This theme is explored within the context of the historical situation that had developed in Latvia at the time. In the period of Latvian independent state (1918- 1938) significant achievements were made in the development of state transport system. The country recovered after the World War I comparatively quickly and successfully and different social and economic sectors flourished. In the 1930s, the growth in agriculture and export was significant and it greatly contributed to the development of road transport system. New transportpolicy of the Republic of Latvia and development of traffic infrastructure in turn contributed to further development of national economy and this allowed Latvia to become a part of Europe and meet the standards of other European countries. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Samenvatting