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One of the most complex societies to emerge from the break-up of the Soviet Union, Latvia, with a population only half of which is Latvian, is a country whose solid agricultural economy has been replaced by an over-specialized and outmoded industrial base, and whose political leaders are still struggling to overcome the bureaucratic inertia of the Soviet period. Independent after the World War I, Latvia was occupied by both Stalin and Hitler during World War II and again by the communists after the defeat of Germany. With Gorbachev's rise to power came hope for increased autonomy, and Latvian reformers and nationalists began a drive that eventually resulted in a declaration of independence. Based on interviews, personal observations, press accounts and historical scholarship, this study traces Latvia's complicated political and social history. The analysis includes detailed exploration of the country's independence movement and its leaders since the 1980s.