The 1959 purge of the Latvian national communists has long been cast in black-and-white terms: Russification and resistance; victimizers and victims. For the student of Soviet and Latvian history alike, this volume provides more than just the story of a purge – it is a unique snapshot into the political machinations of the Soviet Union and one of its republics.

William D. Prigge is an associate professor of history and department head at South Dakota State University. He received his PhD in Soviet history from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His research focuses on national communism throughout the Soviet Union during the 1950s. In addition to various book chapters, Dr. Prigge has published several times in the and .

«[...] P.’s volume offers valuable insight into the history of the Latvian Communist Party.» (Andrejs Plakans, Zeitschrift für Ostmitteleuropa-Forschung 65/2016)

Contents: Introduction: The Hot Summer of 1959 – Russophiles and Culture: The Early Years of Occupation, 1946-1953 – Between the Anvil and the Hammer: National Communists, Cadres & Beria, 1946-1953 – The Education of Eduards Berklavs, 1955-1957 – Unholy Alliances: Moscow, the Military, and National Communists, 1953-1957 – The Summit: Latvian National Communists in Power, 1958-1959 – Industrialization or Russification? Demographic Changes in Latvia – The Strange Death of Latvian National Communism, 1959-1960.