This is the first stop in learning about Latvian people and their culture and history. The Latvians survived centuries of oppression under foreign rule, yet gained independence in 1918 and again in 1990. This history focuses on factors that played a role in maintaining the language and culture through difficult circumstances, as well as regional and global movements that influenced Latvians. The book also includes a brief section of one of Latvia's spiritual and political leaders of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Rainis. He inspired people to act in the quest for freedom and independence.