Latvian political party, one of the leading political forces in the Republic of Latvia. The Latvian Farmers’ Union was founded on April 29, 1917, at the Constituent Congress in Valk. Its political views are similar to the Constitutional Democratic Party, with which it maintained a close relationship. Adopted by the congress, the program contained a provision on the need to decentralize Russia and grant autonomy to Latvia with local legislative and executive authorities. The Union declared the need for the introduction of civil liberties and religious tolerance, working legislation similar to that in force in Western Europe, agrarian reform with the preservation of private land ownership. Kārlis Ulmanis was elected Chairman of the Central Board of the party. The Union united wealthy and middle-class farmers who were members of rural cooperatives. Lidums [“New”] newspaper was its main publication.

Throughout 1917, the Union supported the Provisional Government. In the fall, when the inability of the latter to govern the country became obvious, the Union’s leadership recognized the possibility of creating an independent Latvian state. The Union members did not accept the October coup, they had an extremely negative attitude towards the Bolshevik party, which they fought with all available means. In the elections to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly, the Union won 23% of the votes in the Governorate of Livonia. In 1918, when the governorate was occupied by German troops, the Union cooperated with the German command.

In November 1918, the Union became one of the initiators to create the People’s Council of Latvia (received 13 out of 40 seats) and the proclamation of an independent Latvian state. The Provisional Government of Latvia was headed by the Union leader Kārlis Ulmanis, the posts of ministers of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, Military, and Agriculture were also occupied by Union representatives. In 1919, during the Civil War and the existence of the Latvian Soviet Republic, the activities of the Union ceased. After the Republic of Latvia was restored and recognized by Russian SFSR in 1920, the Union acted as one of the leading parliamentary parties in the country until their complete ban in 1934.

After Latvia regained its independence in 1991, the right-liberal Latvian Farmers’ Union has been established, which considers itself the successor of the Latvian Farmers’ Union.