Miķelis Valters
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Miķelis Valters (born May 7, 1874, April 24 O.S., died March 25, 1968) was the first Latvian
Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
(1918—1919), member of the
New Current The New Current ( lv, Jaunā strāva) in the history of Latvia was a broad leftist social and political movement that followed the First Latvian National Awakening (led by the Young Latvians from the 1850s to the 1880s) and culminated in the 1905 ...
intellectual movement, lawyer, politician, diplomat, social activist, and one of the authors of the Latvian Constitution. He was the first social activist who publicly advocated for a sovereign Latvian state. In the 1903 journal "Proletārietis" (The Proletarian) he wrote the article "Patvaldību nost! Krieviju nost!" (Off with the Monarchy! Off with Russia!) Recipient of the
Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra", meaning "Thr ...
Commander Grand Cross (1st class).


Early life and education

Valters was born May 7, 1874, in
Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see #Names and toponymy, other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Planning Region, Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after R ...
into the family of dockworker Pēteris Valters and wife Zane. He received his basic education at Liepāja's Church of St. Anne elementary school, subsequently at the Liepāja City School, while working as a typesetter's apprentice. In 1889 he began working at the Jaunliepāja railroad workshops, and graduated the Liepāja
Realschule ''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
.


Early career

Taken with the concepts of
socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
, Valters landed a position at the "Dienas Lapa" (Daily Sheet) editorial office in Rīga. In May 1897 he was sent to jail for 15 months for his participation in the Jaunā Strāva (New Current) movement. While imprisoned, he entertained his first thoughts about a Latvian nation as a sovereign state. At the same time, he distanced himself from the
Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
generalizations and simplifications he felt had come to characterize Jaunā Strāva, and dedicated himself while in jail to more serious philosophical and political studies. In 1898, a large number of Jaunā Strāva participants were released from jail and dispersed to various of Russia's gubernias. Valters luckily managed to cross the border with the German Empire at Palanga, subsequently settling in Switzerland. He studied at the University of Berne, and in 1907 completed his doctorate in political science at the University of Zurich. He then continued studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.


Political activism

In 1900, along with his associates Ernests Rolavs and Emīls Skubiķis, he founded Vakareiropas latviešu sociāldemokrātu savienība (the Western European Latvian Social-Democratic Union). From 1903 through 1904, Valters published the Union's newspaper, "Proletārietis" (The Proletarian). Valters returned to Latvia during the 1905 Revolution to become the editor of the journal "Revolucionārā Baltija" (Revolutionary Baltics). Contrary to socialist revolutionary parties in Russia, Valters, Rolavs and Skubiķis lead the party wing which pushed national interests to the forefront, with proletarian-related interests relegated to a secondary role. In 1906, Valters fled into exile through Finland back to Switzerland, then on to London. Along with his revolutionary oriented activities, he also busied himself with writing, publishing several collections of poetry: "Tantris" (1908), "Ēnas uz akmeņiem" (1910, Shadows on Stones) and "Mūžība" (1914, Eternity). After the February Revolution, he returned to Latvia in May of 1917 and was elected to the Vidzeme Land COuncil, and was one of the founders of the Latvian Farmers' Union (LZS). At this time, he cut himself off from the social-democrats and formed a closed friendship with
Kārlis Ulmanis Kārlis Augusts Vilhelms Ulmanis (; 4 September 1877 – 20 September 1942) was a Latvian politician. He was one of the most prominent Latvian politicians of pre-World War II Latvia during the Interwar period of independence from November 1918 to ...
. (According to legend, he was the only Latvian politician who, after the Ulmanis coup, had the temerity to address Ulmanis as "Tu", the familiar "you.") During the German occupation (after WWI, during the War of Independence), Valters was one of the organizers and leaders of the Democratic Bloc in Rīga. On October 19, 1918m Valters and Esvards Traubergs submitted their petition to Germany's Chancellor
Maximilian Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459 ...
, requesting he support the aspirations to achieve independence for their nation. Shortly thereafter, in November 1918, Valters was one of the founders and members of the People's Council, and participated in the proclamation of the Latvian State on November 18, 1918. After the establishment of the Latvian Provisional Council he was appointed the first Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Latvia. He also became co-publisher of the newspaper "Latvijas Sargs" (Latvia's Guardian) (1919—1922). During the German's April putsch (1919), Valters was briefly arrested on April 16.


Diplomatic career

In September 1818, Valters began working at the newly founded
University of Latvia University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919. The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...
. However, the following month, October, he was appointed to head the Latvian diplomatic delegation in Rome, then subsequently in Paris. He was one of the closest assistants to the first Foreign Minister of Latvia,
Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics (, Durbe – 22 August 1925, near Tukums) was a Latvian politician and diplomat who served as the first Foreign Minister of Latvia from its independence until 1924 and again from December of the same year until his death ...
, working on Latvia's de jure recognition internationally and its admission to the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
. Valters is also credited with formulating the clause in Article I of the Latvian Constitution (the Satversme, adopted in 1922) stating that "the sovereign power of the State of Latvia is vested in the people of Latvia" (Latvijas tauta) rather than the Latvian people (latviešu tauta), and is thus responsible for laying part of the legal groundwork for a multi-ethnic nation-state and political nation. Baltic-German journalist and political activist
Paul Schiemann Paul Schiemann ( lv, Pauls Šīmanis; 17 March 1876 – 23 June 1944) was a Baltic German journalist, editor and politician who was known for his commitment to minority rights. Biography Carl Christian Theodor Paul Schiemann was born in Mi ...
(Pauls Šīmanis) subsequently made this the cornerstone of his revolutionary concept of separation of nation (Volksgemeinschaft—national community) and of state (Staatsgemeinschaft—state community), which formed the cornerstones of his pioneering Latvian model for implementing minority participation and rights. Valters left the Farmer's Union Party in 1925. In the latter half of the 1930's, in the press but mainly in personal correspondence with Kārlis Ulmanis and the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vilhelms Munters Gothards Vilhelms Nikolajs Munters (, 25 July 1898 in Riga – 11 January 1967, Riga) was a Latvian diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia from 1936 to 1940. He was also a member of the Council of the League o ...
, Valters expressed criticism for the foreign policies which both were pursuing. In Valter's opinion, the deepest failure and tragedy of Latvia's diplomacy was their pursuit of a policy of neutrality which included a cleavage from France and Great Britain, for which he held Munters chiefly responsible, under whose leadership "neutralism became a German-Russian expediency, uninvolved in anyone's, even one's own, affairs". Since Valters had already reached retirement age, Munters repeatedly urged Ulmanis to grant Valters his pension and appoint some younger diplomat in his place. Ulmanis finally relented, that after envoy J. Lazdiņš in Belgium retired, Valters should be transferred from Warsaw to the less important posting of Brussels. Valters was appointed envoy in Brussels, in which position he remained until the Nazi occupation in May, 1940. Belgium was among the nations which never recognized the USSR's annexation of Latvia. Toward the end of WWII, on January 27, 1945, envoys still representing Latvia's sovereign interests Jūlijs Feldmanis (Switzerland), Miķelis Valters (Belgium), and Vilis Šūmans (Estonia) sent a telegram to British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
prior to the meeting of the Great Powers, emphatically protesting against the occupation and annexation of Latvia by the USSR. After 1940, Valters lived in Switzerland and France, practiced law and journalism, and continued to serve Latvia's sovereign interests in his diplomatic capacity until his death, on March 26, 1968, in Nice, France. His remains were buried in Nice's East Cemetery and subsequently exhumed on August 11, 2020, returned to Latvia, and his ashes reburied in Rīga's I Forest Cemetery.


Commemoration

* The Liepāja library is named for Valters. * On May 21, 2009, the Latvian Ministry of the Interior held Dr. Miķelis Valters' 135th anniversary observation and unveiled his memorial plaque. * On May 7, 2021, Valters' birthday, Miķelis Valters Street (Miķeļa Valtera iela) was unveiled in Liepāja, the city of his birth, along with a memorial plaque.


References


External links


Valters Miķelis - Vēstures terminu skaidrojošā vārdnīca
Historical Terminology Dictionary (in Latvian)
Latviešu mākslas teorija 1900-1940: ideju un ietekmju kartējums
Latvian arts theory (at archive.org, in Latvian)
Liepājā svinīgi atklāta Miķeļa Valtera iela
Miķeļis Valters street, including a memorial plaque, is unveiled (in Latvian) 1874 births 1968 deaths Politicians from Liepāja People from Courland Governorate Revolutionary Socialist Party of Latvia politicians Latvian Farmers' Union politicians Ministers of the Interior of Latvia Members of the People's Council of Latvia {{Latvia-politician-stub