portrayal of Soviet atrocities in the Nazi-controlled Latvian-language press and the first wave of antisemitic violence in Riga, July-August 1941

During the earliest days of the invasion of Soviet territory, propaganda rather than coercion was the primary method by which the Germans hoped to gain the services of the newly 'liberated' peoples. The aim of this paper is to offer some insight into the portrayal of Soviet atrocities in the Riga's Latvian-language daily press.