Latvia

1. Centuries of rule by foreign powers, including Baltic German elites, Swedish Empire, and Imperial Russia.
2. 19th Century: First Latvian National Awakening develops written language, literature, and political identity.
3. 1918: Proclaims independence in the wake of the Russian Revolution, winning its War of Independence.
4. 1940: Forcibly annexed into the Soviet Union, undergoing WWII Nazi occupation and subsequent Sovietization.
5. 1990–1991: Declares restored independence (1990) and secures full sovereignty in 1991, following the peaceful Baltic Way and Singing Revolution.
6. 2004: Fully integrates into Western institutions by joining both NATO and the European Union.

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