Influence on Latvia’s Notarial System by Occupying Powers during the World War II

Abstract

The Latin type of the notary services was in place in Latvia in advance of the World War II. The Soviet Union occupied the Republic of Latvia in the summer of 1940, and the Soviet system of law was imposed on the country. On June 22, 1941, the Soviets were replaced by German Nazis, and that regime existed in parts of Latvia until the end of the war. This paper is focused on reforms which the occupying powers implemented in Latvia’s notarial system. The author would like to emphasise the fact that the origins of individuals were important when the notaries were selected – that was the most important amendment of all. The origins of individuals during the Soviet occupation meant belonging to a social class or referred to the employment of the individual or his or her parents. The Nazis, in turn, sorted the people on the basis of race and “purity of blood.” Both occupying powers ignored the principle of equality when it came to the candidates for notary posts and to notaries themselves.