How did agrarian reform change land ownership in interwar Latvia?

Following the independence of Latvia in 1918, the government implemented a major agrarian reform to dismantle the semifeudal agricultural structure that had persisted for centuries.1

Before this reform, the land was largely held by the German nobility, a group that had maintained its status and privileges through various periods of foreign rule. To fulfill promises made to landless volunteers during the struggle for independence, the Latvian government expropriated these large estates.12

The reform fundamentally altered land ownership by redistributing this land to tens of thousands of rural workers, effectively destroying the economic power of the German nobility. In total, the initiative granted land to approximately 145,000 peasants. Additionally, the state took ownership of expropriated forests, which became a vital source of revenue through lumber exports. This reorganization was a cornerstone of Latvia's economic development during the interwar period.134