Thunder Cross: Fascist Antisemitism in Twentieth-Century Latvia
Founded in 1932, Thunder Cross (Pērkonkrusts) was the largest and most prominent right-wing political party in Latvia in the early twentieth century. Its motto—“Latvia for Latvians!”—echoed the ultranationalist rhetoric of similar movements throughout Europe at the time. Unlike the Nazis in Germany or the Fascists in Italy, however, Thunder Cross never succeeded in seizing power. Nevertheless, Holocaust historian Paula A. Oppermann argues, its movement left an indelible mark on the country. The antisemitism at the core of Thunder Cross’s ideology remained a driving force for Latvian fascists throughout the twentieth century, persisting despite shifting historical and political contexts. 

Thunder Cross is the most comprehensive study of Latvia’s fascist movement in English to date, and the only work that investigates the often neglected continuities of fascist antisemitism after World War II. Formulated as an empirical case study, this book draws on international and interdisciplinary secondary literature and sources in seven languages to broaden our understanding of fascism, antisemitism, and mass violence from Germany and Italy to the larger European context.
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Thunder Cross: Fascist Antisemitism in Twentieth-Century Latvia
Founded in 1932, Thunder Cross (Pērkonkrusts) was the largest and most prominent right-wing political party in Latvia in the early twentieth century. Its motto—“Latvia for Latvians!”—echoed the ultranationalist rhetoric of similar movements throughout Europe at the time. Unlike the Nazis in Germany or the Fascists in Italy, however, Thunder Cross never succeeded in seizing power. Nevertheless, Holocaust historian Paula A. Oppermann argues, its movement left an indelible mark on the country. The antisemitism at the core of Thunder Cross’s ideology remained a driving force for Latvian fascists throughout the twentieth century, persisting despite shifting historical and political contexts. 

Thunder Cross is the most comprehensive study of Latvia’s fascist movement in English to date, and the only work that investigates the often neglected continuities of fascist antisemitism after World War II. Formulated as an empirical case study, this book draws on international and interdisciplinary secondary literature and sources in seven languages to broaden our understanding of fascism, antisemitism, and mass violence from Germany and Italy to the larger European context.
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Thunder Cross: Fascist Antisemitism in Twentieth-Century Latvia

Thunder Cross: Fascist Antisemitism in Twentieth-Century Latvia

by Paula A. Oppermann
Thunder Cross: Fascist Antisemitism in Twentieth-Century Latvia

Thunder Cross: Fascist Antisemitism in Twentieth-Century Latvia

by Paula A. Oppermann

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Overview

Founded in 1932, Thunder Cross (Pērkonkrusts) was the largest and most prominent right-wing political party in Latvia in the early twentieth century. Its motto—“Latvia for Latvians!”—echoed the ultranationalist rhetoric of similar movements throughout Europe at the time. Unlike the Nazis in Germany or the Fascists in Italy, however, Thunder Cross never succeeded in seizing power. Nevertheless, Holocaust historian Paula A. Oppermann argues, its movement left an indelible mark on the country. The antisemitism at the core of Thunder Cross’s ideology remained a driving force for Latvian fascists throughout the twentieth century, persisting despite shifting historical and political contexts. 

Thunder Cross is the most comprehensive study of Latvia’s fascist movement in English to date, and the only work that investigates the often neglected continuities of fascist antisemitism after World War II. Formulated as an empirical case study, this book draws on international and interdisciplinary secondary literature and sources in seven languages to broaden our understanding of fascism, antisemitism, and mass violence from Germany and Italy to the larger European context.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780299353100
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Publication date: 10/21/2025
Series: George L. Mosse Series in the History of European Culture, Sexuality, and Ideas
Pages: 280
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Paula A. Oppermann is a researcher at the Historische Kommission zu Berlin. Her work has appeared in S:I.M.O.N. (Shoah: Intervention. Methods. Documentation), Peripheral Histories, Quest. Issues in Contemporary Jewish History, and elsewhere.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1. Roots of Völkisch Antisemitism in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
Chapter 2. Fascists in Full Swing
Chapter 3. Fascists Under Pressure
Chapter 4. Opponents and Supporters
Chapter 5. International Fascism—a Logical Consequence
Chapter 6. World War II and the Postwar Period
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
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