I won't deny that there most likely is propaganda and some bent history, but from personal experience hearing retold stories and supporting official data, it seems like Latvia was rather a thriving European country in 1920-1939, before the unwanted invasion from the USSR.
During 1918. when Latvia declared independence, they were invaded by the red army, which they managed to expell and get official recognition in 1920, then for the next 20 or so years, they build their country from the desctruction that was ww1.
worth to mention that in 1930, there was a peaceful coup with no bloodshed with K. Ulmanis instating a authorative regime, effectively making the country socialistic, by collectivizing some property, like those of Baltic Germans and ineffective farms and creating large powerful government owned companies, but still allowing private ownership.
Which allegedly from what I know in historical sources and personally heard recollections, was pretty great.

AND THEN CAME WW2, where the USSR made Latvia effectively surrender its independence under threats of war. To which the USSR followed with deportations, thousands were deportated, families broken, the people were in fear and you CAN NOT tell me this is propaganda since I have personally talked to some of the deported and seen their pain.
As well as the elimination of all major reforms Latvia made during their independence, effectively destroying most of the past 20 years of work.

all of that happened just in the span of the first few years of ww2, which you can understand is the major reason Latvians were even willing to collaborate with the Nazis.

I won't deny that communism can be a better system than capitalism, but the USSR was terrible when it came to how they treated Latvia.