This article discusses the history of Lithuania and of the Lithuanians. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million Lithuania for the first time in writing sources was mentioned in 1009. [1] Later Lithuanians conquered neighboring lands, finally establishing Kingdom of Lithuania in the 13th century. The Kingdom of Lithuania was a Lithuanian Monarchy which existed from 1251 to roughly 1263 In the 15th century Lithuania became the largest state in Europe[2] however in the 18th century it was erased from political map. Finally, in February 16, 1918 was reestablished democratic state. Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common It faced many drawbacks including many deaths in WWII and further catastrophe after being annexed by the Soviet Union. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 In the early 1990s Lithuania restored its sovereignty and continued to grow into an economically strong country.
Before statehood
The first people arrived to the territory of modern Lithuania in the 10th millennium BC after glaciers had retreated and the last glacial period had ended. The Balts or Baltic peoples (People who live by the Baltic Sea) defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European Kernavė, a medieval Capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, today is a tourist and archeological village (with "Last glacial" redirects here For the period of maximum glacier extent during this time see Last Glacial Maximum The last glacial period According to historian Marija Gimbutas, the people came from two directions: from the Jutland Peninsula and from present-day Poland. Marija Gimbutas ( Marija Gimbutienė) ( Vilnius, January 23, 1921 – Los Angeles, United States February 2 This article is about the region of Denmark. For the World War I naval battle see Battle of Jutland. They brought two different cultures as evidenced by the tools they used. They were traveling hunters and did not form more stable settlements. In the 8th millennium BC the climate became much warmer and forests developed. The people started to gather berries and mushrooms from the forests and fish in the local rivers and lakes. They traveled less. During the 6th–5th millennium BC people domesticated various animals, the houses became more sophisticated and could shelter larger families. Agriculture came late, only in the 3rd millennium BC because there were no efficient tools to cultivate the land. At the same time crafts and trade started to form. The Indo-European people came around 2500 BC and the identity of the Balts formed about 2000 BC. The Balts or Baltic peoples (People who live by the Baltic Sea) defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European
Baltic tribes
The first Lithuanians, were a branch of an ancient group known as the Balts, whose tribes also included the original Prussian and Latvian people. Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million The Balts or Baltic peoples (People who live by the Baltic Sea) defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. The Baltic tribes were not directly influenced by the Roman empire, but the tribes did maintain close trade contacts (see Amber Road). The Amber Road was an ancient Trade route for the transfer of Amber.
Lithuanians have built a nation that has endured for most of the past ten centuries, while Latvians acquired statehood in the 20th century and Prussian tribes disappeared in the 18th century. The first known reference to Lithuania as a nation (Litua) comes from the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg dated February 14, 1009. Quedlinburg (ˈkveːdlɪnbʊʁk is a Town located north of the Harz mountains in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German
In the present day the two remaining Baltic nationalities are Lithuanians and Latvians, but there have, in the past, been more such nationalities/tribes; some of which nationalities have merged into the Lithuanian and Latvian nationalities (e. Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million Latvians or Letts (latvieši the indigenous Baltic people of Latvia, occasionally refer to themselves by the ancient name of Latvji, which g. Samogitians), while others have been completely destroyed (e. Samogitians (Žemaičiai Samogitian: Žemaitē) are a Baltic ethnic group inhabiting the region of Samogitia in Lithuania. g. Prussians). "Prussians" redirects here "Prussians" may also refer to citizens of the former German state of Prussia.
Towards the creation of single state
During the 11th century Lithuanian territories were included into the list of lands paying tribute to Kievan Rus', but by the 12th century, the Lithuanians were plundering neighboring territories themselves. Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan The military and plundering activities of the Lithuanians triggered a struggle for power in Lithuania which began the formation of early statehood, and was a precondition of the founding of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Pagan Lithuania
In the early 13th century two German religious orders, the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, conquered much of the area that is now Estonia and Latvia, in addition to parts of Lithuania. The history of Lithuania between 1219 and 1295 deals with the establishment and early history of the first Lithuanian state the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Pope Innocent IV, born Sinibaldo Fieschi was Pope from June 28, 1243 to December 7, 1254. The Bishop of Rome is the bishop of the Holy See, more often referred to in the Catholic tradition as the Pope. The Livonian Order was autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1418&ndash1561 The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion usually The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. Bishop Albert of Riga founded the Military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae Schwertbrüderorden in 1202 Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the In response, a number of small Baltic tribal groups united under the rule of Mindaugas (Myndowe) and soundly defeated the Livonians at Šiauliai in the battle of the Sun in 1236. The Balts or Baltic peoples (People who live by the Baltic Sea) defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European Mindaugas (ˈmındoʊgʌs ca 1203 – 12 September 1263) was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania, a title he gained ca Livonia (Līvõmō Latvian and Livonija Estonian: Liivimaa; Finnish: Liivinmaa; German and Swedish: Livland Šiauliai ( ʃoʊˈleı Samogitian: Šiaulē, Latvian: Saule (historic and Šauļi (modern German: Schaulen The Battle of Saule (Schlacht von Schaulen Saules kauja Saulės mūšis or Šiaulių mūšis was fought on September 22 1236 between the Livonian In 1250 Mindaugas signed an agreement with the Teutonic Order and in 1251 was baptized in their presence by the bishop of Chełmno (in Chełmno Land. For the concentration camp located near a village with a similar name Chełmno nad Nerem see Chełmno extermination camp. ) On 6 July 1253, Mindaugas was crowned as King of Lithuania and state was proclaimed as Kingdom of Lithuania. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England King of Lithuania, the title of rulers of Lithuanian state recognised by the Pope. The Kingdom of Lithuania was a Lithuanian Monarchy which existed from 1251 to roughly 1263 However, Mindaugas was later murdered by his nephew Treniota which resulted in great unrest and a return to paganism. Treniota ( Troniata; ca 1210–1264 was the Grand Duke of Lithuania (1263–1264 Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world In 1241, 1259 and 1275 the kingdom was ravaged by raids from the Golden Horde. This article refers to the medieval Turkic state For the Irish rock band see The Golden Horde (band.
In 1316, Gediminas, with the aid of colonists from Germany, began restoration of the land. Gediminas (ca 1275 – winter 1341 was the Monarch of medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the title lt didysis kunigaikštis (вялікі князь The brothers Vytenis and Gediminas united various groups into one Lithuania. Vytenis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from c 1295 to c 1316
Gediminas extended Lithuania to the east by challenging the Mongols who, at that time, controlled Russia. The Mongol invasion of Rus' was heralded by the Battle of the Kalka River in 1223 between Subutai 's reconnaissance unit and the combined force Through alliances and conquest the Lithuanians gained control of significant parts of the territory of Rus. Ruthenia is a geographic and culturo-ethnic name applied to the parts of Eastern Europe populated by Eastern Slavic peoples, as well as to the past various This area included most of modern Belarus and the Ukraine and created a massive Lithuanian state that stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey
When Gediminas was slain, his son Algirdas (Olgierd) suppressed the monasteries, but Algirdas's son, Jogaila (Jagiello), again made overtures to the Teutonic Order and concluded a secret treaty with them. Algirdas, (ɑlgərdɑːs known as Olgierd Альгерд Ольгерд b Jogaila, later Władysław II Jagiełło (b about 1362 d 1 June 1434 was Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. His uncle Kęstutis took him prisoner and a civil war ensued. Kęstutis (kæsˈtuːtıs born ca 1297 died on August 3 or August 15, 1382 in Kreva) was Monarch of medieval Lithuania Kęstutis was eventually captured, imprisoned and put to death, but Kęstutis's son Vytautas escaped. Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian:; Vitaŭt; Latin: Alexander Vitoldus; Witold Ruthenian: Vitovt; c
Nowadays Lithuanian paganism is practised by Ancient Baltic faith community 'Romuva'. Romuva is a Baltic Pagan organization reviving the religious practices of the Lithuanian people before their Christianization.
Christian Lithuania
Jadwiga of Poland was strongly urged by the Poles to marry Jogaila who had become the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1377 and for the good of Christianity, Jadwiga consented and married Jogaila three days after he was baptized. Jadwiga of Anjou (1373/4 – July 17 1399 was King of Poland from 1384 to her death The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. Jogaila, later Władysław II Jagiełło (b about 1362 d 1 June 1434 was Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Jogaila and Lithuanians in general favoured this marriage as the alliance with Poland gave them a powerful ally against the constant threat of Germany (especially the Teutonic Order based in Prussia) and Muscovy from the east. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое княжество Московское was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and
On February 2, 1386, the Polish Parliament (Sejm) elected Jogaila as King of Poland. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Jogaila, later Władysław II Jagiełło (b about 1362 d 1 June 1434 was Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland This meant that Lithuanian ruler get another crown of and Poland, and Lithuania remained a separate country and continued to be ruled by the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje Before Jogaila was Crowned as a king of Poland, the second and the final Christianization of Lithuania was carried out. The Christianization of Lithuania (Lietuvos krikštas was the event that took place in 1387 initiated by the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland
Lithuania remained sovereign state but the highest social class in Lithuanian nobility became increasingly influenced by Christian culture and language and the countries grew closer. Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures. The Lithuanian nobility was historically a legally privileged class in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania consisting of Lithuanian (from historical Many cities were granted the German system of laws (Magdeburg Rights), with the largest of these being Vilnius, which since 1322 was the capital city of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Magdeburg Rights (Magdeburger Recht or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted with
Lithuanian Renaissance
In the 16th century, when many educated Lithuanians came back from studies abroad, Grand Duchy of Lithuania was boiling with active cultural life, sometimes referred to as Lithunanian Renaissance (not to be confused with Lithuanian national Renaissance in 19th century). Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje At the time Italian architecture was introduced in Lithuanian cities, and Lithuanian literature written in Latin flourished. Lithuanian literature is Literature written by Lithuanians, or by Lithuanians in exile Also at the time emerged first handwritten and printed texts in the Lithuanian language, and began the formation of written Lithuanian language. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. The process was led by Lithuanian scholars Abraomas Kulvietis, Stanislovas Rapolionis, Martynas Mažvydas and Mikalojus Daukša. Abraomas Kulvietis ( Abraham Culvensis Abraham Kulwieć; c 1509 – June 19 1545) was a Jurist and a professor at Königsberg Albertina University Stanislovas Rapalionis (Stanislaus Rapagellanus or Stanislaus Lituanus; 1485 &ndash 1545 was a founder of the first Lithuanian language school in Vilnius Martyno Mažvydo vertimasTranslation of Martynas Mažvydas2jpg|thumb|180px|Martynas Mažvydas translated book]] Martynas Mažvydas (1510 near Žemaičių Naumiestis (now Mikalojus Daukša (other possible spellings include Mikalojus Daugsza, Mikołaj Dauksza and Mikolay Dowksza after 1527 – February 16, 1613 in Varniai
Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth (1569–1795)
With the Lublin Union of 1569 Poland and Lithuania formed a new state: the Republic of Both Nations (commonly known as Poland-Lithuania or the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; Polish: Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodow, Lithuanian: Abiejų Tautų Respublika). The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic See also Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth The Nihil novi act adopted by the Polish Diet in 1505 transferred all Legislative power The Union of Lublin (Liublino unija Belarusian: Лю́блінская ву́нія Polish: Unia The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic
Following the union, Polonization started to take place in Lithuanian public life, and took another 140 years to become a major factor. Polonization (polonizacja is the acquisition or imposition Under the influence of the Lithuanian upper classes and the church, who began to use Polish language more frequently. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. In 1696 Polish became an official language, replacing the previous Lithuanian language and Ruthenian languages. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Ruthenian (also Despite the Union and integration of the two countries, for nearly two centuries Lithuania continued to exist as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, retaining separate laws as well as an Army and a Treasury. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic
The Constitution of May 3, 1791, agreed by the Sejm attempted to integrate Lithuania and Poland more closely, although the separation was kept by the October 20th addendum to the May the 3rd Constitution. The Constitution of May 3 1791 (Konstytucja Trzeciego Maja Gegužės trečiosios konstitucija Канстытуцыя трэцьега траўня is generally recognized as Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1791 ( MDCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common However, partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772, 1793 and 1795 saw Lithuania divided between Russia and Prussia and Lithuania ceased to exist as a distinct entity for more than a century. The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state
Under Imperial Russia (1795–1914)
Domination of Russia
Following the third partition, the Russian Empire controlled the majority of Lithuania, including Vilnius, making up a part of Vilna Governorate. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya The Vilnа Governorate (1801-1840 often named Lithuania-Vilna Governorate) (Виленская губерния Vilenskaya guberniya, Vilniaus gubernija or
In the early years of the 19th century, there were signs that Lithuania might be allowed some separate recognition by the Empire, however it was never realized.
Napoleon's invasion
These hopes were soon to be dashed, particularly subsequent to 1812, when Lithuanians eagerly welcomed Napoleon's French army as liberators. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. After the French army's withdrawal, Tsar Nicholas I began an intensive program of Russification. Russification (in Russian: русификация rusifikátsiya)is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily The south-western part of Lithuania included in Prussia in 1795 and in the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 became a part of the Russian-controlled Kingdom of Poland in 1815, while the rest of Lithuania continued to be administered as a Russian province. The Duchy of Warsaw (Księstwo Warszawskie Duché de Varsovie Herzogtum Warschau Варшавское герцогство was a Polish state established by Napoleon Congress Poland Kongresówka, officially and formally Kingdom of Poland (Królestwo Polskie {{IPA-pl|'|p|o|l|s|kʲ|e}} Царство Польское Tsarstvo Polskoye
Uprisings
The Lithuanians and Poles revolted twice, in 1831 and 1863, but both attempts failed. The Lithuanian press ban (spaudos draudimas was a ban on all Lithuanian language publications printed in the Latin alphabet within the Russian Empire, In 1864 the Lithuanian language and the Latin alphabet were banned in junior schools. Lithuanias resisted the Russification by arranging printing abroad and smuggling the books in by knygnešiai. Russification (in Russian: русификация rusifikátsiya)is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily Knygnešiai (singular knygnešys) a Lithuanian term that has no equivalent in other languages - approximately translation would be book Smugglers
Lithuanian national revival
Under late Russian occupation, the native language of Lithuania was reborn after many years of dormancy. Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively Lithuanian National Awakening (Lietuvių tautinis atgimimas was a period of the History of Lithuania in the 19th century
Because many of Lithuanian nobles were Polonized and only the poor and middle classes used Lithuanian (but some of the latter also tended to use Polish for "prestige"), Lithuanian was not considered a prestigious language. The Lithuanian nobility was historically a legally privileged class in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania consisting of Lithuanian (from historical Polonization (polonizacja is the acquisition or imposition There were even expectations that the language would become extinct, as more and more territories in the east were Slavicized, and more people used Polish or Russian in daily life. The only place where Lithuanian was considered to be more prestigious and worthy of books and such was German-controlled Lithuania Minor. Lithuania Minor (Mažoji Lietuva Kleinlitauen Litwa Mniejsza Máлая Литвá or Prussian Lithuania (Prūsų Lietuva Preußisch-Litauen Litwa Pruska is a historical Even here, an influx of German immigrants threatened the native language and culture. Germanisation (also spelled Germanization) is either the spread of the German language, people and culture either by force or Assimilation
The revival started among poor people, then continued with the wealthy, beginning with the release of Lithuanian newspapers, Aušra and Varpas, then with the writing of poems and books in Lithuanian. For the solar power company see Ausra (company Aušra or Auszra (literally dawn) was the first Varpas (lit The Bell) was a Lithuanian-language Newspaper published from 1889 to 1905 These writings glorified the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, depicting the nation with power and many heroes. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje
This revival spearheaded the independence movement, with various organizations opposing Russian influence. Russian policy became harsher in response. Strikes were organized against Catholic churches while a ban forbidding Lithuanian press continued.
Lithuania's nationalist movement continued to grow. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation During the Russia-wide revolutionary uprising of 1905 a congress (Seimas) of Lithuanian representatives in Vilnius on 5 December 1905 demanded provincial autonomy. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting For its part, the tsarist regime did make a number of concessions as the result of the 1905 uprising. The Baltic states could once again use their native languages in schooling and public discourse. Roman script replaced the Cyrillic script which had been forced upon Lithuanian for four decades. However, not even Russian liberals were prepared to concede autonomy similar to that as had already existed in Estonia and Latvia, albeit under Baltic German hegemony. [3]
Under Bismark, German policy had aligned itself with tsarist Russia along the lines of Prussian alliances extending back to the Napoleonic era, in line with their both being politically aligned against Poland. When relations deteriorated between Germany and Russia, it was not over the Baltics but over the conflict between Austria and Russia in the Balkans. While many Baltic Germans had looked toward aligning the Baltics with Germany—Lithuania and Courland in particular—they had taken no overt action. However, with the outbreak of hostilities in World War I and Germany's occupation of Lithuania and Courland in 1915, the Baltic Germans now had the real possibility of aligning themselves with Germany, opposing both tsarist Russia and Lithuanian nationalism. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year [3]
- See also: Great Seimas of Vilnius
World War I (1914–1918)
During World War I Lithuania's occupation by Germany (1915) and the subsequent collapse of the Russian imperial government led to the proclamation of an independent republic (February 16, 1918) under German control, and full independence upon Germany's surrender (November 1918). The Great Seimas of Vilnius ( Lithuanian: Didysis Vilniaus Seimas, also known as the Great Assembly of Vilnius, the Grand Diet of Vilnius World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Act of Independence of Lithuania (Lietuvos Nepriklausomybės Aktas or Act of February 16 was signed by the Council of Lithuania on February 16 1918 proclaiming Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common From July, 1918, until November of that year, Monaco-born King Mindaugas II was pronounced the titular monarch of the Kingdom of Lithuania, until the country's parliament opted for a republican form of government. For other uses see Monaco (disambiguation Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco ( French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque Mindaugas II of Lithuania (otherwise known as William Charles Florestan Gero Crescentius 2nd Duke of Urach ( Herzog von Urach) and Count of Wurttemberg May 30 The Kingdom of Lithuania was a short lived Constitutional monarchy created towards the end of the First World War when Lithuania was under German occupation TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A parliament is a Legislature, especially in those A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its
Independent interwar Lithuania (1918–1940)
Freedom wars (1918–1922)
The term "Freedom wars" refers to the three wars Lithuania was fighting to defend its territory from various powers: Bolsheviks, Bermontians and Poles; each of these powers had their own reasons for fighting Lithuania. The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles (Laisvės kovos refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction The West Russian Volunteer Army or Bermontians was a Counterrevolutionary army in the Baltic provinces of the former Russian Empire during the
The Bolsheviks were attacking Lithuania from the east to try to prevent it regaining its independence. Such actions succeeded in some other states, such as Georgia, Belarus and the Ukraine, which were also briefly independent but had fallen under USSR rule again soon after the civil war in Russia ended. Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending However, in Lithuania they managed to take only the eastern side of country before the government in the temporary capital Kaunas managed to take the upper side in war and the Bolsheviks were thrown off. A temporary capital or a provisional capital is a country or a town chosen by a Government as an interim base of operations due to some difficulty in establishing Kaunas ( ˈkoʊnəs is the second largest City in Lithuania and a former temporary capital. In the first and most critical phase of war with bolsheviks Lithuania's independence was defended with the help of Saxon volunteers from Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Number of fallen Lithuanian and German soldiers was equal.
Bermontians were Russian troops who were taken as POWs by Germany in World War I and then released on the promise that they would help fight the communists in the Russian civil war. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed Instead, led by Pavel Bermont-Avalov, they decided to attack the newly-independent states of Lithuania and Latvia, to which Germany had granted independence. Pavel Rafalovich Bermondt-Avalov (Avalishvili (Павел Рафалович Бермонт-Авалов Pāvels Bermonts-Avalovs ( 4 March 1877 - 27 January Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. The Bermontians managed to take considerable territories in western Lithuania (Samogitia). Samogitia ( Samogitian: Žemaitėjė, Žemaitija literally lowlands) is one of the five Ethnographic Regions of Lithuania. In Latvia, they managed to take the capital Riga. Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava. Despite having to fight the communists at the same time in the east, Lithuania gathered enough forces and started to win territories back from the Bermontians. The Bermontians were finally crushed near Radviliškis, a major railway centre, where they were put into trains and sent to Russia. Radviliškis ( is a city in the Radviliškis district municipality, Šiauliai County, Lithuania.
The newly regained independence of both Lithuania and Poland produced a prolonged border dispute involving Vilnius (Polish: Wilno), which Lithuania claimed as its historic capital, but had a majority Polish population. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. This led to the Polish-Lithuanian War. Simultaneously, the territories were claimed by the Soviet Union, but the Soviets were defeated by the Poles. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Eventually, in October 1920, during the later stages of Polish-Soviet War, Polish irregular military took over Vilnius and most of the disputed areas which in before that transferred by retreating Soviets to Lithuanians. Żeligowski's Mutiny (Bunt Żeligowskiego also żeligiada, Želigovskio maištas was a staged Mutiny led by Polish General Lucjan Żeligowski The Republic of Central Lithuania state was established in the seized territory; it would soon be annexed by Poland after a plebiscite. "Central Lithuania" redirects here This is an article about a former state Despite an agreement with the Soviets and the war with Poland, Lithuania was very close to being invaded by the Soviets in summer 1920; the Polish victory against the Soviets prevented that and hence was one of the major factors that allowed Lithuania an experience of interwar independence. The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty, also known as the Moscow Peace Treaty, was signed between Lithuania and Soviet Russia on July 12 The Battle of Warsaw (Russian Варшáвское сражéние Polish: Bitwa Warszawska sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, Polish [4]
Democratic Lithuania (1922–1926)
Lithuania became a democratic state briefly, with a president elected for 3 years by parliament and a parliament elected by the people.
The Vilnius region
The Polish-Lithuanian dispute over Vilnius remained unresolved. Vilnius Region ( Lithuanian: Vilniaus kraštas, Wileńszczyzna generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus A state of war was maintained through all the democratic period of interwar Lithuania because of this. In the Vilnius region, elections were held on January 8, 1922. Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. While the elections were free, they have been criticised for not encompassing the whole Vilnius region and thus excluding some Lithuanian-dominated territories. Vilnius Region ( Lithuanian: Vilniaus kraštas, Wileńszczyzna generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus Initially both Poland and Lithuania attempted to win the support of various groups living in this multicultural territory side-by-side, but eventually most of the Lithuanians and Jews boycotted the elections anyway. Still enough people voted for them to be considered valid. The elected parliament soon decided to join Poland and dissolve Central Lithuania.
The Polish Sejm accepted the law proposed by the Central Lithuanian parliament on March 22, 1922 and the Conference of Ambassadors confirmed it on March 15, 1923. Events 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperor. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Conference of Ambassadors of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers was an inter-allied organ of the Entente in the period following the end of World War I Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Lithuanian government in Kaunas (which was designed as temporary capital with Vilnius remaining capital according to Lithuanian constitution) refused to accept Poland's annexation of the Vilnius district and maintained a formal state of war. Kaunas ( ˈkoʊnəs is the second largest City in Lithuania and a former temporary capital. A temporary capital or a provisional capital is a country or a town chosen by a Government as an interim base of operations due to some difficulty in establishing Lithuanian claim over the area was based on the fact that the area was historically Lithuanian, and therefore Lithuania had more rights to the multicultural area where Poles, Lithuanians, Belarusians and Jews were the majority in different areas.
The Klaipėda region
Vilnius was not the only city whose possession was in dispute. The Klaipėda Region (Klaipėdos kraštas or Memel Territory (Memelland or Memelgebiet Territoire de Memel was defined by the Treaty of Versailles Klaipėda (German language name Memel was predominant in official use until 1923) had been founded by the Livonian Order in 1252. Klaipėda ( ˈklaɪpɛdə Memel is a City in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Curonian Lagoon where it flows into the Baltic Sea In 1328 it became Prussian and much of the population from the 15th–16th century were bilingual Lithuanian/German speakers and considered themselves members of the Prussian state. The Memelland district, including the city of Klaipeda, was made a separate territory under French occupation in 1920 as part of the Treaty of Versailles. The Klaipėda Region (Klaipėdos kraštas or Memel Territory (Memelland or Memelgebiet Territoire de Memel was defined by the Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. In this area, 50. 8% of population were Lithuanians (predominantly rural people), while 43. 8% were Germans (including most of urban elite). Lithuania took advantage of the Ruhr Crisis and supported the Klaipėda Revolt in the area in January 10–15 1923, leading to its incorporation as an autonomous district of Lithuania in May 1924. The Occupation of the Rhineland gave the French and Belgian armies the springboard from which it was easy to undertake the occupation of the Ruhr. The Klaipėda Revolt took place during January 1923 in the Memel territory that had been detached from Germany after World War I. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Authoritarian regime (1926–1938)
Following a succession of conservative governments, Lithuania's first elected government of the left (June 1926) was overthrown in a military coup d' etat in December 1926. The 1926 Lithuanian coup d'état (Lithuanian 1926-ųjų perversmas) was a military Coup d'etat in Lithuania that resulted in the replacement of the The 1926 Lithuanian coup d'état (Lithuanian 1926-ųjų perversmas) was a military Coup d'etat in Lithuania that resulted in the replacement of the Antanas Smetona, first president of Lithuania, resumed office as president, but with dictatorial powers, while Augustinas Voldemaras that later was leader of the far-right Iron Wolf movement served as Prime Minister. Antanas Smetona ( August 10 1874 January 9 1944) was one of the most important Lithuanian political figures between World Augustinas Voldemaras ( April 16, 1883 May 16, 1942) was a Lithuanian nationalist political figure Iron Wolf ( Geležinis Vilkas, also known as the Iron Wolf Association or the Iron Wolves was a Lithuanian fascist movement formed by Augustinas Voldemaras The Prime Minister of Lithuania is the head of the executive arm of Lithuania 's government and is chosen by the Lithuanian parliament the Seimas. The reasons for the coup are not entirely clear. [5] After Voldemaras was removed from his office in September 1929, Smetona continued to direct Lithuania's political affairs until 1940.
Polish ultimatum to re-establish diplomatic relationship, 1938
It had long been the opinion of Lithuanian high-ranking army officers that the enemies of Poland and Lithuania were the same and the broken diplomatic relations with Poland should be restored. The 1938 Polish ultimatum to Lithuania was an Ultimatum delivered to Lithuania by Poland on March 17 1938 [6] In 1938, after a border incident in which one Polish soldier was killed, Poland presented an ultimatum to Lithuania to re-establish the relations. A period of 24 hours was set for a response, at the end of which Poland would declare war if Lithuania did not renew diplomatic relations. Knowing that it was weaker at the time and that under such circumstances there would be no support from other countries, Lithuania accepted the ultimatum and it was signed by representatives of both states in Tallinn, Estonia. Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region After that, several quiet protests happened in Lithuania. Positive effects of the ultimatum included treaties about railway transport, postal exchange, and other means of communication, finally allowing the population to exchange letters and place phone calls across the borders. Although Lithuania officially continued to claim Vilnius as its capital, with diplomatic relations re-established due to the ultimatum, antagonism between the two states over the region reduced and the Vilnius Liberation Union was also closed.
German ultimatum (Lithuania loses Klaipėda region), 1939
The National Socialist Party, which was ideologically similar to the German Nazi Party, gained a large voice in the city's politics. 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania was an oral Ultimatum presented to Juozas Urbšys, Foreign Minister of Lithuania, by Joachim von Ribbentrop The, officially National Socialist German Workers' Party, ( abbreviated NSDAP) was a Political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945 In the 1938 election, the National Socialists won the majority of seats and negotiated a settlement to hand over Klaipėda to Germany. Klaipėda ( ˈklaɪpɛdə Memel is a City in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Curonian Lagoon where it flows into the Baltic Sea A majority of the town's Jewish population, foreseeing this change in the cards, had already fled the area.
Following the loss of Klaipėda, General Stasys Raštikis visited Warsaw between May 12 and 13, suggesting a military alliance with Poland. Stasys Raštikis ( September 13, 1896 – May 3, 1985) was a Lithuanian military officer ultimately obtaining the rank of General However, the Polish government treated his proposition lightly and lost a small, but potentially important, ally.
World War II (1939–1945)
The deal with the Soviets (Soviet troops are based in Lithuania), 1939
In August 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed an agreement (the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact), with secret clauses assigning spheres of influence in the area of the Baltic Sea. The occupation of the Baltic states refers to the occupation of the Baltic states ( Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) first by the Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Lithuania was initially assigned to the German sphere of influence, but when Lithuania refused to ally with Nazi Germany in the attack on Poland, it was transferred to the Soviets in another secret pact later that year.
The city of Vilnius was occupied by the Red Army and later transferred to Lithuania together with only one fifth of the Vilnius region. Vilnius Region ( Lithuanian: Vilniaus kraštas, Wileńszczyzna generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus The Soviets established their military presence within the country.
First Soviet period (1940–1941)
Annexation
Despite having a non-aggression pact signed and in force, Soviet Russia gave Lithuania an ultimatum in 1940. It demanded the removal and imprisonment of several key Lithuanian politicians under the pretext of a supposed kidnapping of Russian border guards (it is alleged that the incident was staged by the Russians themselves). The Soviets sought military units in the Lithuanian territory.
Unlike Finland, Lithuania did not defend itself and there was debate whether to accept the ultimatum. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. President Antanas Smetona opposed it and said that Lithuania should fight, while most of members of the government decided that it should be accepted, assuming that Lithuania would have lost a war against Russia in any case. Antanas Smetona ( August 10 1874 January 9 1944) was one of the most important Lithuanian political figures between World Some also claimed that it would be worthy to lose more than half of the population if that would save freedom, but even with those sacrifices, stopping the Soviets was doubtful. Finally, the ultimatum was accepted.
Antanas Smetona left Lithuania afterwards to show that the occupation was illegal despite the fact that when Soviet military forces (15 divisions, about 150,000 soldiers) crossed the Lithuanian border on June 15, 1940, the military of Lithuania was ordered not to resist. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
With the support of Soviet military forces, a new government loyal to the Soviets was formed. The new government consisted mainly of known Lithuanians (such as poets or singers like Salomėja Nėris, Antanas Venclova), supposedly to be more popular among the general public. Salomėja Nėris (born Salomėja Bačinskaitė - Bučienė) ( November 17, 1904 – July 7, 1945) is one of the best known Antanas Venclova ( in Trempiniai &ndash June 28 1971 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian politician Poet, Journalist 200,000 families requested land grants and redistribution from the new system. Government members were nominated according to the orders of Vladimir Dekanozov, the Soviet envoy in Lithuania. Vladimir Georgievich Dekanozov (Dekanozishvili (Владимир Георгиевич Деканозов (Деканозишвили June 1898 Baku - 23 December 1953 was Dekanozov named Justas Paleckis, a Lithuanian leftist who was not yet a member of the Communist Party, as Prime Minister. Justas Paleckis (born in Telšiai; died 26 January 1980) was a Lithuanian journalist and politician The selection of a prime minister acceptable to Moscow was not carried out according to the procedures foreseen in the Lithuanian constitution; rather, aided by specialists sent in from Moscow, Dekanozov worked through the Lithuanian Communist Party, headed by Antanas Sniečkus, while the cabinet of ministers, headed by Paleckis, served an administrative function. Antanas Sniečkus ( January 22, 1974) was First Secretary of the Lithuanian Communist Party from August 1940 to January 22, 1974
This temporary government was in office for a very short period, and on July 14–15, 1940, elections to the so-called "People's Parliament" were organized. The so-called People's Parliament ( Liaudies Seimas) was a tool for legitimising the Annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union in 1940 However, only the Communist Party of Lithuania could nominate candidates, with its leaders being returned from Moscow or released from prisons. The Communist Party of Lithuania (Lietuvos komunistų partija was a Communist party in Lithuania, established in early October 1918 On July 21, 1940, the parliament declared Lithuania's will to join the Soviet Union and on August 3, 1940, the Supreme Council of the USSR "admitted" Lithuania into the Soviet Union. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The process of annexation was formally over and the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was created. The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика
Independent Lithuania (1941)
On June 22, 1941, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. The Lithuanian 1941 independence was a brief period in the history of Lithuania between the first Soviet occupation, and the chaos immediately following Nazi Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Independence was declared with the expectation that the Soviets would weaken and wouldn't have enough strength to hold Lithuania. On June 24, 1941, Juozas Ambrazevičius, a member of the Lithuanian Activist Front (Lietuvos aktyvistų frontas, LAF), became prime minister. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Juozas Ambrazevičius or Juozas Brazaitis (December 9 1903 in Trakiškiai near Marijampolė — October 28 1974 in the United States was a Lithuanian Lithuanian Activist Front (Lithuanian Lietuvos Aktyvistų Frontas) commonly abbreviated as LAF was a short-lived organisation established in 1940 when Lithuania was occupied The retreating Soviet forces massacred Lithuanian political prisoners in the Rainiai Massacre. The Rainiai massacre (Rainių žudynės was the Mass murder of between 70 and 80 Lithuanian Political prisoners by the NKVD, with help from the
The leader of the LAF was Kazys Škirpa, who was in Berlin, away from Soviet occupation. Kazys Škirpa (born in Nemajūnai Biržai district, Lithuania on February 18 1895, died in Washington DC on August 18 Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. However, the Germans did not let him leave because Nazi Germany did not want an independent Lithuania and planned for it to be a part of its occupied territories. The new government asked people via radio not to loot and to remain in place with the retreat of Soviet army, and declared Lithuania independent again.
At this time the government tried to negotiate with Germany to allow Lithuanian independence. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. German troops had entered Lithuania, but for propaganda purposes and other reasons, they did not immediately dissolve the government of Lithuania (and this created a false belief among some Lithuanians that Germans would permit Lithuania to stay independent or at least autonomous).
However, with time Germans gradually stripped the Lithuanian government of its powers; Lithuania, having no regular army, was unable to resist because of the huge disparity of strength and ultimately the Germans annexed Lithuania. The government, no longer having any real power, dissolved itself on August 7, 1941. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Lithuanian Activist Front was subsequently banned by the German authorities.
German occupation (1941–1944)
German actions
People soon realized that the Nazis had no plans for an independent or even autonomous Lithuania and the German occupation administration viewed the natives as second-class citizens. Germany annexed a small part of southern Lithuania to the Reich itself(Balstogė county), while the Lithuanian part of Ostland acquired some more lands from Vilnius region: Ašmena, Svyriai, etc. Reichskommissariat Ostland was the German name for the Nazi civil administration of part of the occupied Eastern territories of the Third Reich, occupied Vilnius Region ( Lithuanian: Vilniaus kraštas, Wileńszczyzna generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus Ashmyany (Ашмя́ны Ašmiany Ašmena Oszmiana Ошмяны is a town in Hrodna voblast, Belarus (previously in Vilna Governorate, Imperial This region was not part of the territory given to Lithuania by the Soviets some years previously when Vilnius itself was acquired from occupied Polish territory. Lithuania lost its independence fully.
Economic conditions were harsh, especially in cities and towns. In the countryside people were at least able to grow food for themselves and did not suffer the same hardships.
Resistance
The migration of thousands of German settlers into territories formerly belonging to Lithuanian farmers, along with the dismissal and suppression of the independent Lithuanian government, soon produced a vigorous resistance movement. Local Self-Defence in Lithuania during the Nazi occupation (1941–1944 consisted of voluntary armed security units under the supervision of the region authorities formed to protect The resistance movement was not however united — the majority fought for an independent Lithuania; but another group of pro-Soviet partisans, which mainly consisted of Russians, Belarusians and Jews, operated in eastern Lithuania. The Soviet partisans were members of a Resistance movement which fought a Guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union This group fought for the re-incorporation of Lithuania into the Soviet Union. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Soviet partisans committed what could be considered atrocities (for example, the Koniuchy massacre) and sacked towns and villages. The Soviet partisans were members of a Resistance movement which fought a Guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union The Kaniūkai (Koniuchy massacre was a massacre carried out by Jewish and Soviet partisans during the Second World War in the Polish [8]
The Polish Armia Krajowa (AK) also operated on Lithuanian territory, expecting post-war Poland to resume control of the Vilnius/Wilno region. AK was fighting not only against the Nazis, but also against the pro-Nazi Lithuanian police, Local Lithuanian Detachment, and the Soviet partisans. The Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force or LTDF (Lietuvos vietinė rinktinė LVR Lituanische Sonderverbande was a short-lived Lithuanian volunteer Armed force Relationships between different guerrilla detachments was never cordial and worsened as the war went on.
Relations between German forces and Lithuanian people
There was substantial cooperation and collaboration between the German forces and some Lithuanians. The Lithuanian Activist Front group formed five police companies to restore order in the country. Lithuanian Activist Front (Lithuanian Lietuvos Aktyvistų Frontas) commonly abbreviated as LAF was a short-lived organisation established in 1940 when Lithuania was occupied Later, the units around Kaunas were incorporated into the Tautos Darbo Apsauga (National Labour Guard) and in Vilnius the Lietuvos Savisaugos Dalys (Lithuanian Self Defence). These were then joined into the Policiniai Batalionai (Lithuanian Police Battalions) called by the Germans the Schutzmannschaft, with a total of 8,388 men by August, 1942. During World War II Nazi Germany occupied all or parts of the following countries Poland, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Another infamous unit was the Lithuanian Secret Police (Saugumo policija). The Lithuanian Security Police, also referred to as Saugumas (Saugumo policija was a Lithuanian Nazi -sponsored collaborationist police force that operated
Despite the fact that the purpose of their creation was different, these Lithuanian units participated in the Jewish Shoah, especially within Lithuania and the areas of the Vilnius region that are now in Belarus. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Vilnius Region ( Lithuanian: Vilniaus kraštas, Wileńszczyzna generally refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania and Belarus Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east It is alleged that in October and November 1941 Lithuanian Schutzmannschaft Battalion 2 participated in the killing of 19,000 Jews,[9], that in 1942 the Schutzmannschaft 7th company was involved in the murder of 9,200 Jews, and that the Lithuanian Schutzmannschaft Battalion 254E killed at least 1,800 Jews in the course of a single action in 1943[10].
An SS division, however, was not established in Lithuania as the Lithuanian general Povilas Plechavičius dismissed his forces upon finding out that the Nazi regime was planning to mould them into a division of the Nazi elite corps. Povilas Plechavičius (1890-1973 was a Imperial Russian and then Lithuanian military officer and statesman [11]
There was also resistance to German occupation, and some Lithuanians who risked their own lives to save Jews. 504 Lithuanians are recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for their efforts. Righteous among the Nations (חסידי אומות העולם Chassidey Umot HaOlam) which may at times refer to the B'nei Noah or Noahides as well is a term used [12]
The Holocaust
For many centuries, Lithuania was one of the great centers of Jewish theology, philosophy, and learning, symbolized by the renowned teachings of the Gaon of Vilna. The Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Lithuania resulted in the near total destruction of Lithuanian Jews living in the Nazi-controlled Lithuanian territories known as the Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, known as the Vilna Gaon or Elijah of Vilna and simply by his Hebrew Acronym Gra (" G aon After the First World War, the territory of the new Republic of Lithuania did not include the Vilnius/Vilna region, which was occupied by Poland. Before the Holocaust, the Republic of Lithuania was home to 160,000 Jews. The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as At the beginning of World War II, the Soviets annexed the eastern portion of Poland, including the Vilnius/Vilna region, and in 1940, upon annexing Lithuania, the Soviets transferred the Vilnius/Vilna region to Lithuania. As a result of this enlargement of the territory of Lithuania (and some influx of Jewish refugees from other portions of Poland), by 1941 the Jewish population of Lithuania was approximately 250,000. There was some Lithuanian involvement in the Holocaust, as Nazis encouraged pogroms against the Jewish population after the German invasion, which began on the night of June 21-22, 1941. The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as A pogrom is a form of Riot directed against a particular group whether ethnic religious or other and characterized by destruction of their Homes Businesses In the days before the Germans imposed effective administrative control, Lithuanian nationalist paramilitary forces began to massacre Jewish civilians. According to German documentation, between the 25th and 26th of June, 1941, "about 1,500 Jews were eliminated by the Lithuanian partisans. Many Jewish synagogues were set on fire; on the following nights of 25th and 26th of June another 2,300 were killed. "[13]
Between June and July of 1941, detachments of German Einsatzgruppe A, together with Lithuanian auxiliaries, started large scale mass shootings of Jews, and by November of 1941, many had been killed in places like Paneriai (Ponary massacre). Einsatzkommando refers to a sub-group of the five Einsatzgruppen mobile killing squads — 3000 men — responsible for systematically killing every Jew and Paneriai (Ponary is a suburb of Vilnius, situated about 10 kilometres away from the city center The Ponary massacre (or Paneriai massacre) was the Mass-murder of 100000 people mostly Jews by German SD and SS and Lithuanian during The official German army report (“the Jager Report”) methodically lists for each Lithuanian town and village the number of men, women, and children who were systematically murdered by the joint forces of the SS and the Lithaunian paramilitary. http://www.remember.org/docss.html. Typically, the victims were murdered just outside of the communities in which they lived. A minority of the Jews were temporarily kept alive to provide slave labor. Approximately 40,000 Jews were concentrated in the Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai, and Švenčionys ghettos, and in concentration camps, where they were given harsh work assignments and provided inadequate quantities of food. Šiauliai ( ʃoʊˈleı Samogitian: Šiaulē, Latvian: Saule (historic and Šauļi (modern German: Schaulen Švenčionys (Święciany Свянцяны is a city 84 km north of Vilnius in Lithuania with a population of 5658 (as of 2005 A ghetto is described as a "portion of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social legal or economic pressure Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people commonly in large groups without trial As a result, many died of starvation or disease over the next two years. In 1943, the ghettos were either destroyed by the Germans or turned into concentration camps, and 5,000 Jews were sent to the extermination camps. Extermination camps were two types of facilities that Nazi Germany built during World War II for the systematic killing of millions of people in what has become At the end of the war, only 10% of Lithuania's Jews survived.
- See also: Chiune Sugihara
Return of Soviet authority
[14]]] In the summer of 1944, the Red Army reached eastern Lithuania, while the city of Vilnius was captured by the Home Army during the ill-fated Operation Ostra Brama. Early life Chiune Sugihara was born January 1, 1900, in Yaotsu, a rural area in Gifu Prefecture of the Chūbu region in Operation Ostra Brama was an armed conflict during World War II between the Polish Home Army and the Nazi German occupiers of By January 1945, the Russians captured Klaipėda, on the Baltic coast. Klaipėda ( ˈklaɪpɛdə Memel is a City in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Curonian Lagoon where it flows into the Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The USSR re-occupied Lithuania as a Soviet republic, with the passive agreement of the United States and Britain (see Yalta and Potsdam Agreements). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and Codenamed the Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from 4 February The Potsdam Agreement was an agreement on policy for the occupation and reconstruction of Germany and other nations after fighting in the European Theatre of World War II
Soviet rule (1944–1990)
Stalinism
The mass deportation campaigns of 1941–52 exiled 29,923 families to Siberia and other remote parts of the Soviet Union. During World War II, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union (1940-1941 Nazi Germany (1941-1944 and the Soviet Union Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Official statistics state that more than 120,000 people were deported from Lithuania during this period, while researchers estimate the number of political prisoners and deportees at 300,000. In response to these events, an estimated several tens of thousands of resistance fighters participated in unsuccessful partisan warfare against the Soviet regime from 1944. The last partisan was killed in combat in 1965. Soviet authorities encouraged immigration of non-Lithuanian workers, especially Russians, as a way of integrating Lithuania into the Soviet Union and to encourage industrial development. This period has a dedicated Grūtas theme park. Grūtas Park - lith Grūto parkas - is a Sculpture garden of Soviet-era statues and an exposition of other ideological relics founded by the Lithuanian
- See also: Forest Brothers
Rebirth (1988–1990)
Until mid-1988, all political, economic, and cultural life was controlled by the Lithuanian Communist Party (LCP). This article is about Baltic WWII anti-Soviet resistance movement The Singing Revolution is a commonly used name for events between 1987 and 1990 that led to the restoration of the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The Communist Party of Lithuania (Lietuvos komunistų partija was a Communist party in Lithuania, established in early October 1918 Lithuanians as well as people in two other Baltic republics distrusted the Soviet regime even more than people in other regions of the Soviet state, and gave their own specific and active support to Gorbachev's program of social and political reforms by Lithuanians. The Baltic states (Balti riigid Baltijas valstis Baltijos valstybės or Baltic countries are three countries in Northern Europe, all members of the Under the leadership of intellectuals, the Lithuanian reform movement "Lietuvos persitvarkymo sąjūdis" (the Reform Movement of Lithuania) was formed in mid1988 and declared a program of democratic and national rights, winning nationwide popularity. Sąjūdis (Reform Movement of Lithuania (Lietuvos Persitvarkymo Sąjūdis is the political organization which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s Inspired by Sąjūdis, the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet passed constitutional amendments on the supremacy of Lithuanian laws over Soviet legislation, annulled the 1940 decisions on proclaiming Lithuania a part of the USSR, legalized a multi-party system, and adopted a number of other important decisions, including the return of the national state symbols — the flag and the anthem. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Верхо́вный Сове́т СССР Verkhóvnyj Sovét SSSR) was the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in The Flag of Lithuania consists of a horizontal tricolor of Yellow, Green and Red. "Tautiška giesmė" is the National anthem of Lithuania, also known by its opening words "Lietuva Tėvyne mūsų" (Lithuania Our Homeland A large number of LCP members also supported the ideas of Sąjūdis, and with Sąjūdis support, Algirdas Brazauskas was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the LCP in 1988. Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas ( born September 22 1932 was President of Lithuania from 1993 to 1998 and Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006 On 23 August 1989, 50 years after Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, in order to draw the world's attention to the fate of the Baltic nations, Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians joined hands in a human chain that stretched 600 kilometres from Tallinn, to Rīga, to Vilnius. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) That human chain was called the Baltic Way. "Baltic Way" (also Baltic chain, Balti kett Baltijas ceļš Baltijos kelias is the event which occurred on August 23, 1989 when In December 1989, the Brazauskas-led LCP declared its independence from the Communist party of the Soviet Union and became a separate party, which after it renamed itself in 1990 the Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania ( Lithuanian: Lietuvos demokratinė darbo partija or LDDP was a social democratic political party in Lithuania, that
Independent modern Lithuania (1990–2007)
Struggle for independence (1990–1991)
Election of Sąjūdis and independence declaration, 1990
In 1990, Sąjūdis-backed candidates won the elections to the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet. On March 11, 1990, the Supreme Soviet (or, more precisely, the Supreme Council of Lithuania) proclaimed the restitution of Lithuanian independence, becoming the first of the Soviet republics to declare national rights. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Верхо́вный Сове́т СССР Verkhóvnyj Sovét SSSR) was the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in Declaration of independence The Soviet became important political battleground when in late 1980s Lithuanians sought independence or at least autonomy from the Soviet Union The Supreme Council of Lithuania also appointed leaders of the state and adopted the Provisional Fundamental Law (temporary constitution) on this day and the Lithuanian SSR ceased to exist. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика Vytautas Landsbergis became the head of the state and Kazimira Prunskienė led the Cabinet of Ministers. Professor Vytautas Landsbergis (born October 18, 1932) is a Lithuanian conservative Politician and Member of the Kazimira Danutė Prunskienė ( (born February 26 1943 in Švenčionys district municipality) was the first Prime Minister of Lithuania .
On March 15 the U. S. S. R. demanded revocation of the act and began employing political and economic sanctions against Lithuania. Soviet military was used to seize a couple of public buildings. Also, it showed its force by driving its tanks through the streets of Vilnius. The Lithuanians, inspired by their government, protested against Soviet actions in a non-violent manner.
January events, 1991
On January 10, 1991, U. January 1991 events in LatviaThe January Events (Sausio įvykiai were a series of events that occurred from January 11–13 1991 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. S. S. R. authorities seized the main publishing house and other premises in Vilnius and attempted to suppress the elected government by sponsoring a so called "National Salvation Committee". Three days later, the Soviets forcibly took over the TV tower, killing 14 unarmed civilians and injuring 700. The Vilnius TV Tower (Vilniaus televizijos bokštas is a 3265 metre-high (1071 ft building in the Karoliniškės Microdistrict of Vilnius, Lithuania The self-styled National Salvation Committee declared the Government overthrown, but capturing of houses of the Supreme Council and the Government never followed. Moscow failed to act further to crush the Lithuanian independence movement in light of widespread world criticism and a dearth of local popular support. The Lithuanian government continued to work.
During the national plebiscite on February 9 more than 90% of those who took part in the voting (and 76% of all eligible voters) voted in favor of an independent, democratic Lithuania. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita Led by tenacious Vytautas Landsbergis, Lithuanian leadership continued to labor for Western diplomatic recognition of its independence. Professor Vytautas Landsbergis (born October 18, 1932) is a Lithuanian conservative Politician and Member of the Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences whereby a state acknowledges an act
The Soviet Foreign Ministry had called the validity of that and other Lithuanian elections of the time into question, particularly given the strong support that Algirdas Brazauskas commanded in the Seimas. Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas ( born September 22 1932 was President of Lithuania from 1993 to 1998 and Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006 The Seimas is the Lithuanian Parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term Meanwhile, Soviet military and security forces continued forced conscription, occasional seizure of buildings, attacks on customs posts, and a few killings of customs and police officials.
Recognition of independence, 1991
During the Soviet coup attempt of 1991, Soviet military troops took over several communications and other government facilities in Vilnius and other cities, but returned to their barracks when the coup failed. The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt ( August 19 - August 21, 1991) also known as the August Putsch or August Coup was a three-day The Lithuanian Government banned the Communist Party and ordered confiscation of its property. Independence was first recognised by Iceland and finally recognized by Russia in September of 1991, several months after the referendum.
Building the new state (1991–1996)
Political developments
As in many other formerly Soviet countries, popularity of the liberating movement (Sąjūdis in this case) was diminishing, due to people's overly high expectations that the country would immediately become rich when it became capitalist, which understandably did not happen. Sąjūdis (Reform Movement of Lithuania (Lietuvos Persitvarkymo Sąjūdis is the political organization which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s Due to the change towards a market economy some indicators, e. g. employment (which was near 100% during Soviet times due to underemployment), fell. In Economics, the term underemployment has three different distinct meanings and applications At the time the Lithuanian Communist Party renamed itself Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania (LDDP) and ran against Sąjūdis in 1992 elections. The Communist Party of Lithuania (Lietuvos komunistų partija was a Communist party in Lithuania, established in early October 1918 Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania ( Lithuanian: Lietuvos demokratinė darbo partija or LDDP was a social democratic political party in Lithuania, that Sąjūdis failed at those elections, and LDDP won the majority, although the did not have enough power to change the constitution. This was not expected, and LDDP had even less candidates in their lists than they got seats in parliament, therefore, according to the law, the unused seats were distributed among other political parties according to the percentages of votes. LDDP did not go the radical way back as, for example, the Belarusians did, and more or less continued building the independent state. Belarusians or Belorussians (Беларусы Biełarusy previously also spelled Belarussians, Byelorussians and Belorusians, also Leftist policies however also proved to be wrong for the time, and in the elections of 1996 rightist Homeland Union won the majority of seats. The Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (Conservatives Political Prisoners and the Exiled Nationalists, before 2008 Homeland Union (Conservatives Political Prisoners Homeland Union has been established by Vytautas Landsbergis, leader of Sąjūdis, when it was seen that Sąjūdis needed reform. Professor Vytautas Landsbergis (born October 18, 1932) is a Lithuanian conservative Politician and Member of the Sąjūdis (Reform Movement of Lithuania (Lietuvos Persitvarkymo Sąjūdis is the political organization which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s Sąjūdis remained as a public organisation, slowly diminishing and losing its importance. Although it exists today, it is not involved in politics any longer.
Privatization
It was decided that the state would have a market economy and therefore organizations like shops and flats, which were owned by government and leased to people, were to be privatised. Because people did not have money, the government issued investment vouchers of varying amounts to everybody, which could be used to privatise things such as real estate. Privatisation of companies was performed in auctions where the one who could offer the most cheques would win. People cooperated in groups to have a larger amount to offer and the privatisation campaign in Lithuania, unlike Russia, did not create a small group of very wealthy and powerful people. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending This was probably because the privatisation started with small organizations, and not large enterprises such as telecoms or airlines, which were done much later and some are still left unprivatised (and then already a monetary model was chosen for privatisation instead of a cheque-based one). An airline provides air transport services for Passengers or Freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license
Privatisation however created a problem by people who were new to business acquiring some factories which were thriving previously and being unable to make them continue prospering. Others claim however that the fate of these factories was already sealed anyway because they were uneconomical and could only have been working under the planned economy of the Soviet Union.
Russian troop withdrawal (1991–1994)
Despite Lithuania's achievement of complete independence, sizable numbers of Russian forces remained in its territory. Withdrawal of those forces was one of Lithuania's top foreign policy priorities. Lithuania and Russia signed an agreement on September 8, 1992, calling for Russian troop withdrawals by August 31, 1993, which took place on time. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar)
Forming the military
The first military of the reborn country were the Lithuanian volunteers, who first took an oath at the Supreme Council of Lithuania soon after the independence declaration. Later SKAT was formed from them. However, when the LDDP (former communists) came to power in 1992, the position of the volunteers was weakened, according to them on purpose, by not giving them enough weaponry, financing nor uniforms. Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania ( Lithuanian: Lietuvos demokratinė darbo partija or LDDP was a social democratic political party in Lithuania, that This led to the Coup of the Volunteers, but with time the situation calmed down, and Lithuanian military built itself to the common standard with an air force, navy and land army. The Coup of the Volunteers was a stand-off that occurred in 1993 in Lithuania near Kaunas. An air force, also known in some countries as an air army or historically an army air corps, is in the broadest sense the national military or armed service SKAT remained too, and interwar paramilitary organisations such as Lithuanian Riflemen's Union, Young Riflemen, and Lithuanian Scouts were re-created. Lithuanian Riflemen's Union or Union of Lithuanian Riflemen (Lietuvos Šaulių Sąjunga also referred to as šauliai (šaulys for rifleman) a Nationalistic Young Riflemen ( Lithuanian: Jaunieji Šauliai) is a patriotic youth Paramilitary organization in Lithuania. Lietuvos Skautija, the primary national Scouting organization of Lithuania, became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1997 However, riflemen's organisations do not have the power or support they enjoyed in interwar Lithuania.
Forming the monetary system
Lithuania's monetary system was to be based on Litas, the currency used during the interwar republic of Lithuania. The litas ( ISO currency code LTL symbolized as Lt plural litai or litų) is the currency of Lithuania. The name Litas derives from the name Lithuania (the other Baltic State, Latvia, has similarly-named currency Lats). Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. For common abbreviations see LAT (disambiguation The lats (plural lati, ISO 4217 currency code LVL or 428 is the The currency was to be introduced quickly, immediately after Russian ruble, however it did not happen and Russia did not support the use of Roubles in Lithuania. The ruble or rouble (рубль rublʹ, plural ru рубли́ rubli; see note on English spelling and Russian plurals with numbers Therefore a temporary currency, talonas, was introduced (commonly called Vagnorkė or Vagnorėlis because Gediminas Vagnorius was prime minister during its introduction). The talonas (ISO 4217 code LTT was a temporary currency issued in Lithuania between 1991 and 1993. Gediminas Vagnorius (born June 10, 1957) is a Lithuanian Politician and signatory of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania This currency however was very simple, easily counterfeited, and also was subject to heavy inflation. There were two versions of talonas, a large note and then a small note, the smaller notes were being released to change the large banknotes when they lost their value, but it was later controversially decided that the large banknotes would regain value again.
Eventually Litas was issued (printed outside Lithuania), and it was decided to peg it to the United States dollar and later to the Euro. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e Some possible affairs and conspiracy theories exist about the issue of litas. Since then except for the first few years and up until joining the European Union, inflation in Lithuania has been among the lowest in Europe. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in
Lithuania in the European Union (2004-present)
In October 2002, Lithuania was invited to join the European Union and one month later to join NATO; it became a member of both in 2004. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The North Atlantic Treaty The Lithuanian Military began a programme of modernisation and integration with NATO forces. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of 17000 personnel in uniform and are supported by 309200 reserve force [15] It has been noted that since Lithuania joined the EU there has been significant emigration to both the UK and Ireland. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world
See also
- Baltic region
- Central Lithuania
- Forest Brothers
- History of Vilnius
- History of Poland
- Lithuania
- History of Russians in Lithuania
- Law of Lithuania
- Territorial changes of the Baltic States
Notes
- ^ Edvardas Gudavičius. Baltic Seven Islandsgif|right|thumb|330px|A contemporary transnational Euroregion encompasses the islands of the Baltic countries This article is about Baltic WWII anti-Soviet resistance movement This article is about the history of Vilnius, the capital and largest city of Lithuania. Highly developed agricultural people have lived in the area that is now Poland for the last 7500 years the Slavic people have settled in this territory for over 1500 years and the Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Lithuanian law is a part of a Legal system of Lithuania. It is largely civil, as opposed to a common, law system based on Epitomes Territorial changes of the Baltic states occurred when Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia gained their independence from Russia in the aftermath of Lietuvos istorija. Nuo seniausių laikų iki 1569 metų, Vilnius, 1999, p. 28. ISBN 5-420-00723-1
- ^ R. Bideleux. A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis and Change. Routledge, 1998. p. 122
- ^ a b Hiden, John and Salmon, Patrick. The Baltic Nations and Europe. London: Longman. 1994.
- ^ Alfred Erich Senn, The Formation of the Lithuanian Foreign Office, 1918-1921, Slavic Review, Vol. Alfred Erich Senn (?-present is a Professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. 21, No. 3. (Sep. , 1962), pp. 500-507. : "A Bolshevik victory over the Poles would have certainly meant a move by the Lithuanian communists, backed by the Red Army, to overthrow the Lithuanian nationalist government. . . Kaunas, in effect, paid for its independence with the loss of Vilna. "
Alfred Erich Senn, Lietuvos valstybes. . . p. 163: "If the Poles didn't stop the Soviet attack, Lithuania would fell to the Soviets. . . Polish victory costs the Lithuanians the city of Wilno, but saved Lithuania itself. "
Antanas Ruksa, Kovos del Lietuvos nepriklausomybes, t. 3, p. 417: "In summer 1920 Russia was working on a communist revolution in Lithuania. . . From this disaster Lithuania was saved by the miracle at Vistula. The Battle of Warsaw (Russian Варшáвское сражéние Polish: Bitwa Warszawska sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, Polish "
Jonas Rudokas, Józef Piłsudski - wróg niepodległości Litwy czy jej wybawca? (Polish translation of a Lithuanian article) "Veidas", 25 08 2005: [Piłsudski] "defended both Poland and Lithuanian from Soviet domination" - ^ Vardys, Vytas Stanley; Judith B. Sedaitis (1997). Lithuania: The Rebel Nation, Westview Series on the Post-Soviet Republics. WestviewPress, 34-36. ISBN 0-8133-1839-4.
- ^ Robert A. Vitas, The Polish-Lithuanian Crisis of 1938. Events Surrounding the Ultimatum, Lituanus — Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences; Vol. 30, No. 2 — Summer 1984; ISSN 0024-5089
- ^ Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Russian) (1969-1978). Retrieved on 2007-11-20. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, “Литва. Митинг в Вильнюсе. 19 июня 1940. ”
- ^ Genocid
- ^ US DoJ.
- ^ Vill.
- ^ World War II, Washington University.
- ^ Google Books.
- ^ Einsatzgruppen Archives.
- ^ Ž. Butkus; K. Račkauskas. Tiesa apie Didįjį Tėvynės Karą ir Lietuvą jame (Lithuanian). Retrieved on 2007-11-20. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, “Kauno dirbantieji su gėlėmis pasitinka Raudonosios Armijos Lietuviškosios divizijos karius. ”
- ^ Biuletenis A4 SP.p65
Bibliography
- Zigmantas Kiaupa, et al. The History of Lithuania Before 1795 (Vilnius: Lithuanian Institute of History, 2000).
External links
- Pages and Forums on the Lithuanian History
- Zenonas Langaitis virtual Old Radio museum — Old Radios from Lithuania,Europa,past USSR.
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