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Republic of Central Lithuania

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"Central Lithuania" redirects here. This is an article about a former state. For the geographical and historical region, see Vilnius Region.
Republic of Central LithuaniaVidurio Lietuvos Respublika(lt)
Republika Litwy Środkowej(pl)
1920–1922
Flag of Central Lithuania Flag
Territory of so called Republic of Central Lithuania (green)Territory of so called Republic of Central Lithuania (green)
CapitalVilnius
GovernmentRepublic
History 
• Established October 12 1920
• Disestablished March 24 1922
Preceded by Succeeded by
Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic

The Republic of Central Lithuania or Middle Lithuania (Template:Lang-lt, Template:Lang-pl, Template:Lang-be), or simply Central Lithuania (Template:Lang-lt, Template:Lang-pl, Template:Lang-be), was a state created in 1920 after the staged rebellion of soldiers of the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division of the Polish Army. Centered around the historical capital of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, the state was short-lived and did not gain international recognition. For eighteen months the entity served as a buffer state between Poland, upon which it depended, and Lithuania, which claimed the area. Finally, on March 24, 1922, following the general elections held there, it was annexed to Poland. The elections were not recognized by the Republic of Lithuania neither by the Council of League of Nations.

History

Ethnic and national background

Main article: Ethnic composition of Central Lithuania

Following the decline of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in late 18th century, the state had been divided among its neighbours in what is known as the partitions of Poland. Most of the lands that formerly constituted the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were annexed by the Russian Empire. The Imperial government increasingly pursued a policy of both political and cultural assimilation of the newly-acquired lands (Russification). The failed January Uprising of 1864 further aggravated the situation, as the Russian authorities decided to pursue the policies of forcibly imposed Russification. The discrimination of local inhabitants included restrictions and outright bans on usage of Polish, Lithuanian (see Lithuanian press ban), Belorussian and Ukrainian (see Valuyev circular) languages. This has however not stopped the Polonization effort undertaken by the Polish patriotic leadership of the Vilna educational district even within the Russian Empire. Also, from the late 19th century, the Lithuanian National Revival increased the national awareness among Lithuanians.

The national composition of the latter area is difficult to measure as censuses from that time and place are often unreliable. According to the first census of the Russian Empire, 1897, the population of the Vilna Governorate was distributed as follows.

The 1916 German census of the Vilna region; however, reported strikingly different numbers.

  • Poles - 58.0%
  • Lithuanians - 18.5%
  • Jews - 14.7%
  • Belarusians - 6.4%
  • Russians - 1.2%
  • Other - 1.2%

Aftermath of WWI

Policies

In the aftermath of the First World War, both Poland and Lithuania regained independence. The conflict between them soon arose as both Lithuania and Poland claimed Vilnius (Wilno) region.

While Poland under Józef Pilsudski attempted to rebuild a multi-national Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with a number of ethnically non-Polish territories (see Międzymorze federation), Lithuania similarly strove to create a state in the historical lands of Grand Duchy of Lithuania (see Lithuania proper and ethnographic Lithuania), a state including ethnically non-Lithuanian territories. Lithuanian authorities, however, argued that the majority of inhabitants living there, even if they did not speak Lithuanian and considered themselves Poles, were Polonized (or Russified) Lithuanians.

Further complicating the situation, there were two Polish factions with quite different views on creation of the modern state in Poland. One party led by Roman Dmowski saw modern Poland as an ethnic state, another led by Józef Piłsudski – as rebuilt Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Both parties were determined to take the Poles of Vilnius into the new state. Piłsudski attempted to rebuild the GDL in a canton structure, as part of the Międzymorze federation:

  • Lithuania of Kaunas with Lithuanian language
  • Lithuania of Vilnius or Central Lithuania with Polish language
  • Lithuania of Minsk with Belarusian language

Eventually, Piłsudski's plan failed; it was opposed both by the Lithuanian government in Kaunas, and by the Dmowski faction, whose representative - Stanisław Grabski - was in charge of the Treaty of Riga negotiations with the Soviet Union, in which they rejected the Soviet offer of territories needed for the Minsk canton (Dmowski preferred Poland that would be smaller, but with higher percentage of ethnic Poles).

Polish-Lithuanian War

Main articles: Polish-Lithuanian War and Żeligowski's Mutiny

With the decline of the Ober-Ost, the former area of Grand Duchy of Lithuania was divided between Republic of Poland, Belarusian National Republic and the Republic of Lithuania. Following the start of the Polish-Soviet War, in 1919 the territory was occupied by the Red Army which defeated and pushed local self-defence units (Lithuanian and Belarusian Self-Defence), but shortly afterwards the Bolsheviks were pushed back by the Polish Army (see Vilna offensive). 1920 saw Vilnius surroundings occupied by the Red Army for the second time. However, when the Red Army was defeated in the Battle of Warsaw, the Soviets made the decision to hand the city back over to Lithuania (see Soviet-Lithuanian Treaty of 1920). Lithuania seized the southern Suvalkai region (Polish: Suwałki region) as well. The rationale for this was that several parts of the region had clear Lithuanian ethnic majorities. When the Polish army reached the Lithuanian lines (August 26, 1920), a war erupted.

This made the compromise even harder to achieve, since the newly-established state of Lithuania declined to negotiate on the status of the Vilnius area, claiming it as its capital and denying any Polish influence over it, whatsoever. A cease-fire agreement was signed on October 7, 1920, but it did not solve the issue. On October 7, 1920, the Lithuanian and Polish delegations concluded a truce in Suwałki (Lithuanian: Suvalkai). It was agreed upon that the Suwałki Agreement would take effect on 12:00 October 10, 1920. The treaty determined a demarcation line, in which Vilnius was given to the Lithuania.

However a day before Suwałki treaty came into force, on October 8, General Lucjan Żeligowski with his 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division and the help of local Polish inhabitants launched a surprise attack on the weak Lithuanian forces in the area, and most of them retreated. Poland disclaimed all knowledge of the action, maintaining that the General had acted on his own initiative. Later, in August 1923 speaking in public at Wilno theater Piłsudski did admit that he did gave his direct orders to Żeligowski. Instead of annexing the areas to Poland, Żeligowski set up a new state under the name of the Republic of Central Lithuania. Most historians agree that the state was dependent on Poland, although they disagree to what extent (Polish historian Jerzy J. Lerski calls it a puppet state, although this term is not used in majority of publications) This action cut off solid Lithuanian speaking lands lying southwest and northeast from Slavicized Vilnius vicinage and linguistic islands surrounding the Vilnius vicinage and stretching southeastward from Lithuania. Lithuanian culture in the territory was swept and the revival of language disrupted.

The fighting between Kaunas and Central Lithuanian continued for a few weeks (see Żeligowski's Mutiny), but neither side was able to gain significant advantage, and with the mediation from the League of Nations, ceasefire was signed on November 21 and truce on November 27.

Republic of Central Lithuania

A new country was created under the name of the Republic of Central Lithuania. After the staged mutiny, Lucjan Żeligowski, proclaimed an uprising of local people. On October 12, 1920, he announced the creation of a provisional government. Soon the courts and the police were formed by his decree of January 7, 1921, and the civil rights of Central Lithuania were granted to all people living in the area on January 1, 1919, or for five years prior to August 1, 1914.

The symbols of the state were a red flag with Polish White Eagle and Lithuanian Vytis and a coat of arms being a mixture of Polish, Lithuanian and Vilnian symbols, similar to the Coat of Arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Extensive diplomatic negotiations continued behind the scenes. Lithuania proposed creating a confederation of Baltic Western Lithuania (with Lithuanian as an official language) and Central Lithuania (with Polish as an official language). Poland added the condition that the new state must be also federated with Poland, pursuing the Józef Piłsudski's goal of creating the Międzymorze Federation. Lithuanians chose to reject this condition. With nationalistic sentiments rising all over Europe, many Lithuanians were afraid that such a federation, resembling the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from centuries ago, would be a threat to Lithuanian culture, as during the Commonwealth times the many of the of Lithuanian nobility Polonized themselves under the influence of the Polish culture.

General elections in Central Lithuania were decreed to take place on January 9, 1921, and the regulations governing this election were to be issued prior to November 28, 1920. However, due to the League of Nations mediation, and the Lithuanian boycott of the voting, the elections were postponed.

Mediation

Various demarcation lines during the struggle for central Lithuania

Meanwhile in Brussels peace talks were held under the auspice of the League of Nations. The initial agreement had been signed by both sides on November 29, 1920, and the talks started on March 3, 1921. The League of Nations considered the Polish proposal of a plebiscite on the future of Central Lithuania. As a compromise, the so called "Hymans' plan" was proposed (named after the Belgian envoy to the conference). It consisted of 15 points, among them were:

  • Both sides guarantee each other's independence.
  • Central Lithuania is incorporated into the Federation of Lithuania, composed of two cantons - the Lithuanian-inhabitated Samogitia and multiethnic (Belarusian, Tatars, Polish, Jewish and Lithuanian) Wilno area. Both cantons will have separate governments, parliaments, official languages and a common federative capital in Vilnius/Wilno.
  • Lithuanian and Polish governments will create interstate commissions on both foreign affairs, trade and industry measures and local policies.
  • Poland and Lithuania will sign a defensive alliance treaty.
  • Poland will gain usage of ports in Lithuania.

The plan was more or less acceptable for both sides. The talks came to a halt when Poland demanded that a delegation from Central Lithuania (boycotted by Lithuania) be invited to Brussels. On the other hand Lithuanians demanded that the troops in Central Lithuania be relocated to the line of the October 7, 1920 cease-fire agreement. Both claims were a step too far.

A new plan was presented to the governments of Lithuania and Poland in September 1921. It was basically a modification of "Hymans' plan", with the difference that the Memel Territory (the area between the Memel/Neman River and the town of Memel/Klaipėda) was to be incorporated into Lithuania while Central Lithuania was to be granted a certain level of internal autonomy instead of a cantonal status. However, both Poland and Lithuania openly criticized it and finally this turn of talks came to a halt as well.

Resolution

Ribbon of the Cross of Military Merit of Central Lithuania

After the talks in Brussels failed, the tensions in the area grew. The most important issue was the huge army Central Lithuania fielded (27,000). General Lucjan Żeligowski decided to pass the power to the civil authorities and confirmed the date of the elections (January 8 1922). There was a significant electional propaganda campaign over the issue of the elections as both Poles tried to win the support of other ethnic groups present in the area, there are also accusations of various strong-arm policies on the part of Polish government (like closing of Lithuanian newspapers or frauds like not asking for a valid document of a voter).

The elections where boycotted by Lithuanians, most of the Jews and some Belarusians; a certain percentage had doubts over whether they should vote. Poles were the only major ethnic group out of which the majority of people voted.

The elections were not recognized by Lithuania. Polish factions, which gained control over the parliament (Sejm) of the Republic, on February 20 passed the request of incorporation into Poland had been passed, accepted by Polish Sejm on March 22, 1922. All of Republic's territory was incorporated into the newly-formed Wilno Voivodeship.

Lithuania declined to accept the Polish authority over the area of Wilno. Instead, it continued to treat the so-called Vilnius Region as part of its own territory and the city itself as its constitutional capital, with Kaunas being only a temporary seat of government.

Aftermath

It was not until the Polish ultimatum of 1938, when the Lithuanian authorities acquiesced to resume diplomatic relations with Poland, and de facto accepted the borders of its neighbour. After the Soviet-Nazi pact and the Polish Defensive War of 1939, Lithuania was given Vilnius, and its surroundings up to 30 km, on October 10, 1939. A part of the region was given to the Belarusian SSR. Lithuanian success was however short-lived: soon afterwards, Lithuania was forced to become the Lithuanian SSR.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ Template:En icon Georg von Rauch (1974). "The Early Stages of Independence". In Gerald Onn (ed.). The Baltic States: Years of Independence - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, 1917-40. C. Hurst & Co. pp. 100–102. ISBN 0-903983-00-1. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  2. Various authors (1922). The Vilna problem. London: Lithuanian Information Bureau. p. 24-25.
  3. Aviel Roshwald, Ethnic Nationalism and the Fall of Empires: Central Europe, Russia and the Middle East, 1914-1923, Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0415178932, Google Print, p.24
  4. Anna Geifman, Russia Under the Last Tsar: Opposition and Subversion, 1894-1917, Blackwell Publishing, 1999, ISBN 1557869952, Google Print, p.116
  5. Tomas Venclova, Four Centuries of Enlightment. A Historic View of the University of Vilnius, 1579-1979, Lituanus, Volume 27, No.1 - Summer 1981
  6. Rev. Stasys Yla, The Clash of Nationalities at the University of Vilnius, Lituanus, Volume 27, No.1 - Summer 1981
  7. The Lithuanian language and nation through the ages: Outline of a history of Lithuanian in its social context William R. Schmalstieg, Lituanus, 1989.
  8. Template:Pl iconPiotr Łossowski, Konflikt polsko-litewski 1918-1920 (The Polish-Lithuanian Conflict, 1918–1920), Warsaw, Książka i Wiedza, 1995, ISBN 8305127699, pp. 11.
  9. Template:Ru icon
  10. Template:Pl icon Michał Eustachy Brensztejn (1919). Spisy ludności m. Wilna za okupacji niemieckiej od. 1 listopada 1915 r. Biblioteka Delegacji Rad Polskich Litwy i Białej Rusi, Warsaw.
  11. Template:Pl iconPiotr Łossowski, Konflikt polsko-litewski 1918-1920 (The Polish-Lithuanian Conflict, 1918–1920), Warsaw, Książka i Wiedza, 1995, ISBN 8305127699, pp. 13-16.
  12. ^ Timothy Snyder, The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999, Yale University Press, 2003, ISBN 030010586X, Google Print, p.65
  13. Zinkevičius, Zigmas (1993). Rytų Lietuva praeityje ir dabar. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla. pp. p.158. ISBN 5-420-01085-2. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. Template:En icon Tomas Venclova (1999). Winter Dialogue. Northwestern University Press. p. 146. ISBN 0-8101-1726-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  15. Jerzy J. Lerski. Historical Dictionary of Poland, 966-1945. 1996, Google Print, p.309
  16. Piotr Łossowski, Konflikt polsko-litewski 1918-1920, p.216-218
  17. Template:En icon Albert Geouffre de Lapradelle (1929). The Vilna Question. London: Hazell, Watson & Viney, ld. pp. 15–18. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  18. Čepėnas, Pranas. Naujųjų laikų Lietuvos istorija. Chicago: Dr. Griniaus fondas.
  19. Various authors (1924). Documents diplomatiques. Conflit Polono-Lituanien. Questions de Vilna 1918-1924.
  20. Zigmantas Kiaupa. The History of Lithuania. 2002, 2004. ISBN 9955-584-87-4

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