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Kursiu Nerija Principinis The Great Seimas of Vilnius of 1905 (the the local administration, effort was made to COIN DEDICATED TO Congress of Lithuanians in Vilnius) is avoid open political declarations. THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF important in several aspects: it marks a clear The Organising Committee’s further stage dividing line in the history of the Lithuanian of activity was to work out and send the THE GREAT SEIMAS OF VILNIUS revival, the apogee of the national revolution Memorandum to the Russian government. of 1905–1906, and the beginning of the The purpose of the Memorandum was to establishment of the political goals for the figure out the Russian government’s Lithuanian nation. viewpoint on the political aspirations of the The significance of the Seimas for the Lithuanian nation, specifically on the Lithuanian nation can hardly be possibilities of organising a congress of overestimated. The goal of the autonomy of Lithuanians. The Memorandum was the first Lithuania in the territory inhabited by Representatives of Alsëdþiai at the Great Seimas of Vilnius document prepared by Lithuanian political Lithuanians declared in this Congress by the figures that substantiated the historical rights entire nation through its representatives different scenarios for the restoration of the of the Lithuanian nation and related specific meant that a new ethnic social community statehood of Lithuania. requirements in the field of culture and Secretariat of the Great Seimas of Vilnius had formed, determined to decide its own The idea of the Congress of Lithuanians politics. fate. Thus the model of a new modern developed from that of the Constituent The reaction of the Russian authorities Memorandum was enormous: the nation that had been built since the times Seimas of Lithuania. The leader of the to the Memorandum was astonishing: the Lithuanian political figures understood that of the Aušra newspaper was transferred from national democrats Jonas Basanavièius Memorandum was immediately published the Russian authorities would not make any the sphere of social thought to real political should be considered the actual author of in the official gazette Pravitelstvennyj vestnik. major obstacles for organising the congress. declarations and actions. the idea of the congress. His idea, proposed However, the Russian authorities did not On the publication of the Appeal, the On the eve of the Seimas of 1905, two in the autumn of 1905, was initially backed publish those articles of the Memorandum Lithuanian society began preparing for the main political trends had already been up by Jonas Kriauèiûnas, and shortly that accentuated the historical traditions of congress. In rural areas, parishes and formed in the Lithuanian society: the afterwards by the entire political grouping the statehood of Lithuania, mainly focussing townships, meetings and demonstrations radicals (the Lithuanian Social Democratic of the editorial staff of the Vilniaus Þinios on those paragraphs declaring Lithuania’s began to be arranged, decisions relating to Party (LSDP) and the Lithuanian newspaper. In the opinion of Jonas ethnical and political separation from the congress were adopted, and Democratic Party (LDP)) and the Basanavièius, the purpose of the Congress Poland. And yet the role of the representatives to the Congress were conservatives (moderate liberals who, after of Lithuanians was to discuss the political selected. Struggle among Lithuanian political the Congress of Lithuanians, rallied into the situation in Lithuania and Russia, the groupings also subsided. National Lithuanian Democratic Party cultural and political aspirations of the On the last week before the Congress, (NLDP) and Christian democrats). Lithuanian nation, to bring the Lithuanian with the strengthening peasant movement Common for these trends was the society together for a fight for the autonomy and activities of the Organising Committee, requirement of autonomy for Lithuania, of Lithuania. All Lithuanian political parties the Russian authorities began feeling Silver Ag 925 while the tactics they advocated for achieving and groupings were invited to implement anxious. Efforts to quiet the Lithuanian Quality proof this autonomy separated them. this idea. On 1 November 1905, the public figures by declarations and backstage Diameter 38.61 mm In the late 1904 and early 1905 there Organising Committee was set up with negotiations ended without success, and Weight 28.28 g national democrats in majority. The edge of the coin features the Gediminian Columns arose the problem of the integration of local authorities did not bring themselves Designed by: Lithuanians and Lithuanian political On 11 November, the Organising to ban the Congress of Lithuanians. During Albertas Gurskas and Rytas Jonas Belevièius structures. With increasingly active social Committee issued the Appeal to the the Congress, the police closely followed its Mintage 1500 pcs life, the Lithuanian nobility reappeared on Lithuanian Nation inviting representatives progress and was informing the Governor Issued 2005 the political scene having retained the civic of the nation to come to the Congress of General of Vilnius about it. self-consciousness of the former state, the Lithuanians in Vilnius. The Appeal was based About 2000 participants arrived to the The first page of an Appeal to Grand Duchy of Lithuania, political and on the czarist Manifesto of 30 October Congress. Of these, over 1000 participants the Lithuanian Nation drafted cultural traditions, on which it based 1905; however, in fear of repressions from Presidium of the Great Seimas of Vilnius were delegates of Lithuanian rural areas, by Jonas Basanavièius parishes and villages. Most widely all political parties and groupings spoke out be retained. However, no final solutions province of Suvalkai; also, federal relations purpose of consolidating American Undoubtedly, the gains of the Great represented were Aukštaitija, Suvalkija and for major reforms in both the Russian were adopted. with “the neighbouring countries” were Lithuanians’ political forces and at the same Seimas of Vilnius and of the national Þemaitija, to a lesser extent Dzûkija and Empire and Lithuania. With regard to the schools issue, it was projected. time discussing how support for the national revolution were considerable: Lithuanian LITHUANIAN eastern counties of the province of Vilnius. The second sitting (“Autonomy for decided to allow the Russian schools with The Congress resolutions did not declare revolution in progress in Lithuania could be teachers were allowed to work at primary The participants also included Lithuanians Lithuania and the Tactics to Win It”) took Lithuanians employed as teachers to the re-establishment of the statehood of intensified. schools, the Lithuanian language was allowed from Petersburg, Moscow, Riga, Liepaja, place on the same day in the evening. All continue functioning, with teaching done in Lithuania in one form or another but With regard to the significance of the to be taught as a separate discipline, press COLLECTORS Mintauja, Dorpat, Tallinn, Kiev, Odessa, political parties and groupings spoke out in the Lithuanian language, to close down the demanded this. While the resolutions Seimas for the Lithuanian society, two became freer, and freedom to set up various Voronezh, and Warsaw. There was also a favour of the intention of establishing an schools with Russian teachers working in expressed the will of the Lithuanian nation, aspects can be singled out: (1) the direct economic and cultural societies was COINS representative of Prussian Lithuanians. The autonomy for Lithuania in the territory them or to replace Russian teachers with they did not encourage the formation of an effect of the Seimas on the cultural and provided. Political restrictions remained, Congress was supported by American inhabited by Lithuanians. Only the tactical Lithuanians, to eliminate totally Orthodox active political entity able to react not only political situation in Lithuania; (2) the although the activities of the Lithuanian Lithuanians, who sent congratulatory measures proposed for achieving it differed: Church schools. to the Russian policy but also capable of influence of the Seimas on the nation’s political parties and groupings, except for telegrams and organised meetings and the LSDP, LDP, LPU, LTA were in favour of Late in the evening, the Presidium setting the legal and factual preconditions political, civic and state-formation the LSDP, were not hindered. demonstrations in America. Among the revolutionary fighting (the social democrats finished editing the congressional resolutions for the occurrence of new public and tendencies. More important was the second aspect of The Great Seimas of Vilnius participants were a small number of even favoured armed fight), the Christian the Congress. It was the first real political was an event of the political representatives of Lithuanian Poles and democrats and the national democrats move in formulating the principles of the history of Lithuania that Byelorussians (peasants) from eastern demanded fighting using legal political re-establishment of the statehood of expressed civil maturity and counties of the province of Vilnius as well measures. Lithuania. A strategic direction was defined as from the provinces of Grodno and Minsk. The third (“The Agrarian Issue”) and the as re-establishing the State of Lithuania on social activity of Lithuanians All social layers of Lithuania were fourth (“The Issue of Lithuanian Schools. the ethnographic basis (of a modern and
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