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Peasant Populists in the Political Life of Lithuania 1926–1940

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Peasant Populists in the Political Life of Lithuania 1926–1940 VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF LITHUANIAN HISTORY Mindaugas TAMOŠAITIS PEASANT POPULISTS IN THE POLITICAL LIFE OF LITHUANIA 1926–1940 SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION HUMANITIES, HISTORY (05 H) KAUNAS, 2011 The dissertation will be defended extramurally. The right to confer doctoral degree was granted to Vytautas Magnus University together with the Institute of Lithuanian History by Resolution No. 926 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 15 July 2003. The dissertation will be defended at the Council of the Humanities Area History Field of Vytautas Magnus University and the Institute of Lithuanian History. Scientific consultant: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pranas Janauskas (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, History – 05 H) Chairman: Prof. Dr. Šarūnas Liekis (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, History – 05 H) Members: Prof. Dr. Zenonas Butkus (Vilnius University, Humanities, History – 05 H) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saulius Kaubrys (Vilnius University, Humanities, History – 05 H) Prof. PhD Alfred Erich Senn (University of Wisconsin, Humanities, History – 05 H) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vygantas Vareikis (Klaipėda University, Humanities, History – 05 H) The official defence of the dissertation will be held on 6 May 2011, at 2 p.m. at a public meeting of the Council of the Humanities Area History Field at Vytautas Magnus University, Adolfas Šapoka Auditorium (No. 508), K. Donelaičio str. 52. Address: K. Donelaičio str. 52, LT – 44244, Kaunas, Lithuania Tel: (8-37) 32 78 36 The summary of the dissertation was distributed on 31 March 2011 The dissertation is available at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, the libraries of Vytautas Magnus University and the Institute of Lithuanian History 2 VYTAUTO DIDŽIOJO UNIVERSITETAS LIETUVOS ISTORIJOS INSTITUTAS Mindaugas TAMOŠAITIS VALSTIEČIAI LIAUDININKAI LIETUVOS POLITINIAME GYVENIME 1926 -1940 M. DAKTARO DISERTACIJOS SANTRAUKA HUMANITARINIAI MOKSLAI, ISTORIJA (05 H) KAUNAS, 2011 3 Disertacija ginama eksternu. Doktorantūros teisė suteikta Vytauto Didžiojo universitetui, kartu su Lietuvos istorijos institutu 2003 m. liepos 15 d. Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės nutarimu Nr. 926. Disertacija bus ginama Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto ir Lietuvos istorijos instituto Humanitarinių mokslų srities istorijos krypties taryboje. Mokslinis konsultantas: doc. dr. Pranas Janauskas (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, Humanitariniai mokslai, Istorija – 05H) Pirmininkas: prof. dr. Šarūnas Liekis (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, istorija – 05H) Nariai: prof. dr. Zenonas Butkus (Vilniaus universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, istorija – 05 H ) doc. dr. Saulius Kaubrys (Vilniaus universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, istorija – 05 H ) prof. PhD Alfred Erich Senn (Viskonsino universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, istorija – 05 H ) doc. dr. Vygantas Vareikis (Klaipėdos universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, istorija – 05 H) Disertacija bus ginama viešame Humanitarinių mokslų srities istorijos krypties tarybos posėdyje, kuris vyks 2011 m. gegužės 6 d. 14 val. Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Adolfo Šapokos auditorijoje (Nr. 508), K. Donelaičio g. 52. Adresas: K. Donelaičio g. 52, LT – 44244, Kaunas, Lietuva Tel.: (8-37) 32 78 36 Disertacijos santrauka išsiuntinėta 2011 m. kovo 31 d. Disertaciją galima perskaityti Lietuvos nacionalinėje M. Mažvydo, Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto ir Lietuvos istorijos instituto bibliotekose 4 SUMMARY The activities of the Peasant Populist Party in the political life of Lithuania during the period of 1926–1940 were chosen as the research object of the dissertation, which has previously been beyond the scope of research in historiography as a separate research topic. More than 80 percent of the Lithuanian population lived in the countryside and as many as 79 percent of the residents in the country were engaged in agriculture during the period under discussion. The Peasant Populist Party represented the affairs of minor and small farmers and their majority; farmers constituted around 85 percent of all members of the party. According to different data, in 1926 the Peasant Populist Party consisted of approximately 500 sub-units (Lith. kuopa), which united around 40 000 members. The research on the topic of the thesis was encouraged by the opinion, which has prevailed in historiography for a number of years, stating that the 17 December 1926 coup d'état, which was followed by the authoritarian regime of Antanas Smetona, essentially paralysed the activities of the Peasant Populists and other opposition parties, which showed no signs of activity. Due to the absence of research on this topic a comprehensive view of both the activities of the Peasant Populists and the political events of the period under analysis in general, especially the events in relation to the activities of opposition parties, has been lacking. The numerous documentary material found on the topic under discussion enables to speak about the activities of the Peasant Populists, as well as other opposition parties, during the period of authoritarian regime, seeking to influence the political governance of the country. Even when the government banned opposition parties in 1936, their leadership tried to continue the activities, to the extent permitted by the political situation of that time, and to restore their role in public administration, which the Peasant Populists were deprived of after the coup d'état, whenever possible. The term of the dissertation, Peasant Populists, refers, first and foremost, to the Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union and the so called Young Peasant Populists. With reference to the documents of the party, the names Peasant Populist Party and Peasant Popular Union are used synonymously in the thesis. The Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union was the second strongest political power in Lithuania during the period of democracy (1918–1926) after the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party (LKDP), 5 whereas during the period of authoritarianism (end of 1926 – 1940) the Peasant Populists were the third most influential political power in the political life of the country after the leading Lithuanian National Union (LTS) and LKDP. The very core of the leaders of the Peasant Populists consisted of the political figures of the Lithuanian Democratic Party (LDP), which was in the political arena in 1902–1915, and the Lithuanian Peasant Union (LVS) founded in the course of the 1905 Revolution. Following the February Revolution in Russia at the height of the First World War the representatives of the mentioned political powers established the Lithuanian Socialist Popular Party. When the leading figures and more radical members of the mentioned party yielded to the influence of the left-wing Russian Socialist Revolutionary Party (ESERY) and involved in the dramatic events in Russia in 1917, a group of the right- wing members of the party split off in September of the same year and founded the Lithuanian Socialist Popular Democratic Party (LSLDP). When the members of the stated party returned to the independent Lithuania after the First World War and the local figures of LDP contributed to its activities, the sub-units of the Populist Union were founded on a mass scale. At the same time, a close cooperation between LSLDP and LVS resulted in the merger of the two parties into the Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union (LVLS) on 3-5 December 1922. The following persons were elected into the leadership of the party: Felicija Bortkevičienė, Kazys Grinius, Jurgis Krikščiūnas, Vladas Lašas, Mykolas Sleževičius, Jonas Staugaitis, Zigmas Toliušis and Jonas Vileišis. Mykolas Sleževičius was elected the chairman of the union. The new party programme approved in March 1923 refused the word ‘socialism’. The programme raised the objective of Lithuania as a free, independent, democratic republic, where the fruits of science, labour and culture would be available to all the working people on equal terms. The weight of the party in the public life reflects in the numbers of votes and seats gained by the party in the mentioned democratic elections to the Seimas: the party had 28 seats (25%) in the Constituent Assembly and obtained 145,562 votes; 19 seats (25.6%) and 147,219 votes in the First Seimas; 16 seats (20.5%) and 161,195 votes in the Second Seimas; 22 seats (25.9%) and 225,787 votes in the Third Seimas. The elections to the Third Seimas in 1926 were most successful to the party, which led to the Peasant Populists becoming the most influential political power in the country, when the representatives of the Peasant Populists won 6 the offices of the President of Lithuania, the Speaker of the Seimas, the Prime Minister and the majority of the members in the Government. However, after the coup d'état of 17 December that year the Peasant Populists became a party in the opposition to the government of Antanas Smetona, who had seized the power of the country. The young Peasant Populists were represented by the Lithuanian Youth Union (LJS) (otherwise called Jaunimiečiai in Lithuanian) and the young students Varpininkai, who belonged to the Student Association Varpas of Vytautas Magnus University (VDU), including the graduates, who had previously been the members of the association. Formally, LJS and the Student Association Varpas were apolitical but its members nevertheless tried to participate in the activities of the Peasant Populists. Such a situation persisted in the second half of the 1930s. Following the abolition of political parties in Lithuania in 1936, their former members tried to participate
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