VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY Kęstutis Bartkevičius Lithuania and the World in the 20th c. DIDACTICAL GUIDELINES Kaunas, 2013 Reviewed by Prof. Dr. J. Vaičenonis Approved by the Department of History of the Faculty of Humanities at Vytautas Magnus University on 30 November 2012 (Protocol No. 3–2) Recommended for printing by the Council of the Faculty of Humanities of Vytau- tas Magnus University on 28 December 2012 (Protocol No. 8–6) Translated and edited by UAB “Lingvobalt” Publication of the didactical guidelines is supported by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. Project title: “Renewal and Internationalization of Bachelor Degree Programmes in History, Ethnology, Philosophy and Political Science” (project No.: VP1-2.2-ŠMM-07-K-02-048) © Kęstutis Bartkevičius, 2013 ISBN 978-9955-21-358-1 © Vytautas Magnus University, 2013 Table of Contents Preamble . 5 Topic 1. Partisan Warfare in thePeriod of 1945–1953 . 7 Topic 2. Dissident Movement in Lithuania. 16 Topic 3. The Formation, Goals and Activity of the Reform- Movement of Lithuania . 31 Topic 4. The Genesis and Development of the Movement and the CPL in the Period of Reformation . 43 Topic 5. The Restoration and Recognition of Independence 1990–1992 . 55 The main literature and published sources used for the prep- aration of methodical material . 65 Preamble These didactical guidelines are to be used for foreign students who will study the course of ‘Lithuania in the 20th Century’ at Vytautas Magnus University. In the history of Lithuania the 20th century is very rich in politi- cal and social changes. Due to a national revival which happened in the 20th century, Lithuania declared its independence in 1918. At that time all the efforts were made to consolidate democracy. The elected Constituent Assembly of Lithuania paved the way for the state by preparing the first permanent Constitution of Lithuania and carry- ing out land, financial, education and other reforms. From 1918 to 1940 the life of the state of Lithuania was not bypassed by processes happening all over Europe: antidemocratic moods which were grow- ing stronger allowed a military revolution in 1926, which fortified the authoritarian Government of Antanas Smetona till World War II. And due to secret protocols of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, Lithuania together with other states ended up in the zone of the influence of the Soviet Union. In 1941 the first Soviet occupation was replaced by the occupation of Nazi Germany, which ended in 1944. At that time Lithuania was not bypassed by the tragedy of the Holocaust ei- ther. During the second Soviet occupation, which started in 1944 and ended in 1990, the Lithuanian society tried several ways of resistance against this regime: armed resistance, unarmed resistance and legal opposition. The Reform Movement of Lithuania, established in 1988, was able to restore the independence of the state of Lithuania within less than a year of its activity. The majority of problems studied during the course have received enough attention in the historiography of Lithuania and other coun- tries; still there is a lack of specific studies generalising the process of Lithuania becoming free and that of the restoration of its inde- pendence at the end of the 20th century, which overlaps with the So- viet occupation from 1944 to 1990, as well as synthesizing works, and only a few such studies can be found in English. Therefore, the main goal of these didactical guidelines is to present basic information on 5 Lithuania and the World in the 20th c. such topics of the course whose historiography in English is not suf- ficient while studying the course. These didactical guidelines are focused on the individual student work or they can also be used during the seminars of the course. The didactical guidelines present a summary of 5 topics. Self-study ques- tions and specific tasks are presented after every topic. Students can develop every topic or its part into a presentation or a paper which can be presented during a seminar, or into a written homework in case seminars are not taking place and then evaluated by a mark at the end of a semester. Taking into consideration the fact that these didactical guidelines are to be used by foreign students studying the course ‘Lithuania in the 20th Century’ at Vytautas Magnus University, only a list of ref- erences available in English in the library or reading rooms of the university will be provided at the end of every topic. Topic 1. Partisan Warfare in the Period of 1945–1953 The goal of the lecture and/or seminaris to find out the reasons, stages and consequences of the armed resistance against the soviet regime in Lithuania as well as to evaluate the goals of the Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters and the legitimacy of the partisan warfare. The main concepts: Partisan warfare involves war actions when small or big groups of combatants (partisans) use the tactics of the partisan warfare to fight against the traditional military or the state or its coercive apparatus (the police, security bodies, military) or the governing bodies. People’s Defence Platoon (destroyer) is a member of the armed civil units of the soviet Government who helped occupants to wage re- pressions in Lithuania in the period of 1944–1954. Resistance (Latin resistentia – resistance, resistere – to resist, to op- pose) is a struggle for freedom by the residents or a group of residents of a country occupied by an aggressor of contemporary times with an independent strategy and tactics. 1. 1. Reasons and stages of the Lithuanian armed resistance/partisan warfare The second soviet occupation of Lithuania began during the years of World War II, in July of 1944, when the Red Army entered the terri- tory of Lithuania. In the same year the NKVD stationed its special repressive military units which carried out criminal operations in the territory of Lithuania: burned down farmsteads, killed people and burned them alive. During the period of 1944–1945, 13.2 thou- sand people were killed or tortured to death during inquisitions. Such cruel repressions of the Occupation Government motivated 7 Lithuania and the World in the 20th c. people to arm themselves and resist against the violence. Partisan units were being organised in all the districts. However, the terror of the occupation military of the Soviet Union cannot be assumed as the main reason for the armed resistance. The main motive which determined the partisan action was the hope to restore an indepen- dent state. The hope to restore an independent democratic Republic of Lithuania was related to the end of World War II and the future Peace Conference. It was hoped that due to a favourable internation- al situation similar to that in 1918–1919 Lithuania would be able to restore its independence. A conspiracy which would mobilise men, insure the defence of the country, organise temporary government bodies and hold election to the parliament was being created for this critical moment. Therefore it was tried to impede to create Occupa- tion Government bodies, to resist the election held with the help of the Soviet Union military; they defended residents’ right to boycott forced mobilisation into the soviet military, they resisted against the spread of the communist ideology as well as the destruction of mate- rial resources and private property and deportation of residents. According to the strategy and tactics of the partisan fights, the formation of organisational structures and the methods of suppres- sion applied by the occupation repression bodies, the Lithuanian Partisan Warfare can be divided into the following three periods: July 1944–May 1946 May 1946–November 1948 November 1948–May 1953 The first stage of the Partisan Warfare: Already in August of 1944 a spontaneous creation of larger armed partisan units started in the districts of Zarasai, Trakai, Ukmergė, Panevėžys, and Alytus. One of the first combatant actions was made by Zarasai partisans under the leadership of Captain Afanasas Kaza- nas, the leader of district ‘hawks’, and Antanas Streikus, a volunteer of the independence fights. On the night of 15 August they attacked Zarasai prison and freed the arrested people. In 1944–1945 partisans used to make well fortified camps in for- ests. When looking for them, the occupation military invoked even 8 Partisan Warfare in the Period of 1945–1953 planes. After pilots had found partisans, they indicated the targets to mine throwers. Real battles were happening. In a camp in the South Žemaitija a bunker which even carriages could enter were made. In De- cember of 1944 after aviation had found the camp and NKVD military had surrounded it, 16 partisans died when trying to force their way. At the same time the leaders of partisans were creating the plans how to free Lithuania. At a favourable juncture (in case of the West– East armed conflict or the demand of the international society to the Soviet Union to withdraw its military from the occupied territories) a need to mobilise Lithuanian residents quickly and to overtake the security of the state borders, to prevent from possible deportation of residents and repressions, to neutralise the institutions of the Oc- cupation Government and, if necessary, to organise an armed resis- tance emerged. From 1944 towns were being attacked. After having occupied a town, vast units (one hundred or more combatants) of partisans would destroy documents of the volost, lists of mobilisation, and statements on grain deliveries to the state, would free arrested peo- ple, shoot very diligent protégés of the Occupation Government and would warn others not to serve the enemy.