Council of Lithuania

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The Council of Lithuania or after July 11, 1918, The State Council of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Taryba or Lietuvos Valstybės Taryba) was elected at the Vilnius Conference that took place between September 18 and 23, 1917. On February 16, 1918, the members of the council signed the Act of Independence of Lithuania, and declared Lithuania an independent state based on democratic principles. The council also managed to establish the proclamation of independence inspite of the presence of German troops in the country until the autumn of 1918. The council continued its efforts until the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Steigiamasis Seimas) first met on May 15, 1920.

1 Historical background and Vilnius Conference
2 Structure and Membership
3 Declaration of Independence
4 Establishing independence
5 References
6 See also

[edit] Historical background and Vilnius Conference

After the last Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, Lithuania had become part of the Russian Empire. In the meantime, both the Poles and the Lithuanians attempted to restore their independence. They rebelled during the in 1830 and the in 1863, but the first realistic opportunity came about with the events surrounding World War I. In 1915, Germany occupied Lithuania as its troops marched towards Russia. After the Russian Revolution, the Germans hoped to create a network of puppet states (Mitteleuropa) and agreed to allow the Vilnius Conference, hoping that it would proclaim that the Lithuanian nation wanted to be detached from Russia, and have a closer relationship with Germany. The conference, held between September 18 and 23, 1917, adopted a resolution that an independent Lithuania should be established and that a closer relationship with Germany would be dependent on whether it recognized the new state. On September 21st, it elected a 20-member Council of Lithuania to establish this resolution. The Germans did not allow resolution to be published, but allowed the council to proceed. The conference also agreed that a constituent assembly should be elected by a popular vote as soon as it became possible.

[edit] Structure and Membership

The original 20 members of the council

The 20 men were of different ages (the youngest was 25; the oldest 66), social status, professions, and political affiliations. There were 8 lawyers, 4 priests, 3 agronomers, 2 financiers, a doctor, a publisher, and an engineer. 8 members were Christian democrats and 7 were not affiliated. All except one had higher education.

During the first meeting on September 24, Antanas Smetona was elected as the Chairman of the council. The chairman, two vice-chairmen, and two secretaries made up the presidium. The vice-chairs and secretaries would change from time to time, but Smetona remained the chairman until 1919 when he got elected as the first President of Lithuania. Stasys Šilingas became the chairman. He was not among the original twenty members. The first change in membership took place on July 13, 1918 when six new members (Martynas Yčas, Augustinas Voldemaras, Juozas Purickis, Eliziejus Draugelis, Jurgis Alekna and Stasys Šilingas) were admitted and four (Kairys, Vileišis, Biržiška, Narutavičius) resigned. By spring of 1919, the council had almost doubled in size.

[edit] Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence on February 16

Soon after the council was elected, major developments took place in Russia. The October Revolution brought the Bolsheviks to power. They signed a truce with Germany on December 2, 1917 and started peace negotiations. Germany needed some document to define its relationship with Lithuania. In the so-called Berlin Protocol Germany offered to recognize Lithuanian independence if the latter agreed to form a firm and permanent federation with Germany based on conventions concerning military affairs, transportation, customs, and currency. The council agreed, as long as Lithuania would decide its own internal affairs and foreign policy. The Germans rejected this proposal. On December 11, the council adopted a resolution agreeing to a "firm and permanent alliance" with Germany on the four conventions. Only 15 members voted for this resolution.

The Germans broke their promise and did not recognize the state. Lithuanians, including those living abroad, disapproved this declaration. The council was torn apart and a few members threatened to leave. Finally, on February 16 the council, temporarily chaired by Jonas Basanavičius, decided to re-declare independence, this time mentioning nothing specific about a relationship with Germany. That was left for a constituent assembly to decide. February 16 is now celebrated independence day in Lithuania.

[edit] Establishing independence

The Germans were not satisfied with the new declaration and demanded that the council go back to the December 11 decision. On March 3, Germany and Bolshevik Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. It declared that the Baltic nations were in the German interest zone and Russia renounced any claims to them. On March 23, Germany recognized independent Lithuania based on the December 11 declaration. The form of government, however, was left undecided. Germans, ruled by a kaiser, obviously preferred a monarchy. They proposed a personal union with the Prussian Hohenzollern dynasty. To escape from this, on June 4 the council voted to invite Duke Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg to become a monarch of Lithuania. He agreed and was elected as King of Lithuania Mindaugas II on July 13, 1918. The decision was very controversial and four members of the council left in protest.

The Germans did not recognize the new king and the relationship with the council remained tense. The council was not allowed to determine the borders of Lithuania, establish an embassy in Berlin, or start forming a stable administrative system. The situation changed when the German Revolution started and Germany lost the war in fall of 1918. On November 2, the council adopted the first provisional constitution. The decision to invite King Mindaugas II was annulled. The functions of a government were entrusted to a 3-member presidium and Augustinas Voldemaras was invited to form the first Cabinet of Ministers. The council began to organize an army, police, local government, etc. It also expanded to include ethnic minorities (Jews and Belarussians).

As German forces retreated and Bolshevik forces approached Vilnius, on January 2, 1919 the council moved to Kaunas. The Freedom Wars started. On April 4, the second provisional constitution was adopted. It created the office of President of Lithuania. Antanas Smetona, as the chairman of the council, became the first president. The German forces left the country only in July of 1919. Due to wars and other turmoil, elections to the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania were held only in spring of 1920. The council adjourned on May 15, 1920.

See also: United Baltic Duchy

[edit] References

"Council of Lithuania". Encyclopedia Lituanica I: 581-585. (1970-1978). Ed. Simas Sužiedėlis. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. LCC 74-114275.
(Lithuanian) Gimtoji istorija: Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės (Lietuvos istorijos vadovėlis). CD. (2002). Elektroninės leidybos namai: Vilnius. ISBN 9986-9216-7-8
(Lithuanian) Doc. Sigitas Jegelevičius, Vasario 16-osios Akto signatarai, Lithuanian National Radio and Television. Accessed September 2, 2006.
(Lithuanian) Lietuvos taryba, National Museum of Lithuania. Accessed September 2, 2006.
(Lithuanian) A. Šapoka. Lietuvos Istorija. Vilnius, 1989