Klaipėda Revolt
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The Klaipėda Revolt took place during January 1923 in the Memel territory that had been detached from Germany after World War I. The status of the region as a mandated territory under temporary French administration was resolved after the event when it became part of Lithuania as Klaipėda region.
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[edit] Situation
Since the Act of Tilsit (signed on November 30, 1918), in which Lithuanians in East Prussia's Lithuania Minor region expressed their desire to unite with the newly independent state of Lithuania (which declared its independence from Russia on February 16 1918), they had been trying to achieve that goal of unification for some time.
The Treaty of Versailles detached the German lands north of the Neman River (Memel in German(y), Nemunas in Lithuania(n)), which had been under German control since the 13th century, and made it a mandated territory of the League of Nations. As Memel Territory (Memelland in German, later Klaipėda Region after the Lithuanian name), it was placed under French administration.
The part of Lithuania Minor south of the Memel river remained within East Prussia, which made the fight for independence difficult in that area. In the Memel territory, however, an ethnic majority of Lithuanians (Lietuvininks) was claimed, and given as a significant reason for the revolt of 1923. In a census of 1925, a fragile 50.8% majority was made up as those who declared themselves Klaipėdians or Memellanders were added to those who declared themselves as Lithuanians.
In contrast, Germans (without those who called themselves Memellanders), still made up 43.8% of the overall population in the region, mainly concentrated in the cities and the south. The German language remained dominant in local government, despite the fact that the region was no longer part of Germany.
Another reason for the revolt was the emergence of the new and independent Republic of Lithuania. It lacked a sea port and having one was seen as a matter of vital importance to Lithuania so it could control its own exports and imports and have access to the sea. Memel (later Klaipėda) was the main city in the region around the Curonian Lagoon, and a major sea port.
Poland had its own ambitions[citation needed] over the Klaipėda region and sought to assert control over the region in exchange for Danzig. After World War I, the Polish Corridor provided access to the Baltic Sea, but the Free City of Danzig was not granted to Poland, as the Poles had wanted. In addition, Poland and Lithuania did not have diplomatic relations during this interwar period, due to the dispute over the Vilnius region, and were at odds with one another. Lithuania wanted to do what was necessary to prevent the possibility of a Polish take-over of the Klaipėda region.
[edit] Before the revolt
Before the revolt, the fate of the Memel territory was to be decided by the League of Nations. The decision was made to extend the mandate, which was approaching the end of its designated time frame, for another 15 years. This effectively ruled out the possibility of uniting the region to Lithuania. The region would become a Freistadt (free city, like Free City of Danzig) after the period of the French administration ended. The newly formed Soviet Russia, was against the idea of a free city and requested that its interests be taken into account as well, when the question was considered. The Soviet army near Minsk was reinforced when they concluded that Poland might use force to achieve a favorable outcome for themselves, regarding the region.
On December 18, 1922, the Supreme Salvation Committee of Lithuania Minor (an organization that played a key role during the revolt) was established in Memel. The official purpose of this organization was to organize the inhabitants of the Memel territory into a single force, and become part of Lithuania. They supported linguistic, national, and cultural activities of Lithuanians in Lithuania Minor. They also wanted to garner support from their brethren who lived in Lithuania and from Lithuanians who lived in foreign countries as well.
Protests by ethnic Lithuanians against a Freistadt continued late into 1922.
[edit] Preparations for the revolt
There was substantial cooperation between the Lithuanians of Lithuania Minor (represented by the National Council of Prussian Lithuanians and the Supreme Salvation Committee of Lithuania Minor) and the government of the Republic of Lithuania in planning the revolt. On January 2, 1923, the date was set for the revolt at a meeting of various key people (including the leader of the National Council of Prussian Lithuanians Erdmonas Simonaitis and the Lithuanian Consul to Memel, Žilius). It was decided that three groups would be formed to carry out the revolt; the objective of the first one was to take over city and port of Memel, the second one was to safeguard the central part of the region against any possible concentration of enemy forces, and the third group was meant to control the south of the region to prevent interference from the German towns of Ragnit and Tilsit. The groups would also collect volunteers from the local population; the third group was permitted to take up to 300 local volunteers, and the second group - 40 to 50 volunteers; the rest of volunteers were meant to be sent to aid the first group in Memel, which was expected to encounter the fiercest resistance.
Local Lithuanian intelligence worked with diligence in the area, and found that the French planned to issue a permanent currency (pegged to the French Franc), in the entire Memel territory.
[edit] The revolt
[edit] The collection of forces
The revolt started on the January 9 1923. The Supreme Salvation Committee of Lithuania Minor issued a manifesto to the French soldiers stationed in the region, in which it repeated the principles that had been expressed in the Act of Tilsit and asked the soldiers not to interfere. On the same day, volunteers from Lithuania crossed the border into the Klaipėda region, (they were in civilian clothes, but armbands with letters "MLS" distinguished them). These volunteers used the national flag of Lithuania Minor as their flag as well, showing solidarity with the cause of the Lithuanians of Lithuania Minor. In addition to these volunteers, the revolt was supported from Lithuania by the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union and its members, as well as various civilian persons. The plan for the revolt was created by J. Budrys.
In light of these events, the temporary occupational government (directory) of the Memel territory declared a state of emergency in the region. The base of the Supreme Salvation Committee of Lithuania Minor was moved from Memel to Heydekrug in reaction to possible attempts by the temporary occupational government (French Directory) and the French soldiers to destabilise its work. The Committee issued the following declaration to the people of Memel territory (Klaipėda region):
- The French Directory of the region and the Council of the state were dissolved (and restored)
- The Supreme Salvation Committee of Lithuania Minor would take over all powers in the region
- Erdmonas Simonaitis, a former member of the directory, was asked to establish the new directory in 3 days
- The German and Lithuanian languages were given equal status as official languages of the region
- All political prisoners were to be released
- The public officials would continue to perform their duties
- The salaries would be paid in gold currency
- In order to guarantee calm, modified martial law was declared inside the region
- Those who attempted to break public order would be punished
Thus, despite still having no actual power, the Supreme Salvation Committee of Lithuania Minor already issued these decrees, which indicated the future direction of the region.
In addition to this declaration, the Committee issued a French declaration to the French soldiers, in which they, as "fighters for noble ideas of freedom and equality" were asked not to fight against the "will and achievements of the Lithuanian nation".
At the same time, the French supreme commissioner Pestinė declared that he would fight against any attempts to change the status of Memel territory. Censorship began as well.
[edit] Most of region is overtaken by the revolt
By January 11, the revolt swept through the region as the region's second largest city Heydekrug was overtaken and Memel was reached. The leaders of the revolt told Pestinė that the actions were meant to overthrow the directory and not to fight the French soldiers, however the leader of the French soldiers said that the insurgents would not be permitted to enter Memel.
[edit] The battle for Memel/Klaipėda
When it was clear that Memel would not be taken peacefully, as there was a German majority in the city, and it was guarded by French troops as an important port, the insurgents started the attack on January 15 at 01:00. The base of the insurgents was in Ginduliai. By 03:00, Sendvaris was overtaken and various French officers (including Lieutenant Sulier), French soldiers, a policeman and German volunteers were taken prisoner. By 05:00, the insurgents entered Memel itself, and the French soldiers retreated. By 07:00, the River Dangė in the center of the city was reached. By noon, the French soldiers surrendered. During the fighting, 20 insurgents and 2 French soldiers were killed (according to other sources, 1 French soldier was killed and 2 were injured).
After these events, the whole Memel territory was overtaken by the Supreme Salvation Committee of Lithuania Minor, and Erdmonas Simonaitis assumed his duties as the leader of the new directory of the Klaipėda region, as it was called now.
[edit] Further events
On January 16, the Polish ship "Komendant Pilsudski" entered the port of Klaipėda. One of the people on board was Mssr. Trouson, a member of the French military mission in Poland. His task was to put down the revolt, but after seeing that the Klaipėda region already had been overtaken, and the French troops interned, the ship departed.
On 17th-18th of January, British and French troop transports reached Klaipėda, but did not yet disembark.
On January 19, the directory of Klaipėda region asked for admission into Lithuania as an autonomous territory (where the Klaipėda region would have a separate parliament and government, two official languages, be the administrator of taxes, duties, cultural and religious affairs, would oversee the local judicial system, agriculture and forestry, and social security). Lithuania accepted this, and thus the Klaipėda Region became an autonomous part of Lithuania.
[edit] Reaction of Western Europe to the revolt
On January 10, the French and British governments asked Lithuania, through diplomatic channels, to use "all of its power" to ensure that there would not be any attacks against people and material things in the Klaipėda region and protested Lithuania's support for the uprising in Klaipėda. On January 11 the Prime Minister of Lithuania Ernestas Galvanauskas said that the question of Klaipėda can only be solved in an ethnographic way - the same way under which Klaipėda was detached from Germany. He said, however, that the Lithuanian Consul in Klaipėda would do everything possible to try to ensure that no civilians would be hurt. Later the leaders of these European powers continued to pressure the Lithuanian government to refuse to include the Klaipėda region as an integral part of Lithuania and, later, to allow the western powers to decide Klaipėda's fate. However, Lithuania and the local government (directory) of Klaipėda region resisted such actions, and eventually the status of Klaipėda region was established as that of an autonomous region inside Lithuania (the Memel Territory).
[edit] References
- P. Čepėnas "Naujųjų laikų Lietuvos istorija" ("Dr. K. Griniaus fondas", 1996)
- A.A. Gliožaitis "Tilžės akto reikšmė" ("Voruta", 1998, 1999 No 43-47)
- R. Valsonokas "Klaipėdos problema" (Publishing house "Vaizdas", 1989)
- Lietuvių enciklopedija volumes XII, XXIX (Boston, 1953-1969)
- R. Žiugžda "Lietuva imperialistinių valstybių planuose 1917-1940" ("Mokslas", 1983)
- A. Vitkus "Lietuvos istorijos įvykių chronologija 1918-1926" ("Varpas", Kaunas, 2000)
