Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1918–1919)

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika
Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика
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Capital Vilnius
Language(s) Lithuanian, Russian, Belarusian, Polish, Yiddish[1]
Government Socialist republic
Chairman of the revolutionary government
 - 1918–1919 Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas
Legislature Provisional revolutionary government
Historical era World War I
 - Provisional revolutionary government formed 8 December 1918
 - Established 16 December 1918
 - Recognition by Soviet Russia 22 December 1918
 - Capture of Vilnius 5 January 1919
 - Merger with SSR of Byelorussia 27 February 1919

The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (LSSR) was an early short-lived Soviet republic declared on December 16, 1918 by the provisional revolutionary government, led by Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas. It ceased to exist on February 27, 1919, when it was merged with the Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia to form the Lithuanian–Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, commonly referred to as Litbel. While efforts were made to represent LSSR as a product of a socialist revolution supported by local residents, it was largely Moscow-orchestrated entity to justify the Lithuanian–Soviet War. As a Soviet historian, adhering to official propaganda, put it: "The fact that the Government of Soviet Russia recognized a young Soviet Lithuanian Republic unmasked the lie of the USA and British imperialists that Soviet Russia allegedly sought rapacious aims with regard to the Baltic countries."[2] Lithuanians generally did not support Soviet causes and rallied for their own national state, declared independent on February 16, 1918, by the Council of Lithuania.

Contents

Background

Main article: Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919

Germany lost World War I and signed the Compiègne Armistice on November 11, 1918. German military started retreating from the former Ober Ost territories. Two days later the government of the Soviet Russia renounced the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which had assured Lithuania's independence.[3] Soviets launched a westward offensive against Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine in order to spread the global proletarian revolution and replace national independence movements with Soviet republics.[4] Their forces followed retreating German troops and reached Lithuania by the end of December 1918.[5]

Formation

In Lithuania the communists were not active until late summer 1918. The Communist Party of Lithuania (CPL) was organized between October 1–3, 1918, during the first Congress of the CPL in Vilnius, attended by 34 delegates.[2] Pranas Eidukevičius was elected as the first chairman. The party decided to follow examples set by the Russian Communist Party (bolshevik) and organize a socialist revolution in Lithuania. The plans were instigated and financed by Moscow, supervised by Adolph Joffe and Dmitriy Manuilsky.[6] Already on December 2, Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas sent a reliable person to bring 15 million rubles to finance the "revolution".[6] On December 8, CPL formed the eight-member provisional revolutionary government, led by Mickevičius-Kapsukas. Other members were: Zigmas Aleksa-Angarietis, Pranas Svotelis-Proletaras, Semyon Dimanstein, Kazimierz Cichowski, Aleksandras Jakševičius, Konstantinas Kernovičius and Yitzhak Weinstein (Aizikas Vainšteinas).[7] Modern historians doubt if the provisional government really met in Vilnius as claimed by the Soviet sources.[8][6] It is more probable that the government followed the advancing Red Army. Between December 16, 1918 and January 7, 1920, the government resided in Daugavpils.[6]

The government issued a manifesto, printed with December 16 date, declaring establishment of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic.[2] The manifesto was first published in Russian in Izvestia on December 19 and then announced on the radio.[6] The manifesto was published in Vilnius only on December 24.[9] A draft of the manifesto, prepared by Kapsukas, stressed the need of close ties with communist Russia and ended with a slogan "Long live the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic with incorporate Soviet Lithuania!"[2] The final version, edited by Stalin and the Russian Communist Party, eliminated references to the union with Russia and replaced the slogan with "Long live freed Soviet Lithuanian Republic!"[6] Kapsukas did not want to establish an independent Soviet republic as he had campaigned for many years against social-patriotism, separatism, and Lithuanian independence. He accepted ideas of Rosa Luxemburg and rejected the right of self-determination.[10]

The newly-formed LSSR asked for assistance from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR or Soviet Russia). RSFSR officially recognized LSSR as an independent state on December 22.[11] The same day Red Army took over Zarasai and Švenčionys. It seems that the provisional government split up and did not attempt to gain wider recognition.[2] The Lithuanian Army was in its infant stages and could not offer resistance to the Soviet advance. On January 5, Red Army captured Vilnius. By the end of January 1919, Soviets controlled about ⅔ of the Lithuanian territory.[5] Similar republics were established in Latvia (Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic) and Estonia (Commune of the Working People of Estonia).

Policies

Members of the Council of People's Commissars
Position As of January 6, 1919[12] As of January 22, 1919[12]
Commissar of Foreign Affairs Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas (also Chairman)
Commissar of Internal Affairs Zigmas Aleksa-Angarietis (also Deputy Chairman)
Commissar of Food Aleksandras Jakševičius M. Slivkin
Commissar of Labor Semyon Dimanstein
Commissar of Finance Kazimierz Cichowski
Commissar of Transport Pranas Svotelis-Proletaras Aleksandras Jakševičius
Commissar of Agriculture Yitzhak Weinstein-Branovski Vaclovas Bielskis
Commissar of Education Vaclovas Biržiška
Commissar of Communications - Pranas Svotelis-Proletaras
Commissar of Military Affairs - Rapolas Rasikas
Commissar of the People's Economy - Yitzhak Weinstein-Branovski
Commissar of Trade and Industry - Yitzhak Weinstein-Branovski

LSSR was new, weak, and had to rely on Russian assistance.[11] The Soviets were generally supported by the industrial working class, but it was too small in Lithuania.[13] On January 21, RSFSR granted a loan of 100 million rubles to the provisional government.[14] LSSR did not form its own army. In February 1919, Kapsukas sent a telegram to Moscow arguing that conscription of local Lithuanians to the Red Army would only encourage Lithuanians to volunteer for the Lithuanian Army.[1] In the occupied territory the Soviets created revolutionary committees and soviets based on structures developed in Russia.[1] The Soviets demanded large war contributions from captured cities and villages. For example, Panevėžys was required to pay 1,000,000, Utena – 200,000, villagers – 10 rubles.[13] They nationalized commercial institutions and large estates. The land was to be used for collective farming instead of being redistributed to small farmers.[13] Economic difficulties and cash shortage was illustrated by a decree published in January 1919 prohibiting financial institutions to pay out more than 250 rubles in one week to any resident.[15] The Soviet propagated internationalism and atheism in a country of staunch Catholics and determined nationalists.[1][13] Such policies alienated local population and contributed to the eventual defeat of the Soviets.[13]

Dissolution and aftermath

Between February 8 and 15, 1919, Lithuanian and German volunteers stopped Soviet advance and prevented them from taking Kaunas, the temporary capital of Lithuania.[5] At the end of February, Germans started an offensive in Latvia and northern Lithuania.[16] Faced with military difficulties and unreceptive locals, the Soviets decided to combine weak Lithuanian and Byelorussian SSRs into the Lithuanian–Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic or Litbel, led by Kapsukas.[17] The communist parties were also merged into the Communist Party (bolsheviks) of Lithuania and Belorussia. However, that had little effect and Polish forces took Vilnius in April and Minsk in August 1919 during the Polish–Soviet War.[18] Litbel was also dissolved.

When the tide turned in the Polish–Soviet War, the Soviets captured Vilnius on July 14, 1920. They did not transfer the city to the Lithuanian administration, as agreed in the Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty, signed just two days before. Instead Soviets planned a coup to overthrow the Lithuanian government and re-establish a Soviet republic as they did with the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.[19] However, Soviets lost the Battle of Warsaw and were pushed back by the Poles. Some historians credit this victory for saving Lithuania's independence from the Soviet coup.[18][20]During the interwar years, Lithuanian–Soviet relations were generally friendly, but at the outbreak of World War II the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania in July 1940. Official Soviet propaganda described the occupation as "restoration of the Soviet power by revolutionary masses."[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Eidintas, Alfonsas; Vytautas Žalys, Alfred Erich Senn (1999). Lithuania in European Politics: The Years of the First Republic, 1918–1940 (Paperback ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 36. ISBN 0-312-22458-3. http://books.google.com/?id=0_i8yez8udgC&pg=PA36. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jurgėla, Constantine R. (1976). Lithuania: The Outpost of Freedom. Valkyrie Press. pp. 161–165. ISBN 0-912760-17-6. 
  3. ^ Langstrom, Tarja (2003). Transformation in Russia and International Law. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 52. ISBN 9004137548. http://books.google.com/?id=_Y1ITouKQooC&pg=PA52. 
  4. ^ Davies, Norman (1998). Europe: A History. HarperPerennial. p. 934. ISBN 0-06-097468-0. 
  5. ^ a b c (Lithuanian) Ališauskas, Kazys (1953–1966). "Lietuvos kariuomenė (1918–1944)". Lietuvių enciklopedija. XV. Boston, Massachusetts: Lietuvių enciklopedijos leidykla. pp. 94–99. LCC 55020366. 
  6. ^ a b c d e f (Lithuanian) Čepėnas, Pranas (1986). Naujųjų laikų Lietuvos istorija. II. Chicago: Dr. Griniaus fondas. pp. 318–323. ISBN 5-899570121. 
  7. ^ White, J. D. (October 1971). "The Revolution in Lithuania 1918–19". Soviet Studies 2 (23): 192–193. ISSN 0038-5859. 
  8. ^ (Lithuanian) Lesčius, Vytautas (2004). Lietuvos kariuomenė nepriklausomybės kovose 1918–1920. Lietuvos kariuomenės istorija. Vilnius: General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania. p. 32. ISBN 9955-423-23-4. http://www.kam.lt/EasyAdmin/sys/files/LIETUVOS_KARIUOMENE_1.pdf. 
  9. ^ (Lithuanian) Antanas Drilinga, ed (1995). Lietuvos Respublikos prezidentai. Vilnius: Valstybės leidybos centras. p. 51. ISBN 9986-09-055-5. 
  10. ^ White, James D. (1994). "National Communism and World Revolution: The Political Consequences of German Military Withdrawal from the Baltic Area in 1918–19". Europe–Asia Studies 8 (46): 1363. ISSN 0966-8136. 
  11. ^ a b (Lithuanian) Eidintas, Alfonsas (1991). Lietuvos Respublikos prezidentai. Vilnius: Šviesa. p. 36. ISBN 5-430-01059-6. 
  12. ^ a b Senn, Alfred Erich (1975). The Emergence of Modern Lithuania (2nd ed.). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. pp. 239–240. ISBN 0-8371-7780-4. 
  13. ^ a b c d e Lane, Thomas (2001). Lithuania: Stepping Westward. Routledge. pp. 7–8. ISBN 0415267315. http://books.google.com/?id=fecMC0LXU-sC&pg=PA7. 
  14. ^ (Lithuanian) Lesčius, Vytautas (2004). Lietuvos kariuomenė nepriklausomybės kovose 1918–1920. Lietuvos kariuomenės istorija. Vilnius: General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania. p. 29. ISBN 9955-423-23-4. http://www.kam.lt/EasyAdmin/sys/files/LIETUVOS_KARIUOMENE_1.pdf. 
  15. ^ (Lithuanian) Kvizikevičius, Linas; Saulius Sarcevičius (2007). "Pinigų cirkuliacijos Lietuvoje bruožai 1915−1919 m.". Istorija. Lietuvos aukštųjų mokyklų mokslo darbai (68): 35. ISSN 1392-0456. http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5&id=01b57668-16b0-4e37-90de-288bc7e1ca30. 
  16. ^ Rauch, Georg von (1970). The Baltic States: The Years of Independence. University of California Press. p. 60. ISBN 0-520-02600-4. 
  17. ^ Mawdsley, Evan (2007). The Russian Civil War. Pegasus Books. p. 118. ISBN 1933648155. http://books.google.com/?id=LUhXZD2BPeQC&pg=PA118. 
  18. ^ a b Snyder, Timothy (2004). The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569–1999. Yale University Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 030010586X. http://books.google.com/?id=xSpEynLxJ1MC&pg=PA63. 
  19. ^ Eidintas, Alfonsas; Vytautas Žalys, Alfred Erich Senn (1999). Lithuania in European Politics: The Years of the First Republic, 1918–1940 (Paperback ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 70. ISBN 0-312-22458-3. http://books.google.com/?id=0_i8yez8udgC&pg=PA70. 
  20. ^ Senn, Alfred Erich (September 1962). "The Formation of the Lithuanian Foreign Office, 1918–1921". Slavic Review 3 (21): 500–507. doi:10.2307/3000451. ISSN 0037-6779.