| Part ofa series on the |
| Occupation of the Baltic states |
|---|
 |
TheSoviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty (Lithuanian:Lietuvos-Sovietų Sąjungos savitarpio pagalbos sutartis,Russian:советско-литовский договор о взаимопомощи,romanized: sovetsko-litovskiy dogovor o vzaimopomoshchi) was a bilateral treaty signed between theSoviet Union andLithuania on October 10, 1939. According to provisions outlined in the treaty, Lithuania would acquire about one fifth of theVilnius Region, including Lithuania's historical capital,Vilnius, and in exchange would allow fiveSoviet military bases with 20,000 troops to be established across Lithuania. In essence, the treaty with Lithuania was very similar to the treaties that the Soviet Union signedwith Estonia on September 28, andwith Latvia on October 5. According toofficial Soviet sources, theSoviet military was strengthening the defenses of a weak nation against possible attacks byNazi Germany.[1] The treaty provided that Lithuania's sovereignty would not be affected.[2] However, in reality, the treaty opened the door for the firstSoviet occupation of Lithuania and was described byThe New York Times as "virtual sacrifice of independence."[3]
Lithuaniadeclared independence from theRussian Empire on February 16, 1918. On June 12, 1920, following theLithuanian–Soviet War, aSoviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty was signed. The Soviet Union recognized Lithuania's independence and its right to theVilnius Region. The region was fiercely contested with Poland and fell under its control afterŻeligowski's Mutiny in October 1920. It was then incorporated into theRepublic of Central Lithuania, which was a short-lived political entity without international recognition. The region was ceded to Poland in 1922 at thePeace of Riga after thePolish–Soviet War and was confirmed internationally by theLeague of Nations.[4] The Lithuanians refused to recognize Polish control and continued to claim legal and moral rights to the region throughout the interwar period. The Soviet Union continued to support Lithuanian claims against sovereign Poland. The Soviets also supported Lithuania's interests in theKlaipėda Region after theKlaipėda Revolt and signed theSoviet–Lithuanian Non-Aggression Pact in 1926, later extending it to 1944.[5]
On August 23 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact and divided Eastern Europe intospheres of influence. According to the pact's secret protocols, Lithuania was assigned to the German sphere of influence while Latvia and Estonia, the other twoBaltic states, were assigned to the Soviets.[6] This different treatment could be explained by Lithuania's economic dependence on Germany. Germany accounted for approximately 80% of Lithuania's foreign trade and, after the1939 German ultimatum, had control ofKlaipėda, Lithuania's only port.[7] Also, Lithuania and Russia did not have a common border.[8]
On September 1 1939,Germany invaded Poland. TheWehrmacht pushed Polish forces behind the line agreed with the Soviets. Germans took control of theLublin Voivodeship and easternWarsaw Voivodeship.[9] When, on September 17, theRed Armyinvaded Poland, Soviet troops took over theVilnius Region, which, according to the 1920 and 1926 Soviet–Lithuanian treaties, was recognized as Lithuanian.[9] As a result, Soviets and Germans re-negotiated the secret protocols of theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact. On September 28 1939, they signed theBoundary and Friendship Treaty.[10] Its secret attachment detailed that to compensate the Soviet Union for German-occupied Polish territories, Germany would transfer Lithuania, except for a small territory inSuvalkija, to the Soviet sphere of influence.[11] The exchange of territories was also motivated by Soviet control of Vilnius; the Soviet Union could exert significant influence on the Lithuanian government, which claimed Vilnius to be itsde jure capital.[12] In the secret protocols, both Soviet Union and Germany explicitly recognized Lithuanian interest in Vilnius.[13]
On September 29, the day after the Boundary and Friendship Treaty, Germany canceled planned talks with Lithuania and the Soviet Union informed Lithuania that it wished to open negotiations regarding future relationship between the two countries.[14] The new Soviet–Lithuanian negotiations were supposed to formally resolve the status of the Vilnius Region.[9] Lithuanian Minister of Foreign AffairsJuozas Urbšys arrived inMoscow on October 3 to meet with Soviet leaders. During the meeting,Joseph Stalin personally informed Urbšys about the Soviet–German secret protocols and showed maps of the spheres of influence.[15] He demanded that Lithuania sign three separate treaties, according to which:[16]
Urbšys protested the Soviet bases, arguing that it would mean virtual occupation of Lithuania.[14] The Soviets argued that their army would protect Lithuania from possible attacks from Nazi Germany and that a similar treaty was already signed with Estonia. Urbšys argued that Lithuania's neutrality was enough to guarantee its security and proposed to strengthen the Lithuanian army.[16] According to Lithuanian brigadier generalMusteikis, who accompanied him, Urbšys said that Lithuania refused to annex the Vilnius Region as well as rejecting the Soviet garrisons. Stalin, though nervous, replied "No matter if you take Vilnius or not, Soviet troops will enter Lithuania anyway."[17] Finally, the Soviets agreed to reduce the number of troops to 35,000.[14] Urbšys then also bargained for more territories in the Vilnius Region, especially in the vicinity ofDruskininkai andŠvenčionys, territories with larger Lithuanian populations.[16] The Soviets replied that the boundary drawn by the 1920 peace treaty was inaccurate and that Belarusians also laid claims to the territory.[14] The Soviets tentatively agreed that territories where a Lithuanian majority could be proven would be transferred to Lithuania.[16] Nevertheless, the Soviets threatened the Lithuanians that if they will not accept the Mutual Assistance Treaty, Vilnius will be attached to theByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.[18] The most shocking demand was to cede Lithuanian territory to Germany.[14] Lithuania decided to postpone any negotiations regarding territory transfer to Germany until Germany expressed clear demands.[14]
Urbšys returned to Lithuania to consult the government. German officials confirmed that the secret protocols were real, and informed Lithuanians that transfer of the territory in Suvalkija was not an urgent matter.[14] Eventually, Nazi Germany sold this territory to the Soviet Union for 7.5 million dollars on January 10, 1941, in theGerman–Soviet Border and Commercial Agreement.[19] Lithuanians in principle agreed to sign the mutual assistance treaty, but were instructed to resist Soviet bases as much as possible. Alternatives included doubling the Lithuanian army, exchanging military missions, and building fortifications on the western border with Germany similar to theMaginot Line in France.[16][20] On October 7, the Lithuanian delegation, including GeneralStasys Raštikis and Deputy Prime MinisterKazys Bizauskas, returned to Moscow.[16] Stalin refused the proposed alternatives, but agreed to reduce the number of Soviet troops to 20,000 – about the size of the entire Lithuanian army.[9] Soviets wanted to sign the treaty right then to commemorate the 19th anniversary ofŻeligowski's Mutiny and Lithuania's loss of Vilnius.[14] Political rallies organized in Vilnius, demanding the city's incorporation into theByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, put additional pressure on Lithuanians and provided a sense of urgency.[9][14] Urbšys refused to sign and the talks receded for the second time.
In Lithuania, PresidentAntanas Smetona doubted that it was worth gaining Vilnius for such a price and debated whether the negotiations could be broken off.[16] Bizauskas argued that refusing the treaty would not prevent the Soviet Union from implementing its plan. The Soviet Union had already threatened Estonia with force in the case it refused their mutual assistance treaty[2] and was gathering forces in the Vilnius Region in the east and in Latvia in the north.[13] In such light, the government decided to demand as much territory as possible. However, when the delegation returned to Moscow, it found the atmosphere changed.[16] The Soviets were inflexible, refused further negotiations, and intimidated the delegation to sign the treaty. They presented a new draft, which combined the mutual assistance pact and transfer of Vilnius into one agreement.[16] The Lithuanian delegation had little choice but to sign the proposed treaty. After signing the treaty, Stalin invited the Lithuanian delegation to celebrate and watch two movies with him.[14] Urbšys informed the Lithuanian government about the signing of the treaty only in the morning of October 11 – at the time, the treaty was already published by Soviet news agencyTASS.[21]
The mutual assistance treaty contained nine articles:[22]
The treaty also had a secret supplement, which specified that the Soviets could station only up to 20,000 of their troops.[23]
The treaty did not decide the exact location of the Soviet bases, and an 18-member Soviet delegation, led byMikhail Kovalyov, was sent to Lithuania to discuss the specifics on October 22.[24] The Lithuanians sought to limit Soviet bases to the Vilnius Region and southern Lithuania, offeringPabradė,Nemenčinė,Naujoji Vilnia, andAlytus.[25] They considered a base inSamogitia (western Lithuania) to be the worst possible outcome.[25] The Lithuanians preferred fewer, but bigger bases with no permanent runways for the aircraft. The Soviets initially proposed to have their bases in Vilnius,Kaunas,Alytus,Ukmergė, andŠiauliai.[25] The final agreement was signed on October 28, the same day that the Lithuanian army marched into Vilnius. A day before, another agreement determined the new border of eastern Lithuania: Lithuania received 6,739 km2 (2,602 sq mi) of territory with a population of approximately 430,000.[16] The territory comprised about one fifth of the Vilnius Region recognized to Lithuania by theSoviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty of 1920; the population of Lithuania reached about 3.8 million.[26]
According to the final agreement, four military bases would be established in Lithuania, with 18,786 military personnel from the16th Special Rifle Corps,5th Rifle Division, and 2nd Light Tank Brigade.[27] The bases were to be located inAlytus (infantry, artillery, and mechanized units with 8,000 troops),Prienai (infantry and artillery units with 2,500 soldiers),Gaižiūnai (mechanized and tank units with 3,500 troops), and inNaujoji Vilnia (headquarters, infantry and artillery units with 4,500 troops).[25] For comparison, on June 1 1940, Lithuanian army had 22,265 soldiers and 1,728 officers.[28] While aircraft bases in Alytus and Gaižiūnai were under construction, Soviet aircraft were to be stationed inKirtimai, [lt] a neighborhood of Vilnius.[25] The final location of the bases showed that the Soviets were more concerned with encircling Kaunas, thetemporary capital, than with defending the country against a possible foreign attack.[25]
The treaty was presented as proof of Soviet respect for small nations[29] and Stalin's benevolence by Soviet propaganda.[1] Russians emphasized that it was the second time the Soviet Union gave Vilnius to Lithuania[21] while theLeague of Nations failed to mediate the Polish–Lithuanian dispute.[30] The Soviets also worked to assure Lithuanians that Soviet friendship is effective protection from and a welcome alternative to Nazi aggression.[14] ThePolish government-in-exile officially protested the treaty as it did not recognize Russian conquest and claimed sovereignty over territories of theSecond Polish Republic.[31] Lithuanians replied that the region was legally part of Lithuania.[32] Poles resented the transfer and as soon as the Soviet Army left Vilnius,anti-Lithuanian riots broke out accusing Lithuanians of betrayal.[33] France and Great Britain, traditional allies of Poland, also condemned the treaty.[14][16] Belarusian activists who campaigned for Vilnius incorporation into theByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic were arrested, deported, or executed by the Soviet authorities. The transfer upset their national aspirations to position Belarus as a successor to the formerGrand Duchy of Lithuania.[32] Lithuanian relations with theVatican were expected to improve as the cause for tension, the Vilnius Region assigned to Poland by theConcordat of 1925, now was under Lithuanian control.[34]
Lithuanian politicians attempted to show the regained Vilnius as a major diplomatic victory. TheLithuanian Nationalists Union, the ruling political party in Lithuania since the1926 coup, used celebrations of the return of the city to increase its prestige and popularity.[23] The government stressed its competence and the opposition emphasized Soviet generosity.[30] While politicians publicly praised the Soviet Union and flaunted "traditional Soviet–Lithuanian friendship," in private, they understood this treaty was a serious threat to Lithuanian independence.[23] The popular attitude of the time was reflected in a known slogan "Vilnius – mūsų, Lietuva – rusų" (Vilnius is ours, but Lithuania is Russia's).[27] After the treaty was signed, Lithuania lost its neutrality and could not independently execute its foreign policy.[2][16] For example, Lithuania could not support Finland when theWinter War broke out after Finland rejected a similar mutual assistance treaty proposed by Soviet Union.[27] In international politics, Lithuania became a Soviet satellite.[23]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Documentary for the annexation of Vilnius | |
 Vilniaus krašto atgavimas / Žygis į Vilnių (1939 m. spalio 27 - 28 d.) |
On October 28, the Lithuanian Army entered Vilnius for the first time since 1920. Before handing over the city to the Lithuanians, the Soviets robbed and transported all valuables to the Soviet Union: equipment from factories (includingElektrit) and hospitals, vehicles and trains, and cultural objects from museums and libraries.[25] After the Russian troops left, Polish residents, seeing the deal as a betrayal of Poland, protested against the Lithuanian government.[33] On October 30 – November 1, when the bread price suddenly rose, clashes between local communists and Poles turned into a riot against the Jewish population.[35] Many Jewish shops were raided and some 35 people were injured.[36] Jews accused Lithuanian police of inaction and sympathizing with Polish rioters.[36] Soviet soldiers, uninvited by the Lithuanian government, helped to subdue the riots.[27]
The territory presented an economic challenge to Lithuania; unemployment was rampant, food was in short supply, valuables were stolen by the Soviet army, and war refugees were gathering from other former Polish territories.[26] The Lithuanian army would provide up to 25,000 daily rations of hot soup and bread to residents of Vilnius. The Lithuanian government exchanged thePolish złoty to theLithuanian litas at a favourable rate, losing over 20 million litas.[26][37] The Lithuanian government decided to implement a land reform similar to the land reform executed in the 1920s.[37] Large estates would be nationalized and distributed to landless peasants in exchange for redemption dues payable in 36 years. Politicians hoped that such reform would weaken pro-Polish landowners and would win peasants' loyalty to the Lithuanian state. By March 1940, 90 estates and 23,000 hectares were distributed.[37] Lithuanians proceeded to "re-Lithuanize" cultural life in the Vilnius Region. They closed many Polish cultural and educational institutions, includingStephan Batory University with over 3,000 students.[33] Lithuanians sought to introduce theLithuanian language in public life and sponsored Lithuanian organizations and cultural activities.
The future of the Vilnius Region caused frictions between political and military leaders in Lithuania. As the first Soviet troops moved into Lithuania onNovember 14, the government, which included four generals, resigned.[38] A new civilian cabinet, led by controversial Prime MinisterAntanas Merkys, was formed on November 21.[39] Lithuanians were careful to follow the treaty to the letter and not give any excuses for Moscow to accuse them of treaty violations.[26] At first, delayed by the Winter War,[13] the Soviets did not interfere with Lithuania's domestic affairs[11] and Soviet soldiers were well-behaved in their bases.[23] The Lithuanian government started debating its options and what could be done to prepare for the future occupation. Despite various resolutions, nothing material was accomplished.[26] Lithuania had no counterweight to Soviet influence; its own forces were small, Germany was in effect Russia's ally, Poland was conquered, and France and Great Britain had bigger issues in western Europe.[16] After the Winter War was over, the Soviet Union turned its attention to theBaltic States.[11]
After months of intense propaganda and diplomatic pressure, theSoviets issued an ultimatum on June 14, 1940 – the same day as the one where the world's attention was focused on the fall of Paris during theBattle of France.[2] The Soviets accused Lithuania of violating the treaty and abducting Russian soldiers from their bases.[11] The Soviets demanded that a new government, which would comply with the Mutual Assistance Treaty, be formed and that an unspecified number of Soviet troops be admitted to Lithuania.[40] With Soviet troops already in the country, it was impossible to mount military resistance.[2] The Soviets took control of government institutions, installed a new pro-Soviet government, and announced elections to thePeople's Seimas. The proclaimedLithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was incorporated into the Soviet Union on August 3, 1940.[32]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)