TheLithuanianNational Revival, alternatively theLithuanian National Awakening orLithuanian nationalism (Lithuanian:Lietuvių tautinis atgimimas), was a period of thehistory of Lithuania in the 19th century, when a major part of Lithuanian-inhabited areas belonged to theRussian Empire (theRussian partition of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth). It was expressed by the rise ofself-determination of theLithuanians that led to the formation of the modern Lithuanian nation and culminated in there-establishment of an independentLithuanian state. The most active participants of the national revival includedVincas Kudirka andJonas Basanavičius. The period largely corresponded to the rise ofromantic nationalism and other national revivals of 19th-centuryEurope.
The revival was predated by a short period of the early 19th century known as the "Samogitian revival" led by students ofVilnius University, includingSimonas Daukantas andSimonas Stanevičius. The most recent Lithuanian national revival may be linked to the late 20th century developments also known as theSinging Revolution.
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Due to a long period of commonPolish-Lithuanian statehood and nationality, and theRussian Empire's policy ofRussification, many of theLithuanian nobles in the 19th century had becomePolonized and the language was generally used only by the poor and by the middle classes; some of the latter tended to use Polish as a status symbol for social advancement. Lithuanian was generally a spoken language and was not consideredprestigious enough for written usage; it was, however, retained by some members of the minor nobility, especially in theSamogitian region. The language was not yet standardized; its grammar varied greatlyfrom region to region in form ofAukštaitijan andSamogitian dialects and their sub-dialects. There were even expectations that theLithuanian language would become extinct, as the eastern territories within what is modern-day Lithuania and northwesternBelarus became increasinglySlavicized,[1] and many people usedPolish orBelarusian in their daily lives. At the beginning of the 19th century, the use of the Lithuanian language was largely limited to Lithuanian rural areas; the only area where Lithuanian was considered suitable for literature was German-controlledLithuania Minor inEast Prussia. Even here, an influx of German immigrants threatened the native language andPrussian Lithuanian culture.
Several factors contributed to its subsequent revival: the language drew attention from scholars of the emerging science ofcomparative linguistics; after theabolition of serfdom in the Russian Empire in 1861,social mobility increased, and Lithuanian intellectuals arose from the ranks of the rural populace; and language became associated with identity in Lithuania, as elsewhere across Europe.[2] Within the Catholic Church, the barriers that had earlier prevented commoners from entering the priesthood were eased. A closer relationship developed between the educated clergy, who were increasingly of ethnic Lithuanian stock, and their parishioners, including empathy for their wish to use the Lithuanian language.[3] The emerging national movement sought to distance itself from both Polish andRussian influences, and the use of the Lithuanian language was seen as an important aspect of this movement.[4]
The development of Lithuanian national culture and national identity was further burdened by theLithuanian press ban, one of the repressive measures that followed the1863 uprising. After the uprising,serfdom was finally abandoned. The revival began among young educated people of Lithuanian extraction who attended higher education studies at the universities of the Russian Empire and foreign states. Many were sons of wealthy farmers in origin and thus, having come from the peasant class was least affected by Polonisation. The movement resulted in the publication of the Lithuanian newspapersAušra andVarpas, followed by the publication of poems and books in Lithuanian. These writings romanticized the past of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania, depicting the nation as formerly a great power with many heroes.
The revival spearheaded theindependence movement, with various organizations opposing Russification and Russian influence. Russian policy became harsher in response, and there were known instances of attacks onCatholic churches; meanwhile, a ban on the Lithuanian press continued. Yet even with a press ban, the literacy of Lithuanians continued to rise significantly and was one of the greatest among the nations in the Russian Empire, behind onlyFinns,Estonians andLatvians. The political Lithuanian nation had already been formed by the end of the 19th century. Political claims were voiced in theGreat Seimas of Vilnius, and political and cultural activity continued to grow after the press ban was finally lifted in 1904.
The first important study on the Lithuanian national revival was written byMichał Pius Römer in 1908 -Lietuva. Studija apie lietuvių tautos atgimimą (Litwa. Studyum o odrodzeniu narodu litewskiego,Lithuania: Study of national revival).
