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Country Profile : LITHUANIA

About the Republic of Lithuania

Lithuania, the largest and most southerly of the Baltic republics was the first of the Soviet republics to announce independence in 1990 and in so doing played an important part in the downfall of the USSR.
Lithuania remains of concern to Russia; at it borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea.

Widely regarded as friendly, outgoing people, Lithuanians have a long and complicated history of power and subjugation. Early ancestors were Balts who arrived around 2000 BC, like the neighbouring Baltic republics of Estonia and Latvia. These were nature worshipping peoples whose influence still remains today in the pagan movement Romuva, which seeks to rekindle ancient Lithuanian spiritual traditions.

Both Catholic and pagan traditions helped Lithuanians maintain a sense of national identity through centuries of foreign domination.

History of Lithuania

Part of the Lithuanian-Polish union, known as Rzeczpospolita, for 400 years following the marriage of Jogaila to the Crown Princess of Poland in 1386, Lithuanian influence declined until they formed the junior partner in this relationship, with Polish culture and influence dominating by the 16th century.
Poland-Lithuania, Sweden and Russian fought for control over the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia during this period, with the Swedes gaining overall domination; whilst conflict with Russia led to parts of Poland-Lithuania being annexed by the Russians.

A weakened Rzeczpospolita was eventually split between Russia, Austria and Prussia – with Lithuania being mostly under Russian dominance.
During WW1, Lithuania was under German occupation, then followed a very brief period of independence until Poland seized control of Vilnius until 1939. After the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939, Lithuania was placed under Nazi control, but following Lithuanian refusal to take part in the invasion of Poland, control of Lithuania was switched to the Soviet Union and Vilnius was returned.
Reinvaded by the Nazis in 1941, Lithuania’s Jewish population was almost completely destroyed during this time. The Soviets returned in 1944 and remained until 1991.

Following on from Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost, the Communist Party of Lithuania split from the Soviet Communists, whilst in another radical move, legitimising the existence of non-communist political parties and finally declaring independence in March 1990.

Soviet refusal of this situation led to hardliners setting up an economic blockade of Lithuania, seizing control of strategic buildings in Vilnius and killing 13 people. Following the attempted coup in Moscow of August 1991, Lithuanian independence was accepted by the West, with Soviet acceptance following in September of that year.

Lithuania joined NATO in March 2004 and the European Union in May 2004.

Lithuanian Economy

Lithuania still conducted large amounts of trade with Russia following independence and suffered during the 1998 Russian economic crisis.
However, market reform and trade reorientation towards other EU countries has helped Lithuania towards strong economic growth and entry into the EU.