The day of restoration of Independence of Lithuania is a
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
n national holiday celebrated on 11 March in commemoration of the
Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
The Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania or Act of March 11 ( lt, Aktas dėl Lietuvos nepriklausomos valstybės atstatymo) was an independence declaration by Lithuania adopted on March 11, 1990, signed by all members of the S ...
that the
Constituent Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
signed in 1990. It is one of the three principal
national holidays in Lithuania, along with the Day of the Re-Establishment of the
Statehood
A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "sta ...
of Lithuania on 16 February and the
Statehood Day on 6 July.
Historical context
On 15 June 1940, the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
occupied the independent state of
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, as the frontline shifted, the country was occupied by the
very bad Germany only to fall back into the USSR's hands in 1944 once again. Since then, the country sought to get its ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' independence back through
armed guerrilla strife on the home front and with diplomatic measures among the diaspora. Many
Western powers would not recognise the occupation of Lithuania. The beginning of the rebirth was signalled by the first unsanctioned meeting that took place at the monument to
Adam Mickiewicz in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
in 1987. The meeting condemned the
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
, long_name = Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
, image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H27337, Moskau, Stalin und Ribbentrop im Kreml.jpg
, image_width = 200
, caption = Stalin and Ribbentrop shaking ...
of 23 August 1939, by which Germany and the USSR divided Europe into spheres of influence between themselves.
In an effort to bring some change to the state, the
Reform Movement of Lithuania, a.k.a. ''
Sąjūdis'', was established. Its initiative group of 35 members was elected on 3 June 1988. In the summer of the same year, the RML held its first rallies in the country, attended by thousands. On 22–23 October 1988, Vilnius hosted the
Constituent Congress of the Reform Movement of Lithuania. It elected the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
(Lith. ''
Seimas
The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendmen ...
'') of the Reform Movement of Lithuania and the Parliamentary Council. On 15 February 1989, the ''Seimas'' made its first declaration that its goal was to restore the independent democratic Republic of Lithuania.
Six months later, on
23 August 1989 – the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact – the RML declared that Lithuania's annexation to the USSR had been committed illegally and without any legal power.
As the political atmosphere in the USSR became more relaxed, the first free and democratic election to the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR took place on 24 February 1990. The deputies elected were mandated to represent the nation.
Declaration of the restoration of independence
The first meeting of the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR kicked off on 10 March 1990 at night. It was broadcast live on radio and television. The meeting elected and approved the Vote-Counting Panel, the Mandate Panel, the secretariat of the inaugural session and spent a lot of time debating the procedure of the election of the
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of the Supreme Council. The meeting was adjourned at 11 p.m.
Another two meetings took place on 11 March. The work began at 9 a.m. and continued late into the night. The meetings elected
Vytautas Landsbergis as the President of the Supreme Council. It also elected a presidium and approved the powers of the President of the
Council of Ministers
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
,
Kazimiera Danutė Prunskienė.
The third meeting adopted a set of five documents, including the provisional organic law that laid the foundation for the restoration of Independence. The Independence of the state of Lithuania was officially declared at 10:44 p.m., with 124
deputies
A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...
voting in favour of the reestablishment of the state, and 6 persons abstaining. No votes were cast against it.
The deputies that attended the first meeting as members of the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR left the third meeting as members of the democratic parliament of the Republic of Lithuania.
The USSR had no intention of recognising Lithuania's independence. On 18 April 1990, it enforced an
economic blockade
A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force.
A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are le ...
against Lithuania, cutting or grievously restricting the supply of raw materials. The escalating tensions peaked in January 1991, when the Soviet Union deployed its paratrooper units in the
Baltic states
The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
; on 12 January, armoured troops appeared on the streets of Vilnius. Then, crowds of people gathered at the Press House, the
TV tower, the radio and television building, and the
House of Parliament, intent to defend the independence peacefully. During the armed aggression on the USSR's part, 14 people were killed on 13 January 1991.
The
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
recognised Lithuania's full and complete independence on 29 July 1991 by signing an agreement on the grounds of cross-border relations with Lithuania.
Tradition of celebration events
Beginning with 1991, the
Day of Restoration of Independence is marked with a solemn parliamentary meeting that usually takes place at the historical Hall of the Act of 11 March.
Since 1996, 11 March has been a holiday under the Law on Holidays. It is the day when the country hosts a lot of events and pays respect to the signatories of the Act. The events include parades, concerts, exhibitions. During a solemn meeting, young researches are presented with the State Independence
Scholarship
A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need.
Scholarsh ...
for research significant for strengthening Lithuania's statehood.
See also
*
Act of Independence of Lithuania
*
Public holidays in Lithuania
All official holidays in Lithuania are established by acts of Seimas
The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the ...
*
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
References
External links
*
The Lithuanian Government Official site of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
Why Lithuania Celebrates Two Independence Days Elizabeth Georgian, Culture Trip.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lithuania Independence Restoration Day
Public holidays in Lithuania
Festivals in Lithuania
March observances
Independence days
Annual events in Lithuania