The Lithuanian Society for the Relief of War Sufferers ( lt, Lietuvių draugija nukentėjusiems dėl karo šelpti) was a Lithuanian charity organization that was active from 1914 to 1918. It was founded by various Lithuanian political figures as a committee to assist Lithuanian refugees of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, gradually turning into an organization supporting Lithuanian education and independence.

History

Origins

The organization was first established in August 1914 as the Lithuanian Provisional Committee for the Relief of Victims of War by the initiative of the Lithuanian political center, an unofficial organization of representatives of various Lithuanian political parties (except

social democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

). The committee initially hosted more than 1000 refugees at the start of the war. As the number of refugees grew, it was renamed to the Lithuanian Society for the Relief of Victims of War.

Activity

The organization was initially centered 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 ...

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 ...

. In 1915, up to 120 offices provided assistance for refugees, and the organization had up to 1600 members. The organization's activity was mainly headed by Martynas Yčas, a Lithuanian politician and member of the

Russian Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house ...

, as well as co-headed by future president

Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual and journalist and the first President of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1926 to 1940, before its occupation by the Soviet Union. He was one of the m ...

. Finances for the organization were received from the Tatiana Committee, Russian relief organization named after Tatiana Romanov, the daughter of

Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...

, as well as from various

catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

churches across Lithuania, the United States, and Russia. The organization established and maintained dormitories as well as feeding stations for refugees. When Vilnius was occupied by the German army in 1915 the organization split into two centers, one in Vilnius and one in Petersburg (from 1917 in

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the ...

). In Russia, the organization set up orphanages for children and the elderly, schools, craft schools, as well as gymnasiums, teacher institutes, and also took care of Lithuanian students from universities abroad. They also printed Lithuanian newspapers, books, and textbooks. The organization was the progenitor of various future Lithuanian conferences and councils. It was the first Lithuanian organization to defend Lithuanian interests abroad. After the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

in 1917, the Bolshevik government accused the organization of hostile activities and closed it down, confiscating its property and imprisoning chairman Martynas Yčas for two months.

References

{{Reflist Refugee aid organizations Clubs and societies in Lithuania Organizations based in the Russian Empire 1914 establishments in Lithuania Organizations established in 1914 Organizations disestablished in 1918 History of Lithuania (1795–1918)