Covers the 1918 Act of Independence, the 1990 Act on the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, the January 1991 Vilnius violence, and UN admission on 17 September 1991. It does not cover the Lithuanian Wars of Independence, the Vilnius dispute with Poland, the Soviet annexation of 1940, the German and Soviet occupations, or the Sąjūdis independence movement in detail.
The Council of Lithuania proclaimed on 16 February 1918 "the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania, founded on democratic principles, with Vilnius as its capital."[1] Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 and occupied by Germany and then the Soviet Union again during and after the Second World War. On 11 March 1990, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania declared "the execution of the sovereign powers of the State of Lithuania abolished by foreign forces in 1940, is re-established," becoming the first constituent republic of the Soviet Union to declare independence.[2] Moscow responded with economic sanctions and, on the night of 12-13 January 1991, sent forces to storm the Vilnius TV tower and broadcasting centre, killing 14 unarmed civilians and wounding hundreds in the bloodiest attempt to reverse Lithuania's independence.[3] The Republic of Lithuania was admitted to the United Nations on 17 September 1991, following a unanimous Security Council recommendation.[4][5]
Status verified as of
Lithuania has been an independent, UN-member state since 1991 (independence first proclaimed in 1918, restored in 1990).[5]
History
From the 1918 Act of Independence, through Soviet annexation and occupation, to the March 1990 restoration of statehood and UN admission in September 1991.
185 words · 1 min read
· Declaration
The Council of Lithuania unanimously proclaimed the restoration of an independent state of Lithuania, with Vilnius as its capital, on 16 February 1918, signed by all twenty Council members.
Significance here: The founding act of the modern Lithuanian state, though full independence was secured only after the subsequent Wars of Independence.
· Declaration
The Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania declared on 11 March 1990 that the sovereign powers of the State of Lithuania, abolished by foreign forces in 1940, were re-established, becoming the first Soviet constituent republic to declare independence.
Significance here: The act restoring Lithuanian independence, the first such declaration among the Soviet constituent republics.
· Conflict episode
Soviet forces stormed the Vilnius TV tower and broadcasting centre on the night of 12-13 January 1991, killing 14 unarmed civilians and wounding hundreds, in the bloodiest attempt to reverse Lithuania's restoration of independence.
Significance here: The most violent episode in the Soviet Union's attempt to reverse Lithuania's 1990 restoration of independence.
· Recognition
The Security Council recommended Lithuania's admission to the United Nations on 12 September 1991, and the General Assembly admitted it on 17 September 1991.
Significance here: Formal international recognition of the restored Lithuanian state.
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
Claim: On 16 February 1918, the Council of Lithuania unanimously proclaimed: "The Council of Lithuania, as the sole representative of the Lithuanian nation, based on the recognized right to national self-determination, and on the Vilnius Conference's resolution of September 18-23, 1917, proclaims the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania, founded on democratic principles, with Vilnius as its capital, and declares the termination of all state ties which formerly bound this State to other nations." The Act was signed by all twenty members of the Council of Lithuania, chaired by Jonas Basanavičius.
Claim: On 11 March 1990, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the Act on the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, providing: "The execution of the sovereign powers of the State of Lithuania abolished by foreign forces in 1940, is re-established, and henceforth Lithuania is again an independent state." The Act stated that the 1918 Act of Independence and a 1920 Constituent Assembly decree "never lost their legal effect." The Supreme Council approved the Act with 124 in favour, six abstaining, and none opposed.
Claim: Following economic sanctions Moscow imposed on Lithuania through 1990, Soviet military and KGB forces stormed the Vilnius TV tower and broadcasting centre on the night of 12-13 January 1991, ramming tanks into unarmed civilians and firing on the crowd; 14 civilians were killed and hundreds wounded. The failure of Soviet forces to fully reassert control amid civilian resistance is widely seen as having exposed the weakening grip of Soviet power over Lithuania.
Claim: On 12 September 1991, at its 3007th meeting, the Security Council, having examined the application of the Republic of Lithuania, recommended without a vote that the General Assembly admit it to UN membership, alongside identical recommendations for Estonia and Latvia.
Claim: The General Assembly, at its 1st plenary meeting on 17 September 1991, having received the Security Council's recommendation and considered Lithuania's application, decided to admit the Republic of Lithuania to United Nations membership.