LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Komunistai; Lietuvos Respublika 1918-1940; Lietuvos aidas; Nacių Vokietija; Opozicija; Suvalkija; Suvalkijos ūkininkų streikas; Ūkininkų streikas; Communists; Farmer's strike in Suvalkija; Farmers'strike; Lietuvos aidas; Nazi Germany; Opposition; Republic of Lithuania 1918-1940; Suvalkija; The Communists.
ENFarmers’ strike broke out in Suvalkija at the end of August 1935. It was one of most serious social upheavals over the twenty year period of Lithuania’s independence. The strike was driven by economic reasons. The article analyses the contradictory information about the initiators of the strike published in the main pro-governmental newspaper "Lietuvos aidas" in 1935. It also aims to reveal the circumstances of this situation, to present three main official versions and to show how the participants in the farmers’ strike were discredited. The press of authoritarian nationalist government first accused Nazi Germany. It was argued that it was German agents who incited farmers as Berlin was seeking to destabilise Lithuania and to expand its influence in Klaipėda Region. However, soon afterwards, the Lithuanian government did not withstand the Nazi pressure and had to stop the anti-German rhetoric in the press. "Lietuvos aidas" then started affirming that the turmoil in Suvalkija arose mainly due to the fault of the Communists. It was interpreted that the Lithuanian Communist Party was trying to adapt the Popular Front strategy in that way. However, this version did not seem very convincing, and it was finally decided to lay the entire blame for the strike on the opposition parties. In 1936 these charges were used to formally justify the ban on political parties. To sum up, it should be noted that the newspaper tried hard to discredit the strike participants and to show them as traitors of homeland and morally degraded persons. [From the publication]