Dėl 1918 m. kovo 23 d. Lietuvos valstybingumo pripažinimo iš kaizerinės Vokietijos pusės

LTStraipsnyje nagrinėjamas ryškus laikotarpio, kai 1918 m. buvo paskelbtas Vasario 16-osios Lietuvos Nepriklausomybės aktas, epizodas – kiek daugiau nei po mėnesio Vokietija pripažino Lietuvos valstybingumą. Nors šis įvykis neabejotinai buvo reikšmingas nepriklausomos valstybės sukūrimui ir įtvirtinimui, dėl įvairiausių aplinkybių jis ligi šiol nesulaukė deramo aptarimo ir įvertinimo lietuviškoje istoriografijoje. Ilgą laiką pagrindinė kliūtis tyrimui buvo ribota prieinamų šaltinių bazė. Padidėjus vokiškosios archyvinės medžiagos prieinamumui, atsiradus naujiems fundamentaliems užsienio autorių tyrimams, susijusiems su Pirmojo pasaulinio karo laikotarpiu Lietuvoje, atsirado galimybė ir atitinkamiems lietuviškiems tyrinėjimams. Raktiniai žodžiai: Kaizerinė Vokietija, Lietuvos Taryba, Oberostas, nepriklausomybės pripažinimas, notifikavimo dokumentas, delegacija, kelionė, Berlynas. [Iš leidinio]

ENThe article focuses on an outstanding episode in the realisation of the statehood of Lithuania in 1918: on 23 March of that year, Kaiser Germany recognised the state of Lithuania. During the First World War, the German ruling elite was divided into two competing ideological camps, each with a different vision for the future of the empire. The circumstances of the German recognition of Lithuania, just like all other aspects of the genesis of Lithuania’s statehood at that time, were directly affected by the constant tension between the two camps and by the actual shifts in German policy generated by this tension. Since the conceptions of the so-called liberal imperialist camp envisaged a place for limited statehood structures of the peoples of the western periphery of the Russian empire, this circumstance ensured the evolution of the question of Lithuania’s statehood. In the context of Brest-Litovsk negotiations between the Germans and Bolsheviks, the conditions were finally ripe for the materialisation of the cause of Lithuania’s statehood. Tensions between the two camps of the German elite were exacerbated during Brest-Litovsk negotiations, but at the Homburg meeting, on 13 February 1918, they reached a delicate balance, one of the key elements of which was the decision to recognise Lithuania in accordance with the declaration of 11 December 1917. However, by deciding to declare full independence on 16 February, without any allied ties with Germany, the Lithuanians went beyond the framework set for them by the Germans in December 1917, which made it rather doubtful for the Germans to recognise Lithuania according to the declaration of 11 December. Although, following the decision of 16 February, the Council of Lithuania was unequivocally instructed by the German consensus to return to the fundamentals of the Declaration of 11 December 1917, this did not freeze the issue of recognition.The moderate imperialist camp encouraged Lithuanians to overcome the consequences of their ‘effrontery’. Meanwhile, for his own reasons, the German Kaiser himself became interested in recognising Lithuania. After Germany forced Bolshevik Russia to sign the Peace Treaty on 3 March 1918, the issue of recognition became of particular importance to the German ruling circle, because the opposition-dominated parliament openly linked the ratification of the Peace of Brest-Litovsk with the recognition of Lithuania. After the Council refused to return to the declaration of 11 December and rejected the idea of publishing yet another new similar document, the action concentrated on the trip of the so-called notification delegation to Berlin and on the text to be presented there. In the episode of the notification delegation, all parties involved showed exceptional perseverance. An absolute majority of the Council decided not to digress in any way from the wording of 16 February. The German annexationists, on the other hand, believed that at that particular time, after the conclusion of the Peace of Brest-Litovsk, the recognition of Lithuania was totally inexpedient. The search for a balance between radically opposing interests shaped the form and content of the recognition of 23 March itself.The notification document was served that day, but this was more of a formality. Having secured the ratification of the Peace of Brest-Litovsk the day before, the Chancellor read to them the text of the declaration of recognition based on the Declaration of 11 December at the very beginning of the reception of the Lithuanian delegation and only then accepted the Lithuanian notification document. After this procedure, as if in reverence for the annexationists, the delegation was sent home without negotiations. Therefore the notification document did not acquire the significance that both Lithuanians and Germans wanted to impart to it. Keywords: Kaiser Germany, Council of Lithuania, Oberost, recognition of independence, notification document, delegation, trip, Berlin. [From the publication]

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