Литва-Россия, 1917-1920 гг. : сборник документов

ENThis collection of documents is devoted to the development of relations between Lithuania and Russia between 1917 and 1920. It was a dramatic time: the Russian Revolution, civil war in the former Russian Empire, and the end of the First World War. Nation-building processes were unfolding with such intensity for the first time in Eastern Europe in different ways, and were intertwined with deep social conflicts and transformations. When considering the events of the time, we should bear in mind that in the process of modernisation, the national culture and the area of its coverage were still fluid. The construction of Lithuanian national statehood began under the German occupation, with the opposing aspirations of other nation-state projects and socio-political forces in the lands of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. On one hand, the Polish diaspora was determined to make Lithuania part of Poland. On the other hand, at the initiative of Moscow, a 'buffer state' was created, in the form of the Lithuanian Soviet Republic, or the Lithuanian-Belarusian Soviet Republic (Litbela), the fate of which was determined by international circumstances. The documents presented in the collection reflect this inconsistency in multilateral relations. In the midst of the struggle against these alternatives, the Lithuanian nation-state managed to resist. Negotiations began between Lithuania and Russia in Moscow in May 1920, and a treaty was signed on 12 July 1920.Under the agreement, Lithuania was recognised as an independent state, and its territory was established with its ancient capital of Vilnius, so that in the future, it might be a peaceful connecting bridge between Russia and Europe. The documents in the collection give a detailed picture of the progress of the negotiations and the beginning of the implementation of the treaty, against the background of the extremely dynamic and changing multilateral relations in the region. Lithuania was cut off from Russia by Polish military action in the autumn of 1920, lost its capital Vilnius, and was threatened with the loss of its independence. Thus, instead of being a peaceful connecting bridge, it turned into a kind of besieged fortress, which negatively affected the development not only of the country itself, but of the entire region. However, as the documents in the collection show, the legal effects of the Lithuanian-Russian treaty of 12 July 1920 continued to influence the international situation. To a certain extent, the treaty has not lost its significance, even today. The idea of mutually beneficial and equal relations between countries of different sizes and strengths laid down in the agreement remains alive. [From the publication]