1914-1917 Lithuanian politics suggested the Lithuania orientation question and decided to choose - The West - during Vilnius Lithuanians’ conference on 18 - 22 September 1917. The Northern orientation of Lithuanians wasn't so actual in conforming with the West orientation, but it din't mean that orientation to Scandinavia wasn't fixated in Lithuanians' political mentality. The facts in archive documents, old press, memoirs of M. Yčas, J. Tumas Vaižgantas, V.Bartuška and the Lithuanian historians such as R. Lopata, A. Eidintas, A. Gaigalaitė. These materials obviously explore that the tradition of Lithuanians’ diplomacy in Scandinavia existed before 1918. We can define this tradition as possibility of the Lithuanian diplomacy to orientated in the political conjuncture of the First World war and their humanity, political and propaganda activity to become Lithuania independent, to orient to Scandinavian countries. When we talk about the Lithuanian diplomacy in 1915-1917 we talk about Lithuanian diplomacy which is based on the moral motivation, because the juridical motivation couldn't be released, although it was possible.
To choice to orient to Scandinavia depended on subjective and objective factors of orientation of the Lithuanians’. The first one - a political neutrality of the Scandinavian countries. It helped the Lithuanian's to make solution of economical and political existence. The second one - blockade of Germany. They forbid to send information and letters abroad and back, closed the Lithuania' newspapers. The best way to break through that blockade was to find a way to send it through neutral countries: Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, USA. Forbidden of Russian government to send money to the territories occupied by German military force was the third objective factor, which has forced the Lithuanians to choice the Scandinavian orientation: The best way to send money from Russia to the occupied Lithuania has been found through Stockholm. The fourth one - British blocade of Germany. The material help of USA Lithuanians’ which had been coming from USA to Europe couldn’t get to Lithuanian because it was a German territory and they want to protect their find. The fifth one - the activity of German insurgence in Scandinavia-Stockholm (F. Reichenau, H. Lucius) and Copenhagen (I J. Brokdorf-Rantzau) which aim was to propagate the separate movement of nation of Russia empire. The sixth one - policy of polish diplomats. It was underlined in the first conference of Lithuanians’
in Stockholm in October 1915, where was said about importance to block up the Polish propaganda of new type union. The seventh one – subjective factor - political activity of Lithuanians’, relate to the reconstitute of Lithuanian self - dependence, which become an international factors.
The aims of Lithuanian diplomacy in Scandinavia had formed two concepts of Scandinavia. Humanitian aims formed Scandinavia - bridge and political -propaganda aims - Scandinavia - political centre of Lithuanian policy. Scandinavia became the financial and informational bridge to Lithuanian, when Lithuanian society started to send money and letters throughout Stockholm (Swedish-Lithuanian help committee) in Vilnius and from Vilnius to Lithuanian in foreign countries. In Stockholm Lithuanians’ conferences took place and concentrated propaganda of Lithuanian: have been written some articles about the Lithuanians in occupied territory in Swedish newspapers, arranged lectures about Lithuanian history and parties to proclaim the will of Lithuanian to be independent. That formed Stockholm as the political centre of the Lithuanians people.
Orientation of the Lithuanian's to the Scandinavian countries in the end of 1917 become measures of Lithuanian diplomacy which tried to internationalise the Lithuania question and grant juridicial ground to Lithuanian diplomacy which represented the Lithuanian nation. Scandinavia in 1917 meant to Lithuanian possibility to choose between West - East and North - South geopolitical axis and orientation of Lithuanian to Scandinavia to interpretative in two ways: to German as orientation to Germany and to Great Britain - as orientation to Scandinavia and the states of Antante. |
dizainas ir programavimas giriaus