Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty

Pre-war treaties dividing Eastern Europe into Soviet and German spheres of influence Lithuania declared independence from the Russian Empire on February 16, 1918. On June 12, 1920, following the Lithuanian–Soviet War, a Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty was signed. The Soviet Union recognized Lithuania's independence and its right to the Vilnius Region. The region was fiercely contested with Poland and fell under its control after Żeligowski's Mutiny in October 1920. It was then incorporated into the Republic of Central Lithuania, which was a short-lived political entity without international recognition. The region was ceded to Poland in 1922 at the Peace of Riga after the Polish–Soviet War and was confirmed internationally by the League of Nations. The Lithuanians refused to recognize Polish control and continued to claim legal and moral rights to the region throughout the interwar period. The Soviet Union continued to support Lithuanian claims against sovereign Poland. The Soviets also supported Lithuania's interests in the Klaipėda Region after the Klaipėda Revolt and signed the Soviet–Lithuanian Non-Aggression Pact in 1926, later extending it to 1944. On August 23 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. According to the pact's secret protocols, Lithuania was assigned to the German sphere of influence while Latvia and Estonia, the other two Baltic states, were assigned to the Soviets. This different treatment could be explained by Lithuania's economic dependence on Germany. Germany accounted for approximately 80% of Lithuania's foreign trade and, after the 1939 German ultimatum, had control of Klaipėda, Lithuania's only port. Also, Lithuania and Russia did not have a common border. World War II On September 1 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Wehrmacht pushed Polish forces behind the line agreed with the Soviets. Germans took control of the Lublin Voivodeship and eastern Warsaw Voivodeship. Its secret attachment detailed that to compensate the Soviet Union for German-occupied Polish territories, Germany would transfer Lithuania, except for a small territory in Suvalkija, to the Soviet sphere of influence. In the secret protocols, both Soviet Union and Germany explicitly recognized Lithuanian interest in Vilnius. ==Negotiations==

Initial stance On September 29, the day after the Boundary and Friendship Treaty, Germany canceled planned talks with Lithuania and the Soviet Union informed Lithuania that it wished to open negotiations regarding future relationship between the two countries. Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Juozas Urbšys arrived in Moscow on October 3 to meet with Soviet leaders. During the meeting, Joseph Stalin personally informed Urbšys about the Soviet–German secret protocols and showed maps of the spheres of influence. He demanded that Lithuania sign three separate treaties, according to which: • Soviet military bases would be established in Lithuania and up to 50,000 Soviet soldiers would be stationed there (the original mutual assistance pact); • Lithuanian territory west of the Šešupė River would be ceded to Nazi Germany (as agreed between Germany and Soviet Union in the Boundary and Friendship Treaty); • One portion of the Vilnius Region would be attached to Lithuania. Urbšys protested the Soviet bases, arguing that it would mean virtual occupation of Lithuania. Finally, the Soviets agreed to reduce the number of troops to 35,000. The most shocking demand was to cede Lithuanian territory to Germany. Lithuanians in principle agreed to sign the mutual assistance treaty, but were instructed to resist Soviet bases as much as possible. Alternatives included doubling the Lithuanian army, exchanging military missions, and building fortifications on the western border with Germany similar to the Maginot Line in France. On October 7, the Lithuanian delegation, including General Stasys Raštikis and Deputy Prime Minister Kazys Bizauskas, returned to Moscow. ==Provisions==

(dark orange) was ceded to Lithuania in exchange for four Soviet military bases (marked with stars) according to the Mutual Assistance Treaty Articles of the treaty The mutual assistance treaty contained nine articles: • Article I: Transfer of Vilnius Region and the city of Vilnius to Lithuania • Article II: Mutual assistance in case of an attack • Article III: Soviet Union renders assistance to the Lithuanian Army in terms of munitions and equipment • Article IV: Soviet Union receives right to station its troops in Lithuania. Base locations are to be decided by a separate treaty. • Article V: Coordinated actions in case of an attack • Article VI: Agreement not to participate in alliances against the other party • Article VII: Sovereignty is not affected by this treaty • Article VIII: Articles II to VII are valid for a period of 15 years with an automatic extension for another 10 (note that transfer of Vilnius is permanent) • Article IX: Date of effect The treaty also had a secret supplement, which specified that the Soviets could station only up to 20,000 of their troops. Location of Soviet troops The treaty did not decide the exact location of the Soviet bases, and an 18-member Soviet delegation, led by Mikhail Kovalyov, was sent to Lithuania to discuss the specifics on October 22. The Lithuanians sought to limit Soviet bases to the Vilnius Region and southern Lithuania, offering Pabradė, Nemenčinė, Naujoji Vilnia, and Alytus. They considered a base in Samogitia (western Lithuania) to be the worst possible outcome. While aircraft bases in Alytus and Gaižiūnai were under construction, Soviet aircraft were to be stationed in a neighborhood of Vilnius. The final location of the bases showed that the Soviets were more concerned with encircling Kaunas, the temporary capital, than with defending the country against a possible foreign attack. ==Aftermath==

International and domestic reaction The treaty was presented as proof of Soviet respect for small nations and Stalin's benevolence by Soviet propaganda. Russians emphasized that it was the second time the Soviet Union gave Vilnius to Lithuania The Polish government-in-exile officially protested the treaty as it did not recognize Russian conquest and claimed sovereignty over territories of the Second Polish Republic. Lithuanians replied that the region was legally part of Lithuania. France and Great Britain, traditional allies of Poland, also condemned the treaty. Lithuanian relations with the Vatican were expected to improve as the cause for tension, the Vilnius Region assigned to Poland by the Concordat of 1925, now was under Lithuanian control. Lithuanian politicians attempted to show the regained Vilnius as a major diplomatic victory. The Lithuanian Nationalists Union, the ruling political party in Lithuania since the 1926 coup, used celebrations of the return of the city to increase its prestige and popularity. While politicians publicly praised the Soviet Union and flaunted "traditional Soviet–Lithuanian friendship," in private, they understood this treaty was a serious threat to Lithuanian independence. After the treaty was signed, Lithuania lost its neutrality and could not independently execute its foreign policy. Many Jewish shops were raided and some 35 people were injured. Jews accused Lithuanian police of inaction and sympathizing with Polish rioters. Lithuanians proceeded to "re-Lithuanize" cultural life in the Vilnius Region. They closed many Polish cultural and educational institutions, including Stephan Batory University with over 3,000 students. A new civilian cabinet, led by controversial Prime Minister Antanas Merkys, was formed on November 21. Lithuanians were careful to follow the treaty to the letter and not give any excuses for Moscow to accuse them of treaty violations. At first, delayed by the Winter War, The Soviets demanded that a new government, which would comply with the Mutual Assistance Treaty, be formed and that an unspecified number of Soviet troops be admitted to Lithuania. With Soviet troops already in the country, it was impossible to mount military resistance. The Soviets took control of government institutions, installed a new pro-Soviet government, and announced elections to the People's Seimas. The proclaimed Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was incorporated into the Soviet Union on August 3, 1940. ==See also==