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44-463: Soviet–Lithuanian Treaty can refer to three treaties between the Soviet Union and Lithuania: Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty of 1920 Soviet–Lithuanian Non-Aggression Pact of 1926 Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty of 1939 Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

88-548: A decree of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union . In the Red Army , a political commissar was a high-ranking functionary at a military headquarters who held coequal rank and authority with the military commander of the unit. The Bolshevik Party established political commissars in 1918 to control and improve morale in the military forces. Commissars were in charge of communist political propaganda and indoctrinating

132-731: A formal military alliance between the Soviets and the Lithuanians but it diminished Lithuania's standing as a neutral state. Łossowski wrote that Lithuania's lack of neutrality towards Poland was such that "the Polish government could have with full justification treated Lithuania as a country participating in the war on the other side, with all of its political and legal implications". Historian Alfred E. Senn wrote that "the Lithuanians cannot claim to have been 'strictly neutral'", and that "the Lithuanians should not have been surprised when, at

176-575: A largely-unrealized political declaration. That changed when Germany surrendered in November 1918. Lithuanians hurriedly adopted a provisional constitution, formed a government and started to organise an army. Soviet Russia denounced the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and renewed its interest in the Baltic region. In late December 1918, Lithuanian territory was invaded by Bolshevik forces, who were pursuing

220-472: A major breakthrough in Lithuania's quest for international recognition. The provision that permitted the return of Lithuanian World War I refugees and prisoners was a welcomed development. However, the Soviet Union did not pay all its reparations and never seriously considered returning the cultural and historical property. Lithuanian politicians and historians continue to seek the return of those items, but

264-502: A representative of each group, Simon Rosenbaum and Dominyk Semashko, to support that case. It was agreed that the territory of Lithuania could be easily identified, as it was inhabited by Litvaks . The Second Polish Republic also laid claim to the territory and had actual control over it at the time, especially Vilnius Region , and a few years later, the Republic of Central Lithuania was established. The Soviets agreed to recognize

308-474: Is an English transliteration of the Russian комиссáр ( komissar ), which means ' commissary '. In English, the transliteration commissar often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and Eastern-bloc armies or to the people's commissars (effectively government ministers ), while administrative officers are called commissaries . The Russian word комисса́р, from French commissaire ,

352-677: Is linked to titles in a variety of languages, such as commissary in English, commissaire in French, Kommissar in German, and komisszár (or népbiztos; archaic: csendbiztos) in Hungarian. The term commissary was used by the British and U.S. military to denote an officer in charge of supplying an army with provisions and equipment (and Commissariat ). A similar term in French describes

396-635: The Constituent Assembly of Lithuania ratified it on August 8, 1920. The treaty had 19 articles. Article 1 stipulated that Russia recognized Lithuania's independence without reservations and voluntarily abandoned any territorial claims. Article 2 described the Lithuanian territory. The Soviet Union acknowledged Lithuanian authority over the Vilnius Region , including Brasłaŭ , Hrodna , Lida , Pastavy and Vilnius . The fate of

440-622: The League of Nations , which brokered the Suwałki Agreement on October 7, 1920, which was to have taken effect on October 10. However, on October 9, Polish General Lucjan Żeligowski staged a mutiny , invaded Lithuania and took over Vilnius. Most of the Vilnius and Suwałki Regions would remain under Polish control during the interwar period, and interwar Polish–Lithuanian relations were described as "no war, no peace". The treaty represented

484-727: The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was merged with the Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia , to form Litbel . The entity was short-lived, as Poland and Lithuania successfully counterattacked. Vilnius , the historic capital of Lithuania, was seized by the Poles in April. The last Bolsheviks were pushed from Lithuanian territory at the end of August. Litbel had its entire territory taken by September 1919 and ceased to exist. As

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528-623: The NKVD had no personal ranks, and used many various position-ranks instead. In 1935, the Militsiya created a special system of personal ranks that was a blend of standard military ranks and position-ranks; this system was largely reused by the newly created Main Directorate of State Security (GUGB) in their rank structure, although they had Commissar-style ranks for top officers in place of Militsiya-style inspector and director . From 1943,

572-487: The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has become one resembling that of an HR specialist. The voenkom (Russian: военком ), translated as war commissar , is the head of a military commissariat — a regional office that conscripts men for military service, executes plans for military mobilization and maintains records on military reserves. Until the late 1930s, the People's Militsiya and Internal Troops of

616-725: The Provisional Government (March–July 1917) for regional heads of administration, but the term commissar is associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet government military forces during the Russian Civil War (the White Army widely used the collective term "bolsheviks and commissars" for their opponents) and with the later terms People's Commissar (or narkom ) for government ministers and political commissar in

660-469: The Red Army retreated. In September, when the Poles had gained an upper hand and were pursuing the Soviets back to the east, Soviet forces moved at will through Lithuanian-controlled territory, but Polish forces that tried to pursue them were arrested and interned. Lithuania's declared neutrality was challenged by Poland, which accused Lithuania of allowing free Soviet passage through its territory, which Lithuania could not deny. The treaty did not create

704-672: The Suvalkai Region was not determined by the treaty, as the line was drawn only to the village of Sztabin . The Bolsheviks also promised to pay war reparations in the amount of three million rubles and 107,000 hectares of timber. Lithuania was relieved of any debt obligations. The treaty allowed refugees and prisoners of war to return to their homeland. Lithuania then held about 2,000 Russian prisoners, and Russia held about 150 Lithuanians. Russians in Lithuania could opt for either Lithuanian or Russian citizenship. Russia promised to return any cultural and historical property that

748-487: The Baltic states held a trilateral meeting in Tallinn and agreed to begin simultaneous peace talks with the Soviets. However, Lithuania delayed contacting Moscow and the collective negotiations did not take place. Lithuanian feared that negotiations with communist Russia, which was isolated from European politics, would damage its relationships with the western powers that had not yet recognized Lithuania. While Lithuania

792-650: The Belarusian people and was aimed at immediate military and political gains. Some historians have asserted that if Poland had not prevailed in the Polish–Soviet War , Lithuania would have been invaded by the Soviets, and would never have experienced two decades of independence. Despite the Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty, Lithuania was very close to being invaded by the Soviets in summer 1920 and being forcibly incorporated into that state, and only

836-610: The Bolsheviks were pushed from the Baltic region, Lenin sought to arrange peace treaties to ease anti-Bolshevik tensions in Europe. The first Lithuanian–Russian attempt at negotiation took place on September 11, 1919, when the People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs of Soviet Russia, Georgy Chicherin , sent a note with a proposal for a peace treaty . It was a de facto recognition of the Lithuanian state. Similar proposals were delivered to Latvia and Estonia . On September 14 and 15,

880-591: The Militsiya switched to a new rank system and insignia introduced in the Soviet Army . Instead of General ranks, top officers used Commissar of Militsiya 3rd, 2nd, and 1st rank, even though they used army-standard Major General, Lieutenant General and Colonel General shoulder boards. These Commissar ranks were replaced by corresponding General ranks in 1975. The GUGB also switched to military-style ranks and insignia in 1945, although they replaced Commissar-style ranks with General officer ranks right away. Commissar

924-469: The Poles, who took Kiev in May 1920, the Lithuanians sought to delay the talks. On May 22, 1920, the Lithuanian delegation even threatened to withdraw from the peace talks. However, as the situation changed, and Russia successfully counterattacked, the Lithuanians were pressured into signing the treaty on July 12. After some debate over whether the treaty was sincere, and the Soviets had assumed any real liability,

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968-519: The Polish victory derailed this plan. The bilingual treaty was signed in two copies of equal power and the Lithuanian copy, which prior to the 1940 occupation of Lithuania was first evacuated to Sweden and later to Canada by the Lithuanian diplomat Vytautas Jonas Gylys, was found in 2021 and was transferred to the Lithuanian Central State Archive. People%27s Commissar Commissar (or sometimes Kommissar )

1012-516: The Russian government claims that they are lost. Modern Belarusian historiography regards the treaty, especially the cession of territories of modern Belarus to Lithuania (primarily Hrodna , Shchuchyn , Lida , Ashmyany , Smarhon , Pastavy , Braslaw but also the contemporary Vilnius Region with Vilna ) as a unilateral act by the Soviet authorities that disregarded the national interests of

1056-484: The duration of Soviet hostilities with Poland; that clause would lead to questions regarding the issue of Lithuanian neutrality in the ongoing Polish-Soviet War . Lithuania was to stop the activities of the "anti-Soviet organisations and groups" on its territory, including the activities of the exiled bodies of the Belarusian People's Republic . While the treaty was being negotiated and signed, most of

1100-516: The end of August, Warsaw refused to recognize Kaunas's neutrality". This can be understood in the context of Vilna offensive , Sejny uprising , 1919 Polish coup attempt in Lithuania and other intrigues by the Polish side, which made Lithuanians suspicious of their true intentions. In late August, Lithuanian and Polish missions met in Kaunas to negotiate the situation. While the talks were underway, Polish troops retook Sejny, Augustów, and Suwałki in

1144-728: The equivalent of the rank of Major both in the army of the Ancien Régime and the French Revolution . Such officials were not military officers but reported back to the political authorities: the king and the National Assembly (French Revolution) , respectively. Various historical German states have used an equivalent title, Reichskommissar (a compound of Reich and the German Kommissar ), for several administrators who held responsibility over

1188-532: The form of a "Deputy for Political Matters" in 1942. The specific position of "Commissar" itself survived only at regimental and front levels , where the Commissars formed the Military Councils with their corresponding military commanders. Other Communist-bloc militaries also adopted systems of using political commissars. Mulvenon and Yang (2002) report that the role of the political commissar in

1232-564: The former Litbel , with the intent of fomenting a socialist revolution . Leon Trotsky and Mikhail Tukhachevsky were preparing the overthrow of the Lithuanian government. The plans never came to pass since Poland defeated Soviet forces in the Battle of Warsaw between August 13 and August 25. On August 26, as the Polish Army was approaching the southern borders of Lithuania, the Soviets finally transferred Vilnius to Lithuanian control and

1276-482: The hope that such a move would prove Lithuania's trustworthiness and would put indirect pressure on Poland to reach an agreement regarding Vilnius that was acceptable. Those tactics did not prove successful since Poland was invariably backed by France and indirect British pressure was not strong enough to change Poland's foreign policy. The negotiations were long and difficult. While the Russians were losing ground to

1320-643: The military. A People's Commissar (informally abbreviated narkom ) was a government official serving in a Council of People's Commissars . This title was first used by the Russian SFSR (out of dislike for the tsarist and bourgeois term minister ) and then copied among the many Soviet and Bolshevik-controlled states in the Russian Civil War . The government departments headed by a People's Commissar were called People's Commissariat (informally abbreviated narkomat). People's Commissars and People's Commissariats were renamed Ministers and Ministries in 1946 by

1364-441: The most contentious issue. Lithuania demanded the territories of former Kovno , Vilna , Grodno and Suwałki Governorates . Those areas, according to the Lithuanians, were ethnically Lithuanian. M. Balinsky's census of 1857 was provided as evidence that the territory was inhabited primarily by Lithuanians. Lithuanians asserted that the large Jewish and Belarusian populations in the region wanted to be part of Lithuania. They brought

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1408-680: The prior approval of both the commander and the commissar. Many lower-level political officers never received the same military training as commanding officers. Prior to becoming a commissar an individual had to be registered as a communist for a minimum of three years and had to attend specific political institutions, many of which never offered any military-oriented training. Following the problems encountered in 1941 with dual commanders in units, commissars and other political officers were removed from direct command-roles. Political officers were then more directly tasked with morale- and regulation-based goals. A political officer's classification changed to

1452-579: The public with communist ideology. From 1917 the Bolshevik administration, like the Provisional Government before it, relied on experienced (ex-Tsarist) army-officers whose loyalty it distrusted. Trotsky summarised the solution to the issue: "We took a military specialist and we put on his right hand and on his left a commissar [...]." During the early stages of the usage of commissars, no military order might be issued which did not have

1496-463: The retreating Germans. That marked the beginning of the Lithuanian Wars of Independence and the Polish–Soviet War . Within a month, Soviet forces controlled large portions of northern and eastern Lithuania. The advance was stopped only with help from German volunteers . In Vilnius , the Bolsheviks proclaimed a puppet Soviet government, led by Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas . In February 1919,

1540-417: The retreating Polish forces. That led to clashes in southern Lithuania over the towns of Sejny , Augustów and Suwałki . According to historian Piotr Lossowski , the Lithuanians also provided the Soviets with logistical support. The Bolshevik forces were the first to enter Vilnius on July 14, 1920, although the treaty did not transfer it to the Lithuanians. The Soviets installed a puppet government ,

1584-572: The situation and suggested for preliminary negotiations to begin on April 15. The talks in Moscow did not begin until May 7. The Lithuanian delegation, led by Tomas Naruševičius, demanded for Russia to recognise the independent Lithuania as a legal successor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , but the Soviet delegation, led by Adolph Joffe , was prepared to recognize Lithuania only based on the self-determination principle. Territorial disputes were

1628-512: The south. The Suwałki Region held great symbolic importance for the Lithuanians as a locus of their independence movement. Lithuania mounted military operations in the area. Poland also wanted to seize Vilnius, which it had been forced to abandon during the Soviet offensive in July. The clashes led to a war on a wide front between Poland and Lithuania in September. An intervention was made by

1672-487: The territory granted by the treaty to Lithuania was already controlled by Bolshevik forces. As the Russian front was pushing away the Poles, Lithuania attempted to secure the borders outlined in the treaty. Lithuanian forces crossed the Foch line on July 19, seeking to take control of the territories granted to Lithuania by the Soviet Union, advancing rapidly despite Polish protests and, in several cases, fighting skirmishes with

1716-521: The territory to Lithuania if it agreed to form a military alliance against Poland, which was engaged in the Kiev offensive against Soviet Russia. The Lithuanians were tempted by the opportunity to regain Vilnius but refused. Even though the Soviets seemed a natural ally against Poland, Lithuanians reasoned that staying on good terms with Poland and its allies, France and Britain, was a better long-term strategy. Lithuania informed Britain about Soviet plans on

1760-638: The title Soviet–Lithuanian Treaty . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soviet–Lithuanian_Treaty&oldid=551364529 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Soviet%E2%80%93Lithuanian Peace Treaty Ratification documents were exchanged in Moscow on October 14, 1920. The treaty

1804-440: Was preparing for the first democratic elections to the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania , election campaigns urged the government to start negotiations. On March 31, 1920, Augustinas Voldemaras , the Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs, informed Soviet diplomats that Lithuania was ready to open the talks if Moscow recognized Lithuania within its ethnic lands and acknowledged Vilnius as its capital. The Soviets agreed to discuss

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1848-609: Was registered in the League of Nations Treaty Series on March 8, 1921. Lithuania declared independence from the former Russian Empire on February 16, 1918. In March, the Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and renounced any claims to the Baltic states , including Lithuania. Ober Ost , the German occupying authority, did not allow Lithuania to establish government institutions, organize military or police forces or attempt to define its borders. Lithuanian independence remained

1892-580: Was removed during the wars. A working commission was created, which evaluated the damage to Lithuania at about 816 million rubles, and 407 million rubles for damage to the territory that was controlled by Poland. Separate agreements would be made later to decide protection of the frontier, conventions of trade and transit and other details. The treaty also contained a secret clause that allowed Soviet forces unrestricted movement within Soviet-recognized Lithuanian territory for

1936-669: Was used in Russia for both political and administrative officials. The title has been used in the Soviet Union and in Russia since the time of the emperor Peter the Great ( r.  1682–1725 ). In the 18th and 19th centuries in the Russian army kommissars , then krigs-komissars (from German : Krieg 'war') were officials in charge of supply for the armed forces (see Rus. Генерал-кригскомиссар ). Commissaries were used during

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