Valstiečių liaudininkų požiūris į Lietuvos užsienio politiką (1926–1940 m.)
Approach of the Peasant Populists towards the Lithuanian Foreign Policy (1926–1940)

Summary/Abstract: Though a number of research studies dealing with the Lithuanian foreign policy in 1918–1940 and Lithuanian political parties of that period came to life in several recent years, the research on the approach of political parties towards the Lithuanian foreign policy has been lacking to this day. Therefore, it remains unclear what position political parties chose to follow in respect of the foreign policy led by the Lithuanian government, what proposals they made regarding the solution of such issues as, for instance, complex Lithuanian and Polish relations of that time, how they approached the issues of Klaipėda Region and Germany, the Soviet Union or the Baltic Entente. In order to fill this gap in historiography, the author chose to make a more comprehensive presentation of the approach of the Lithuanian Peasant Populist Union towards the Lithuanian foreign policy (1926–1940) in this article. The research revealed that in evaluating the Lithuanian- Polish relations, the Peasant Populists followed the position that the necessary precondition for the establishment of well-balanced relations between the two countries was the return of Vilnius Region to Lithuania. However, when Poland forced the Lithuanian government to restore the diplomatic relations by means of the ultimatum of March 1938, the Peasant Populists gradually changed their position believing that the preservation of the Lithuanian independence was more important than Vilnius Region. With the looming threat of World War II, such a Peasant Populist approach was rational. The Peasant Populist leadership reasonably criticized the country’s government for its undue appeasement to Germans in Klaipėda Region and would warn it with regard to the plans of Nazi Germany to win back Klaipėda Region. When the warnings proved to be right in the late 1930s, the danger anticipated by the Peasant Populists from the side of Germany appeared to be reasonable. Disappointed with the League of Nations and seeing a threat posed to Lithuania by Poland and Germany in particular, in the 1930s the Peasant Populists took a favourable approach towards the Soviet Union, primarily its declared official pacifist foreign policy. Taking nto account the commentaries of the Peasant Populist leadership, primarily its leader Mykolas Sleževičius, in favour of this country, by highlighting the friendly relations between Lithuania and the Soviet Union, we may speak about the great confidence of the Peasant Populists in respect of this country. What is more, the frequent publications on the positive image of the Soviet Union announced in the Peasant Populist press, in particular in the eve of the occupation, allow us to speak about the contribution of the Peasant Populists to the shaping of a positive image of the Soviet Union in the Lithuanian society...

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