Imperijos epilogas Lietuvoje: rusų emigrantai 1918–1940 m.
Empire Epilogue in Lithuania: Russian Emigrants in 1918–1940

Summary/Abstract: The article analyzes social status and political activity of the Russian emigrants who lived in Lithuania in 1918–1940. A scanty number of Russian immigrants did not leave a more significant trace in Lithuania’s political and social life. It could be claimed that the most active in Lithuania were the officers of the White Army; they made attempts to unite and establish branches of the most influential European emigrants’ organizations. The author of the article presents data about the following organizations: The Union of the Mutual Aid for the Former Russian Army Employees and Invalids, which functioned in 1919–1924, The Union of Mutual Aid for the Former Officers of the Russian Armies and Navy (Kaunas branch), which existed in 1924–1925; branches of The Union of the Russian Fascist Parties and Nationalistic Younger Generation, established in 1936; The Union of Russian Emigrants in Lithuania, which was active in Kaunas in 1926–1940, and others. The article also reviews the organization and outcomes of the emigration of Russian immigrants to Africa and South America. The organizations of Russian immigrants were scanty, not active enough, and could not stimulate intense political activity of the Russians living in Lithuania. This could be accounted for by many reasons; the most important one was that the number of immigrants was not numerous, especially that of intellectuals and activists; in addition, they did not establish close ties with the existing Russian community and the authorities of Lithuania’s Orthodox diocese. At the turn of the 2nd–3rd decades, when Lithuania as an independent state was evolving, national security institutions did not tolerate the organizations of White officers. Later, especially in the 4th decade, Lithuanian authorities adopted a more lenient position towards the activity of the Russian immigrants. Despite the protests of the Russian envoy in Lithuania, state institutions were in no hurry to dissolve these organizations; they simply looked after their activities and leaders. As a matter of fact, these organizations and their activities were evaluated positively: these organizations were anticommunist; they divided politically active Russian population and, to some extent, neutralized interest in the Bolshevism. On the other hand, this change of the attitude could be treated as an indicator of Lithuania’s trust in its citizen and, what is more important, in its statehood.

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