LithuaniaBy David

(Thanks Schuyler for your help!)

THE BASICS

Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia (Kaliningrad)

Basics

Area: 65,300 sq km (slightly larger than West Virginia)

Climate: mild mix of maritime and continental; moderate winters and summers 

Terrain: lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil 

Highest point: Aukstojas 294 m Currency: Litas (not in the eurozone) Resources: peat, arable land (44.81% of

territory), amber

Basics

Lithuanian CountrysideNear Alytus, Lithuania

Population: 3.5 million (double the population of Nebraska)

Population growth rate: -0.278% (one of the lowest in the world)

Urbanization: 67% Infant mortality rate: 6.18 per 1000 (about

the same as the US) Unemployment: 15.6% Youth Unemployment: a staggering 29.4% -

16th highest in the world.

Demographics

EthnicityLithuanian 84%, Polish 6.1%, Russian

4.9%, Belarusian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.9%

LithuanianPolishRussianBelarusianOther

LanguagesLithuanian (official) 82%,

Polish 5.6%, Russian 8%, other and unspecified 4.4% 

LithuanianPolishRussianOther

ReligionCatholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant 1.9%, other or

unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% 

CatholicRussian OrthodoxProtestantOtherNone

HISTORY

Lithuanian people united by Mindaugas, first king of Lithuania, in 1253

14th century expansion south and east into modern Belarus

15th century: largest state in Europe

Due to a royal marriage, Lithuania unites with Poland. The union would last until 1795.

Early Lithuania (1253-1795)

Mindaugas‘Sup.

Partition of Lithuanian-Polish territory during end of 1700s. Lithuania under full Russian control by 1815.

Russification occurs. Cyrillic alphabet mandated and Catholics were persecuted.

Germany occupies Lithuania during part of WWI, and then allows for an independent Lithuania.

Poland tries to reunify with Lithuania, but the League of Nations permanently separate the two.

Occupations: 1795-WWI

1926: Lithuania and the new Soviet Union sign a non-aggression treaty...

But in 1939 the secret treaty between Nazi Germany and the USSR brings Lithuania under the Soviet sphere of influence.

1940: USSR occupies Lithuania and begins integrating Lithuania as a USSR constituent republic.

Lithuania occupied by Nazi Germany during Operation Barbarossa. 190,000 Lithuanian Jews sent to concentration camps; one-third of Vilnius' population (mostly Jews) are killed. Lithuania had previously been considered of the world's most important Jewish cultural centers.

Interwar Period and WWII (aka More Occupations)

The Holocaust in LithuaniaJews in Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania

just before their execution,July 1941

Lithuania once again occupied by the USSR in 1944. Sovietization begins anew, including deportations to Siberia, forced collectivization of agriculture, and religious persecution (which led to the Catholic Church's resistance being intertwined with Lithuanian nationalism).

Democratization process sparked by Gorbachev's policies. Anti-Soviet movements emerge, crisis within Lithuanian Communist Party. Lithuania becomes the first Soviet republic to declare independence, which is restored in March 1990.

Lithuania under Soviet Rule

Opposition to the Soviet UnionPro-independence demonstration in the capital of Vilnius, January 1990

In 1992, Lithuania lost one-third of its GNP and inflation reached almost 1,000%.

1995: 80% of Lithuanians in poverty. Russian troops were not fully withdrawn from

Lithuania until 1993. October 1999: Finance and economy ministers

resign after the government's massively unpopular sale of the state oil company to an American firm.

June 2002: As part of its application to the EU, Lithuania promises to shut down the Ignalina nuclear plant (its reactors are similar to Chernobyl's).

Post-Soviet Era: Economic Turmoil

Lithuania joins both the EU and NATO in 2004. EU membership has sparked a wave of emigration

from Lithuania to richer parts of Europe, creating a significant demographic problem.

Since 1991 Lithuania has shifted back and forth between its Conservative Party and the formerly Communist Democratic Labour Party, although Lithuanian politics relies heavily on the use of coalition governments.

Lithuania elected its first (and current) female president, Dalia Grybauskaite, in 2009.

The 21st Century

Intermission! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deeiRJ_n374

CURRENT ISSUES

Despite Lithuania's EU accession, Lithuania's trade with its Central and Eastern European neighbors, and Russia in particular, accounts for a significant share of total trade.

Foreign investment and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy.

Lithuania's economy grew on average 8% per year for the four years prior to 2008 driven by exports and domestic demand. However, GDP plunged nearly 15% in 2009 - the three former Soviet Baltic republics were among the hardest hit by the 2008-09 financial crisis.

Economy

The government's broad neoliberal economic reforms have led to a quick recovery from a deep recession - GDP grew 1.3% in 2010 and jumped 5.8% in 2011, making Lithuania one of the fastest growing economies in the EU.

However, unemployment - at 15.6% in 2011 - remains stubbornly high.

Debt is 38.5% of GDP, below the European average.

Economy (cont.)

A key issue is Lithuania’s energy situation. The EU demanded that Lithuania shut down its

Ignalina nuclear plant (which has a similar design to Chernobyl).

However, Lithuania did this without any alternative domestic energy source. Until it builds another plant (a project that won’t start until 2018), it must rely on Russia for most of its power.

This is hardly ideal for Lithuania, especially given its less-than-great history with Russia.

Energy

Ignalina Nuclear Power PlantOperational from 1983 to 2009, and

supplied over 70% of Lithuania’s electricity.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Fellow Baltic States Each of the three countries has declared

itself to be the restoration of the sovereign nations which existed already in 1918 – 40, emphasizing their contention that Soviet domination over the Baltic nations during the Cold War had been an illegal occupation and annexation.

Generally warm relations with Estonia and Latvia.

Estonia and Latvia

Obviously, Lithuanians resent the Russian occupations of Lithuania and oppression during the Soviet era.

Lithuania is very reliant on Russian energy: Since the Ignalina plant was shut down, 80% of its electricity comes from Russia, as well as all of Lithuania’s gas.

Russia is frustrated by Lithuania’s acceptance into NATO and the European institutions, seeing this as an encroachment of Russia’s “near abroad” sphere of influence.

Russia is also very concerned about the Russian minority in Lithuania.

Russia

Used to be the same country! Tensions between the two after independence

regarding Lithuania’s treatment of its Polish minority and Poland’s potential territorial claims to Lithuania. But a friendship treaty was signed in 1994.

But subsequent disagreements have stalled progress on energy issues – Lithuania is still unconnected to the Polish electrical grid. (Important as Lithuania has no gas alternative to Russian gas)

Poland

Lithuania joined the EU in May 2004; as such, Lithuanian policies are closely linked to those of the EU.

Lithuania will assume the EU Presidency for the second half of 2013.

But Lithuania is not part of the eurozone. It is obliged to eventually do so, but this is likely uncertain until the euro crisis is resolved.

Lithuania is also a part of NATO and therefore falls under NATO’s (read: American) security umbrella.

Since independence, Lithuania has clearly moved much closer to the West.

European Union and the West

ALMOST DONE…

Lithuania has a long history of occupations and tensions with its larger and more powerful neighbors.

The transition from a command economy to the free market was quite traumatic, but is essentially complete.

Since independence, Lithuania has aligned itself with Europe and the West, to the dismay of Russia.

Lithuania was hit very hard by the Great Recession, and has since implemented neoliberal reforms of its economy.

The energy situation in Lithuania since the shutdown of the Ignalina plant remains precarious.

Lithuania has a grand national anthem!

Conclusions

CIA World Factbook entry on Lithuania EU 2013 Presidency page President Dalia Grybauskaite’s recent

speech to the UN General Assembly regarding energy

And an article about it Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review The Wikipedia pages on Lithuania and its foreign

policy are decent (though not entirely comprehensive)

And I’ll try to find more!

Resources