Editing Lithuania (section)

==History==
<!--- PLEASE DO NOT ADD MINORLY IMPORTANT AND LONG DETAILS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF LITHUANIA TO THIS SECTION TO KEEP THIS SECTION WRITTEN IN SUMMARY STYLE --->
{{Main|History of Lithuania}}

===Early history and Baltic tribes===
{{Main|Balts}}
{{See also|Lithuanian land confederation}}
[[File:Baltic-amber-colours.JPG|thumb|left|Baltic amber was a valuable trade item, transported from the region of modern-day Lithuania to the [[Roman Empire]] through the [[Amber Road]].]]
[[File:KernavėsPLK.JPG|thumb|left|Ancient [[Kernavė Mounds|Kernavė hillforts]]]]
The history of Lithuania dates back to settlements founded about 10,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book|title=International migration in Lithuania : causes, consequences, strategy|last=Sipavičienė, Audra.|date=1997|publisher=United Nations Economic Commission for Europe|isbn=9986523397|pages=55|oclc=39615701}}</ref><ref name=kudirka13>{{Cite book|title=The Lithuanians: An Ethnic Portrait|last=Kudirka|first=Juozas|authorlink=Juozas Kudirka|publisher=Lithuanian Folk Culture Centre|year=1991|pages=13}}</ref> The first people settled in the territory of Lithuania after the [[Last Glacial Period]] in the 10th millennium BC: [[Kunda culture|Kunda]], [[Neman culture|Neman]] and [[Narva culture]]s.<ref name="PoloméWinter2011">{{cite book|author1=Edgar C. Polomé|author2=Werner Winter|title=Reconstructing Languages and Cultures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DIj-nZWsX_0C&pg=PA298|year=2011|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-086792-3|page=298}}</ref> They were traveling hunters. In the 8th millennium BC the climate became warmer and forests developed. The inhabitants of what is now Lithuania travelled less and engaged in local hunting, gathering and fresh-water fishing. The [[Indo-European migrations|Indo-Europeans]], who arrived in the 3rd – 2nd millennium BC, mixed with the local population and formed various [[Baltic tribes]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Šapoka|first1=Adolfas|title=Lietuvos istorija|date=1936|publisher=[[Šviesa]]|location=Kaunas|pages=13–17|url=http://www.partizanai.org/failai/pdf/sapokos-istorija.pdf|access-date=19 February 2018|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225035041/http://www.partizanai.org/failai/pdf/sapokos-istorija.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The Baltic tribes did not maintain close cultural or political contacts with the [[Roman Empire]],<ref name="MacDonald1996">{{cite book|author=Michael H. MacDonald|title=Europe, a Tantalizing Romance: Past and Present Europe for Students and the Serious Traveler|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BQyk0nJNsxUC&pg=PA174|year=1996|publisher=University Press of America|isbn=978-0-7618-0411-6|page=174}}</ref> while maintaining trade contacts via the [[Amber Road]].

From the 9th to the 11th centuries, coastal Balts were subjected to raids by the [[Vikings]].<ref name="Kasekamp2017">{{cite book|author=Andres Kasekamp|title=A History of the Baltic States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QDA5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA9|year=2017|publisher=Macmillan International Higher Education|isbn=978-1-137-57366-7|page=9}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Lithuania comprised mainly the culturally different regions of [[Samogitia]] (known for its early medieval skeletal burials), and further east [[Aukštaitija]], or [[Lithuania proper]] (known for its early medieval cremation burials). The area was remote and unattractive to outsiders, including traders, which accounts for its separate linguistic, cultural and religious identity and delayed integration into general European patterns and trends.<ref name="Ochmański 37">Ochmański (1982), p. 37</ref> Traditional [[Lithuanian mythology|Lithuanian pagan customs and mythology]], with many archaic elements, were long preserved. Rulers' bodies were cremated up until the conversion to Christianity: the descriptions of the cremation ceremonies of the grand dukes [[Algirdas]] and [[Kęstutis]] have survived.<ref name="Bumblauskas 24-25">Eidintas et al. (2013), pp. 24–25</ref>

===Kingdom of Lithuania, Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth===
{{Main|Duchy of Lithuania|Kingdom of Lithuania|Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Kościuszko Uprising}}
[[File:Lithuanian state in 13-15th centuries.png|thumb|left|Changes in the territory of Lithuania from the 13th to 15th century. At its peak, Lithuania was the largest state in Europe.<ref name="Bideleux">{{cite book |last1=Bideleux |first1=Robert |title=A history of Eastern Europe: crisis and change |last2=Jeffries |first2=Ian |date=1998 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-16111-4 |page=122}}</ref><ref name="USDoS"/>]]
[[File:Traku pilis by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|thumb|left|[[Trakai Island Castle]], the former residence of the [[List of Lithuanian monarchs|Grand Dukes]]. [[Trakai]] was the capital of the medieval state.]]
[[File:Vilnia. Вільня (T. Makoŭski, 1600).jpg|thumb|left|Panorama of Vilnius in 1600]]
The first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD.<ref>Gudavičius, Edvardas (1999) ''Lietuvos Istorija: Nuo Seniausių Laikų iki 1569 Metų (Lithuanian History: From Ancient Times to the Year 1569)'' Vilnius, page 28, {{ISBN|5-420-00723-1}}</ref> Facing the [[Livonian Crusade|German threat]], [[Mindaugas]] in the middle of the 13th century united a large part of the [[Balts|Baltic]] tribes and founded the State of Lithuania, while in 1253 he was crowned as the Catholic [[Kingdom of Lithuania|King of Lithuania]].<ref name="Mindaugas">{{cite web |last1=Gudavičius |first1=Edvardas |title=Mindaugas |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/mindaugas/ |website=[[Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija]] |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref><ref name="LTHistoryBritannica">{{cite web |title=Lithuania - History |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Lithuania/History |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=3 November 2024 |date=21 October 2024}}</ref> Moreover by taking advantage of the weakened territory of the former [[Kievan Rus']] due to the [[Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'|Mongol invasion]], Mindaugas incorporated [[Black Ruthenia]] into Lithuania.<ref name="Mindaugas"/> After Mindaugas' assassination in 1263, [[Lithuanian mythology|pagan Lithuania]] was again a target of the [[Lithuanian Crusade|Christian crusades]] of the [[Teutonic Knights]] and [[Livonian Order]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gudavičius |first1=Edvardas |last2=Jasas |first2=Rimantas |title=Kryžiaus karai Baltijos regione |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kryziaus-karai-baltijos-regione/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> [[Traidenis]] during his reign (1269–1282) reunified all Lithuanian lands and achieved military successes against the Crusaders, fighting alongside other Baltic tribes, but was unable to militarily assist the [[Old Prussians]] in their [[Prussian uprisings#The Great Prussian uprising (1260–1274)|Great Uprising]].<ref name="Traidenis">{{cite web |title=Traidenis |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/traidenis/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> Traidenis' main residence was in [[Kernavė]].<ref name="Traidenis"/>

From the late 13th century members of the [[Lithuanians|Lithuanian]] [[Gediminids]] dynasty began ruling Lithuania, who consolidated a [[hereditary monarchy]] and the [[Letters of Gediminas|status]] of [[Vilnius]] as permanent [[capital city]], [[Christianization of Lithuania|christianized Lithuania]] and by incorporating [[East Slavs]]' territories (e.g. principalities of [[Principality of Minsk|Minsk]], [[Principality of Kiev|Kyiv]], [[Principality of Polotsk|Polotsk]], [[Principality of Vitebsk|Vitebsk]], [[Principality of Smolensk|Smolensk]], etc.) significantly expanded the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]'s territory, which reached ~650,000 km2 in the first half of the 14th century.<ref name="VleLDK">{{cite web |last1=Petrauskas |first1=Rimvydas |title=Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-didzioji-kunigaikstyste/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> At the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest country in [[Europe]].<ref name="Bideleux"/><ref name="USDoS">{{cite web |title=Lithuania (02/08) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/lithuania/101494.htm |website=U.S. Department of State}}</ref> In 1385, Lithuania formed a [[dynastic union]] with [[Poland during the Jagiellon dynasty|Poland]] through the [[Union of Krewo]].<ref name="VleLDK"/> Furthermore, in the late 14th–15th centuries [[Patrilineality|patrilineal]] [[Jagiellonian dynasty|members]] of the Lithuanian ruling Gediminids dynasty ruled not only Lithuania and Poland, but [[Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526)|Hungary]], [[Croatia in personal union with Hungary|Croatia]], [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]], and [[Moldavia]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gediminaičiai |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/gediminaiciai/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jogailaičiai |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/jogailaiciai/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The German attacks on Lithuania were ceased with a decisive Polish–Lithuanian victory in the [[Battle of Grunwald]] in 1410 and by concluding the [[Treaty of Melno]] in 1422.<ref name="VleLDK"/>

In the 15th century the strengthened [[Grand Duchy of Moscow]] renewed the [[Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars]] for the Lithuanian-controlled [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] territories.<ref name="VleLDK"/> Due to the unsuccessful beginning of the [[Livonian War]], loss of land to the [[Tsardom of Russia]], and pressure by monarch [[Sigismund II Augustus]], a supporter of a close Polish–Lithuanian union, the [[Lithuanian nobility]] agreed to conclude the [[Union of Lublin]] in 1569 with the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland]], which created a new [[Federation|federative]] [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] with a joint monarch (holding both titles of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania), but Lithuania remained a separate state from Poland with its own territory (~300 000 km2), coat of arms, management apparatus, laws, courts, seal, army, treasury, etc.<ref name="LUnija">{{cite web |last1=Jasas |first1=Rimantas |title=Liublino unija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/liublino-unija/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref><ref name="VleLDK"/> After concluding the [[real union]] Lithuania and Poland jointly managed to reach military successes during the Livonian War, [[Polish–Lithuanian occupation of Moscow|occupation of Moscow]] (1610), [[Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611)|war with Sweden (1600–1611)]], [[Smolensk War|Smolensk war with Russia (1632–1634)]], etc.<ref name="VleLDK"/><ref name="LUnija"/> In 1588, [[Sigismund III Vasa]] personally confirmed the [[Statutes of Lithuania#Third Statute|Third Statute of Lithuania]] where it was stated that Lithuania and Poland have equal rights within the Commonwealth and ensured the [[separation of powers]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Andriulis |first1=Vytautas |title=Trečiasis Lietuvos Statutas |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/treciasis-lietuvos-statutas/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The real union strongly intensified the [[Polonization]] of Lithuania and Lithuanian nobility.<ref>{{cite web |title=Polonizacija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/polonizacija/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref>

The mid-17th century was marked with disastrous military loses for Lithuania as during the [[Deluge (history)|Deluge]] most of the territory of Lithuania was annexed by the Tsardom of Russia and even Lithuania's capital Vilnius was fully [[Battle of Vilnius (1655)|captured]] for the first time by a foreign army and ravaged.<ref name="Raila">{{cite web |last1=Raila |first1=Eligijus |title=ATR nelaimių šimtmetis |url=http://www.xn--altiniai-4wb.info/index/details/102 |website=Šaltiniai.info |access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> In 1655, Lithuania unilaterally [[Union of Kėdainiai|seceded]] from Poland, declared the Swedish King [[Charles X Gustav of Sweden|Charles X Gustav]] as the Grand Duke of Lithuania and fell under the [[Swedish Lithuania|protection of the Swedish Empire]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Kėdainių sutartis |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kedainiu-sutartis/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> However, by 1657 Lithuania was once again a part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth following the Lithuanian revolt against the Swedes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lietuvių sukilimas prieš švedus |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuviu-sukilimas-pries-svedus/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> Vilnius was recaptured from the Russians in 1661.<ref>{{cite web |title=1661 12 03 Vilniaus pilyje kapituliavo rusų įgula |url=https://www.delfi.lt/archive/1661-12-03-vilniaus-pilyje-kapituliavo-rusu-igula.d?id=26316243 |website=DELFI |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref>

In the second half of the 18th century the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was three times [[Partitions of Poland|partitioned]] by three neighboring countries which completely [[Dissolution (politics)|dissoluted]] both independent Lithuania and Poland from the political map in 1795 after a failed [[Kościuszko Uprising]] and short-lived [[Vilnius uprising (1794)|recapture of capital Vilnius]] in 1794.<ref name="VleLDK"/> Most of Lithuania's territory was [[Russian Partition|annexed by the Russian Empire]], while {{Interlanguage link|Užnemunė|lt=Užnemunė|lt}} was annexed by [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]].<ref name="VleLDK"/>

===Efforts to restore statehood===
{{Main|November Uprising|January Uprising|Lithuanian National Revival}}
[[File:Emila Plater conducting Polish scythemen in 1831.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Emilia Plater]] leading peasant [[Kosynierzy|scythemen]] during the 1831 Uprising against Russian Empire; often nicknamed as a Lithuanian [[Joan of Arc]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/emilija-plateryte/|title=Emilija Platerytė|website=[[Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija ]]|language=lt}}</ref>]]

Following the annexation the [[Tsarist autocracy|Russian Tsarist]] authorities implemented [[Russification]] policies in Lithuania, which then made a part of a new administrative region [[Northwestern Krai]].<ref name="Vle1795-1914">{{cite web |title=Lietuva Rusijos imperijos valdymo metais (1795–1914) |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuva-rusijos-imperijos-valdymo-metais-1795-1914/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1812 [[Napoleon]] during the [[French invasion of Russia]] has established the puppet [[Lithuanian Provisional Governing Commission]] to support his war efforts, however after Napoleon's defeat the Russian rule was reinstated in Lithuania.<ref name="Vle1795-1914"/>

During the [[November Uprising]] (1830–1831) the Lithuanians and Poles jointly attempted to restore their statehoods, however the Russian victory resulted in stricter Russification measures: the [[Russian language]] was introduced in all government institutions, [[Vilnius University]] was closed in 1832, and theories that Lithuania had been a "Western Russian" state since its establishment were propagated.<ref name="Vle1795-1914"/> Subsequently, the Lithuanians once again tried to restore statehood by participating in the [[January Uprising]] (1863–1864), but yet another Russian victory resulted in even stronger Russification policies with the introduction of the [[Lithuanian press ban]], pressure on the [[Catholic Church in Lithuania]] and [[Mikhail Muravyov-Vilensky]]'s repressions.<ref name="Vle1795-1914"/><ref name="JIB">{{cite web |title=January Insurrection |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/January-Insurrection |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref>

[[Simonas Daukantas]] promoted a return to Lithuania's pre-Commonwealth traditions, which he depicted as a Golden Age of Lithuania and a renewal of the native culture, based on the [[Lithuanian language]] and customs. With those ideas in mind, he wrote already in 1822 a history of Lithuania in Lithuanian – ''Darbai senųjų lietuvių ir žemaičių'' (''The Deeds of Ancient Lithuanians and Samogitians''), though it was not published at that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/simonas-daukantas/|title= Simonas Daukantas|website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija|language=lt}}</ref> A colleague of S. Daukantas, [[Teodor Narbutt]], wrote in Polish a voluminous ''Ancient History of the Lithuanian Nation'' (1835–1841), where he likewise expounded and expanded further on the concept of historic Lithuania, whose days of glory had ended with the Union of Lublin in 1569. Narbutt, invoking German scholarship, pointed out the relationship between the Lithuanian and Sanskrit languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/teodoras-narbutas/|title= Teodoras Narbutas|website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija|language=lt}}</ref>

The Lithuanians resisted Russification through an extensive network of [[Lithuanian book smugglers]], secret Lithuanian publishing and homeschooling.<ref>{{cite web |title=XX a. pradžioje rusus suerzino paviešinti lietuvių knygnešystės mastai |url=https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/tavo-lrt/15/22153/xx-a-pradzioje-rusus-suerzino-paviesinti-lietuviu-knygnesystes-mastai |website=[[Lithuanian National Radio and Television]] |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt |date=28 July 2013}}</ref> Moreover, the [[Lithuanian National Revival]], inspired by Lithuanian history, language and culture, laid the foundations for the reestablishment of an independent Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Merkys |first1=Vytautas |title=Lietuvių tautinis judėjimas |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuviu-tautinis-judejimas/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The [[Great Seimas of Vilnius]] was held in 1905 and its participants adopted resolutions which demanded a wide [[Autonomy#Politics|autonomy]] for Lithuania.<ref name="Vle1795-1914"/>

===Restored statehood and occupations===
{{Main|Act of Independence of Lithuania|Occupation of the Baltic states|German occupation of Lithuania during World War II| Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic}}
{{See also|Lithuanian partisans|Guerrilla war in the Baltic states}}

[[File:Signatarai.Signatories of Lithuania.jpg|thumb|200px|Members of the Council of Lithuania after signing the Act of Independence of Lithuania in 1918]]
During [[World War I]] the [[German Empire]] annexed Lithuanian territories from the Russian Empire and they became a part of ''[[Ober Ost]]''.<ref name="Vle1918-1920">{{cite web |last1=Lasinskas |first1=Povilas |title=Nepriklausomos Lietuvos valstybės atkūrimas (1918–1920) |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/nepriklausomos-lietuvos-valstybes-atkurimas-1918-1920/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1917, the Lithuanians organized the [[Vilnius Conference]] which adopted a resolution, featuring the aspiration for the restoration of Lithuania's sovereignty and military alliance with Germany and elected the [[Council of Lithuania]].<ref name="Vle1918-1920"/> In 1918, the short-lived [[Kingdom of Lithuania (1918)|Kingdom of Lithuania]] was proclaimed; however on 16 February 1918 the Council of Lithuania adopted the [[Act of Independence of Lithuania]] which restored Lithuania as a [[democracy|democratic]] [[republic]] with its capital in [[Vilnius]] and without any political ties that existed with other nations in the past.<ref name="Vle1918-1920"/> In 1918–1920 the Lithuanians defended the statehood of Lithuania during the [[Lithuanian Wars of Independence]] with [[Lithuanian–Soviet War|Bolsheviks]], [[Lithuanian–Bermontian War|Bermontians]] and [[Polish–Lithuanian War|Poles]].<ref name="Vle1918-1920"/> The aims of the newly restored Lithuania clashed with [[Józef Piłsudski]]'s plans to create a [[federation]] ([[Intermarium]]) in territories previously ruled by the [[Jagiellonian dynasty|Jagiellonians]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Miknys |first1=Rimantas |title=Józef Piłsudski |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/jozef-pilsudski/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The Lithuanian authorities prevented the [[1919 Polish coup attempt in Lithuania]] and in 1920 during the [[Żeligowski's Mutiny]] the Polish forces captured [[Vilnius Region]] and established a [[puppet state]] of the [[Republic of Central Lithuania]], which in 1922 was incorporated into Poland.<ref name="Vle1918-1920"/> Consequently, [[Kaunas]] became the [[temporary capital of Lithuania]] where the [[Constituent Assembly of Lithuania]] was held and other primary Lithuanian institutions operated until 1940.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kauno istorija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kauno-istorija/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1923, the [[Klaipėda Revolt]] was organized which unified the [[Klaipėda Region]] with Lithuania.<ref name="Vle1920-1940">{{cite web |last1=Lasinskas |first1=Povilas |title=Lietuvos Respublika 1920–1940 |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-respublika-1920-1940/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The [[1926 Lithuanian coup d'état]] replaced the democratically elected government and [[Kazys Grinius#President (1926)|president]] with an [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] regime led by [[Antanas Smetona]].<ref name="Vle1920-1940"/>

[[File:Celebrations of Vilnius return to Lithuania near Vilnius Cathedral in 1939.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Lithuanian Armed Forces]] returning to Vilnius in 1939]]
In the late 1930s Lithuania accepted the [[1938 Polish ultimatum to Lithuania|1938 Polish ultimatum]], [[1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania|1939 German ultimatum]] and transferred the Klaipėda Region to [[Nazi Germany]] and following the beginning of the [[World War II]] concluded the [[Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty]].<ref name="VleListorija">{{cite web |title=Lietuvos istorija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-istorija/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1940 Lithuania accepted the [[Soviet ultimatum to Lithuania|Soviet ultimatum]] and recovered the control of its historical capital Vilnius, however, the acceptance resulted in the [[Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (1940)|Soviet occupation of Lithuania]] and its transformation into the [[Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic]].<ref name="VleListorija"/> In 1941 during the [[June Uprising in Lithuania]] it was attempted to restore independent Lithuania and the [[Red Army]] was expelled from its territory, however in a few days Lithuania was [[German occupation of Lithuania during World War II|occupied by Nazi Germany]].<ref name="VleListorija"/> In 1944 Lithuania was [[Soviet re-occupation of the Baltic states (1944)|re-occupied by the Soviet Union]] and [[Political repression in the Soviet Union|Soviet political repressions]] along with [[Soviet deportations from Lithuania]] resumed.<ref name="VleListorija"/> Thousands of [[Lithuanian partisans]] and their supporters attempted to militarily restore independent Lithuania, but their resistance was eventually suppressed in 1953 by the [[Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies|Soviet authorities]] and their [[extermination battalion|collaborators]].<ref name="VleListorija"/> [[Jonas Žemaitis]], the chairman of the [[Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters]], was captured and [[Capital punishment in the Soviet Union|executed]] in 1954, his successor as chairman [[Adolfas Ramanauskas]] was brutally tortured and executed in 1957.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Juodis |first1=Darius |title=Jonas Žemaitis |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/jonas-zemaitis/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ramanauskaitė-Skokauskienė |first1=Auksutė |title=Adolfas Ramanauskas |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/adolfas-ramanauskas/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=3 November 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> Since the late 1980s [[Sąjūdis]] movement sought for the restoration of independent Lithuania and in 1989 the [[Baltic Way]] was held.<ref name="VleListorija"/>

===1990–present===
{{Main|Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania}}
{{See also|Singing Revolution|Baltic Way}}
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 375
| header_align = left/right/center
| footer = On 11 March 1990, the [[Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas|Supreme Council]] announced the [[Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania|restoration of Lithuania's independence]].<ref name="Bell2002">{{cite book|author=Imogen Bell|title=Central and South-Eastern Europe 2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CrpzRJCbckC&pg=PA376|year=2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-1-85743-136-0|page=376}}</ref> After refusal to revoke the Act, [[Soviet Army|Soviet forces]] stormed the [[Seimas Palace]] while Lithuanians defended the democratically elected Council. The Act, the first such declaration in the USSR, later was a model and inspiration to other [[Soviet republics]], and strongly influenced the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]].
| footer_align = left/right/center
| image1 = Seimas Palace during January 13 events in Vilnius Lithuania (2).jpg
| image2 = Act of Restoration of Independence of Lithuania 1990-03-11.png
}}
On 11 March 1990, the [[Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas|Supreme Council]] announced the restoration of Lithuania's independence. Lithuania became the first Soviet-occupied state to announce the restitution of independence.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=12 March 1990 |title=Lithuania breaks away from the Soviet Union |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1990/mar/12/eu.politics |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921161738/https://www.theguardian.com/world/1990/mar/12/eu.politics |archive-date=21 September 2019 |access-date=7 June 2018 |website=[[The Guardian]] |quote=Lithuania last night became the first republic to break away from the Soviet Union, by proclaiming the restoration of its pre-war independence. The newly-elected parliament, 'reflecting the people's will,' decreed the restoration of 'the sovereign rights of the Lithuanian state, infringed by alien forces in 1940,' and declared that from that moment Lithuania was again an independent state |location=London}}</ref> On 20 April 1990, the Soviets [[Soviet economic blockade of Lithuania|imposed an economic blockade]] by ceasing to deliver supplies of raw materials to Lithuania.<ref>{{cite magazine |author1=Martha Brill Olcott |title=The Lithuanian Crisis |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian-federation/1990-06-01/lithuanian-crisis |website=www.foreignaffairs.com |access-date=18 November 2018 |date=1990 |quote=For over two years Lithuania has been moving toward reclaiming its independence. This drive reached a crescendo on 11 March 1990, when the Supreme Soviet of Lithuania declared the republic no longer bound by Soviet law. The act reasserted the independence Lithuania had declared more than seventy years before, a declaration unilaterally annulled by the U.S.S.R. in 1940 when it annexed Lithuania as the result of a pact between Stalin and Hitler. |archive-date=20 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720055455/https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian-federation/1990-06-01/lithuanian-crisis |url-status=live}}</ref> Not only domestic industry, but also the population started feeling the lack of fuel, essential goods, and even hot water. Although the blockade lasted for 74 days, Lithuania did not renounce the declaration of independence.<ref name="LT1990">{{cite web |last1=Laurinavičius |first1=Česlovas |title=Lietuvos Respublika po 1990 |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-respublika-po-1990/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |language=lt}}</ref>

Gradually, economic relations were restored. However, tensions peaked again in January 1991. Attempts were made to carry out a coup using the [[Soviet Armed Forces]], the Internal Army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the USSR Committee for State Security ([[KGB]]). Because of the poor economic situation in Lithuania, the forces in Moscow thought the [[coup d'état]] would receive strong public support.<ref>{{cite web|title=10 svarbiausių 1991–ųjų sausio įvykių, kuriuos privalote žinoti|url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/10-svarbiausiu-1991-uju-sausio-ivykiu-kuriuos-privalote-zinoti-56-565845|website=15min.lt|access-date=13 January 2016|archive-date=25 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625115355/https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/10-svarbiausiu-1991-uju-sausio-ivykiu-kuriuos-privalote-zinoti-56-565845|url-status=live}}</ref> People flooded to Vilnius to defend the [[Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas|Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania]] and independence. The coup ended with a few casualties and material loss. The [[Soviet Army]] killed 14 people and injured hundreds. A large part of the Lithuanian population participated in the [[January Events]].<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|title=On This Day 13 January 1991: Bloodshed at Lithuanian TV station|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/13/newsid_4059000/4059959.stm|access-date=13 September 2011|date=13 January 1991|archive-date=9 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109010731/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/13/newsid_4059000/4059959.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Soviet crackdown; Soviet loyalists in charge after attack in Lithuania; 13 dead; curfew is imposed| author=Bill Keller| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=14 January 1991| access-date=18 December 2009| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/14/world/soviet-crackdown-soviet-loyalists-charge-after-attack-lithuania-13-dead-curfew.html?pagewanted=all| archive-date=17 April 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417195108/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/14/world/soviet-crackdown-soviet-loyalists-charge-after-attack-lithuania-13-dead-curfew.html?pagewanted=all| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="LT1990"/> On 31 July 1991, Soviet paramilitaries killed 7 Lithuanian border guards on the Belarusian border in what became known as the [[Medininkai Massacre]].<ref name="LT1990"/> On 17 September 1991, Lithuania was admitted to the [[United Nations]].<ref name="LT1990"/>

On 25 October 1992, citizens voted in a referendum to adopt the current [[Constitution of Lithuania|constitution]].<ref name="LT1990"/> On 14 February 1993, during the direct general elections, [[Algirdas Brazauskas]] became the first president after the restoration of independence.<ref name="LT1990"/> On 31 August 1993 the last units of the former Soviet Army left Lithuania.<ref>{{cite book| author=Richard J. Krickus| chapter=Democratization in Lithuania| editor=K. Dawisha and B. Parrott| title=The Consolidation of Democracy in East-Central Europe| date=June 1997| page=[https://archive.org/details/consolidationofd0000unse/page/344 344]| publisher=Cambridge University Press| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NRkpNovMd_cC&pg=PA344| isbn=978-0-521-59938-2| url=https://archive.org/details/consolidationofd0000unse/page/344}}</ref>

On 31 May 2001, Lithuania joined the [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO).<ref>{{cite web |title=WTO - Accessions: Lithuania |url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/a1_lituanie_e.htm |website=www.wto.org |access-date=30 March 2021 |archive-date=31 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531070148/https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/a1_lituanie_e.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Since March 2004, Lithuania has been part of [[NATO]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) |url=https://www.urm.lt/default/en/foreign-policy/lithuania-in-the-region-and-the-world/lithuanias-security-policy/lithuanian-membership-in-nato |website=Urm.lt |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=5 February 2014 |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417181725/https://www.urm.lt/default/en/foreign-policy/lithuania-in-the-region-and-the-world/lithuanias-security-policy/lithuanian-membership-in-nato}}</ref> On 1 May 2004, it became a full member of the [[European Union]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Membership |url=https://www.urm.lt/default/en/foreign-policy/lithuania-in-the-region-and-the-world/lithuania-member-of-the-european-union/membership |website=Urm.lt |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=6 January 2016 |archive-date=26 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626050010/https://www.urm.lt/default/en/foreign-policy/lithuania-in-the-region-and-the-world/lithuania-member-of-the-european-union/membership}}</ref> and a member of the [[Schengen Agreement]] in December 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania has joined the Schengen Area |url=http://no.mfa.lt/no/en/news/lithuania-has-joined-the-schengen-area |website=mfa.lt |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=16 January 2008 |archive-date=26 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626050010/http://no.mfa.lt/no/en/news/lithuania-has-joined-the-schengen-area}}</ref> On 1 January 2015, [[Lithuania and the euro|Lithuania joined]] the [[eurozone]] and adopted the European Union's single currency.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kropaite |first1=Zivile |title=Lithuania joins Baltic neighbours in euro club |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30635826 |website=BBC News |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=1 January 2015 |archive-date=3 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703111641/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30635826 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 4 July 2018, Lithuania officially joined the [[OECD]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania officially becomes the 36th OECD member |url=https://lrv.lt/en/news/lithuania-officially-becomes-the-36th-oecd-member |website=lrv.lt |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=5 July 2018 |archive-date=3 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703105900/https://lrv.lt/en/news/lithuania-officially-becomes-the-36th-oecd-member}}</ref> [[Dalia Grybauskaitė]] was the first female [[President of Lithuania]] (2009–2019) and the first to be re-elected for a second consecutive term.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania President Re-elected on Anti-Russian Platform |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/lithuania-president-re-elected-on-anti-russian-platform/1922612.html |website=VOA |access-date=8 April 2023 |date=26 May 2014 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408194013/https://www.voanews.com/a/lithuania-president-re-elected-on-anti-russian-platform/1922612.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On 24 February 2022, Lithuania declared a [[state of emergency]] in response to the 2022 [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuania declares state of emergency after Russia invades Ukraine|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-declares-state-emergency-after-russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24/|date=24 February 2022|access-date=8 June 2022|website=Reuters|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224145525/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-declares-state-emergency-after-russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24/|url-status=live}}</ref> Together with seven other NATO member states, it invoked NATO [[North Atlantic Treaty#Article 4|Article 4]] to hold consultations on security.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-europe-russia-vladimir-putin-71bf9d3687e1a04f11dfb895639a13ca |title=NATO vows to defend its entire territory after Russia attack |last=Cook |first=Lorne |website=Associated Press |date=24 February 2022 |access-date=8 June 2022 |archive-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224095154/https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-europe-russia-vladimir-putin-71bf9d3687e1a04f11dfb895639a13ca |url-status=live}}</ref> On 11–12 July 2023, the [[2023 Vilnius summit|2023 NATO summit]] was held in Vilnius.<ref>{{cite web |title=2023 NATO Summit |url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/216570.htm |website=NATO |access-date=18 September 2023 |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922050539/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/216570.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>