Constituent Assembly of Lithuania
Encyclopedia
The Constituent Assembly of Lithuania was democratically elected in 1920 to draft and adopt the 1922 constitution of Lithuania
.
had been part of the Russian Empire
. At the end of the World War I
, on February 16, 1918, the Council of Lithuania
declared Lithuania's independence. The act of declaration called for forming a Constituent Assembly as soon as possible. However, Lithuania remained under German control till the Wilhelmshaven mutiny
took place in fall 1918. On November 2, 1918 the first draft of the constitution of Lithuania was adopted. On November 11, the same day as the final armistice treaty
ending World War I was signed, the first government of Lithuania was formed. Augustinas Voldemaras
became the first prime minister
. In December 1918, the Red Army
invaded the country, triggering the Freedom Wars
started. By the end of 1919 the Red Army
and the Bermontians were successfully ousted from the territory of Lithuania and the formation of state institutions and infrastructure began.
reached about 90%. The voters, both men and women, elected 112 representatives. The majority, 59 seats, was taken by Christian democrats
. 28 seats were taken by Peasants' Union and socialists, 12 by social democrats
, 10 by minorities (Jews, Poles, and Germans). The other 3 representatives were independent. Only 8 representatives were older than 50. 5 of the representatives were women. In fact, Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė
, a famous Lithuanian female writer, chaired the first session honoring the tradition that before the chair is elected, the oldest member acts as chair. As time passed, 38 members of the assembly resigned and were replaced. So in total there were 150 members of the Constituent Assembly.
The population of the Vilnius region
, under Polish control, and that of the Klaipėda region
, under French control, could not take part in the elections. However, the election law reserved 108 seats for the Vilnius region and 9 for the Klaipėda region. Therefore, there should have been 229 elected representatives.
, the temporary capital
. They declared that Lithuania is going to pursue independence on February 16, 1918. Also Aleksandras Stulginskis
was elected as the chairman and de facto
president. As soon as June 10, 1920, it passed the third and the final draft of the constitution.
On June 12, 1920 a peace treaty was signed with the Russian SFSR. It was highly beneficial to Lithuania as Russia recognized its independence de jure
(the first state to do so after 1918) and acknowledged that vast areas of the Vilnius region
belong to Lithuania. Shortly after the defeat in the Battle of Warsaw
, the withdrawing Red Army handed Vilnius over to Lithuania, in accordance with the agreement.
From October 1920 till February 1921, the Constituent Assembly was adjourned because the Lithuanian-Belarusian Division of the Polish Army
under General Lucjan Żeligowski
seized Vilnius
. Many representatives went to the front to defend the historic capital. Before adjourning it had created the so-called Small Seimas (Lithuanian: Mažasis Seimas) consisting of the Chairman and six members of the regular Constituent Assembly who were authorized to pass urgent laws.
In March 1921, after international arbitration
, a border treaty with Latvia
was signed. 21 km of coastline including the towns of Palanga
and Šventoji
were transferred to Lithuania. It also defended its interest in the city of Mažeikiai
. In return, Latvia received the so-called Aknysta foreland (Latvian: Aknīste) north of Rokiškis
. In total, Latvia gained about 100 km² more than Lithuania. This treaty solved all border conflicts with Latvia and the border remains the same today. It became a foundation for good and healthy cooperation between the two nations.
On September 23, 1921 Lithuania became a member of the League of Nations
. Most of the world's countries immediately recognized its independence.
On February 15, 1922 it passed a law on land reform. It was a decade-long reform which nationalized land owned by the nobility and distributed it to the volunteers who fought in the Freedom Wars and to peasants who owned none or very little land. This way Lithuania's agriculture was based on small (20-50 ha
) farms. Over the years 459,000 ha of land were distributed to over 65,000 people. The nobility was allowed to keep 80 ha of land and was reimbursed an average of 27 litas per ha for nationalized land. People who received land, except for the volunteers, were required to pay for the land for 36 years.
The main goal, to adopt a new constitution, was reached on August 1, 1922. The constitution granted broad powers to the Seimas
, the Parliament. It selected the Cabinet of Ministers
and elected the President. The Seimas and the president were to be elected every three years in democratic elections. Lithuania was declared a democratic republic modeled after the example of France
. Because of the Christian democrats' majority, the constitution clearly reflected Christian ideas. For example, it established that religious education is mandatory and its preamble
starts with the words "In the name of Almighty God" (Lithuanian: Vardan Dievo Visagalio).
On September 9 a law was passed on the national currency, introducing the litas
. On October 1, it was introduced. Litas became one of the stronger currencies in Europe.
On October 6, 1922 the Constituent Assembly resigned. A new regular Seimas started on November 13. The assembly passed approximately 150 laws, strengthened the state's administrative system, and laid the foundations of the future economic, social and cultural life in Lithuania.
Constitution of Lithuania
The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania defines the legal foundation for all laws passed in the Republic of Lithuania. It was approved in a referendum on October 25, 1992.-History:...
.
Historical background
Since 1795, LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
had been part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. At the end of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, on February 16, 1918, the Council of Lithuania
Council of Lithuania
The Council of Lithuania , after July 11, 1918 The State Council of Lithuania , was convened at the Vilnius Conference that took place between September 18 and 23, 1917. The council was granted the executive authority of the Lithuanian people and was entrusted to establish an independent...
declared Lithuania's independence. The act of declaration called for forming a Constituent Assembly as soon as possible. However, Lithuania remained under German control till the Wilhelmshaven mutiny
Wilhelmshaven mutiny
The Kiel mutiny was a major revolt by sailors of the German High Seas Fleet on 3 November 1918. The revolt triggered the German revolution which was to sweep aside the monarchy within a few days. It ultimately led to the end of the First World War and to the establishment of the Weimar Republic.-...
took place in fall 1918. On November 2, 1918 the first draft of the constitution of Lithuania was adopted. On November 11, the same day as the final armistice treaty
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
ending World War I was signed, the first government of Lithuania was formed. Augustinas Voldemaras
Augustinas Voldemaras
Augustinas Voldemaras was a Lithuanian nationalist political figure. He served as the country's first Prime Minister in 1918, and again from 1926 to 1929.- Biography :...
became the first prime minister
Prime Minister of Lithuania
The Prime Minister of Lithuania is the head of the executive arm of Lithuania's government, and is chosen by the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas. The modern office of Prime Minister was established in 1990, although the official title was "Chairperson of the Council of Ministers" until 25...
. In December 1918, the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
invaded the country, triggering the Freedom Wars
Freedom wars of Lithuania
The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles , refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end of World War I: with Bolshevik forces , Bermontians , and Poland...
started. By the end of 1919 the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and the Bermontians were successfully ousted from the territory of Lithuania and the formation of state institutions and infrastructure began.
Representatives
The law describing the procedures of electing and the powers of the Constituent Assembly was adopted on October 30, 1919. The elections were held only on April 14-15, 1920. The voter turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
reached about 90%. The voters, both men and women, elected 112 representatives. The majority, 59 seats, was taken by Christian democrats
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
. 28 seats were taken by Peasants' Union and socialists, 12 by social democrats
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
, 10 by minorities (Jews, Poles, and Germans). The other 3 representatives were independent. Only 8 representatives were older than 50. 5 of the representatives were women. In fact, Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė
Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė
Gabrielė Petkevičaitė was a Lithuanian writer and activist. Her pen name Bitė eventually became part of her last name.-Biography:...
, a famous Lithuanian female writer, chaired the first session honoring the tradition that before the chair is elected, the oldest member acts as chair. As time passed, 38 members of the assembly resigned and were replaced. So in total there were 150 members of the Constituent Assembly.
The population of the Vilnius region
Vilnius region
Vilnius Region , refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania, that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time,...
, under Polish control, and that of the Klaipėda region
Klaipeda Region
The Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory was defined by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920 when it was put under the administration of the Council of Ambassadors...
, under French control, could not take part in the elections. However, the election law reserved 108 seats for the Vilnius region and 9 for the Klaipėda region. Therefore, there should have been 229 elected representatives.
Accomplishments
The first meeting took place on May 15, 1920 in KaunasKaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, the temporary capital
Temporary capital of Lithuania
The temporary capital of Lithuania was the official designation of the city of Kaunas in Lithuania during the interwar period. It was in contrast to the declared capital in Vilnius , which was under Polish control from 1920 until 1939...
. They declared that Lithuania is going to pursue independence on February 16, 1918. Also Aleksandras Stulginskis
Aleksandras Stulginskis
Aleksandras Stulginskis Aleksandras Stulginskis Aleksandras Stulginskis (born (February 26, 1885 in Kutaliai, in Šilalė district municipality near Tauragė, Lithuania, Russian Empire; died September 22, 1969 in Kaunas) was the second President of Lithuania (1920–1926)...
was elected as the chairman and de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
president. As soon as June 10, 1920, it passed the third and the final draft of the constitution.
On June 12, 1920 a peace treaty was signed with the Russian SFSR. It was highly beneficial to Lithuania as Russia recognized its independence de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
(the first state to do so after 1918) and acknowledged that vast areas of the Vilnius region
Vilnius region
Vilnius Region , refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania, that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time,...
belong to Lithuania. Shortly after the defeat in the Battle of Warsaw
Battle of Warsaw
Battle of Warsaw can refer to:* Siege of Warsaw , Warsaw retaken by Poles from Swedes on June 30, 1656, during The Deluge* Battle of Warsaw , battle outside the city on July 18-July 20, 1656, during The Deluge, following which Warsaw is captured by Swedes for the second time* Battle of Warsaw ,...
, the withdrawing Red Army handed Vilnius over to Lithuania, in accordance with the agreement.
From October 1920 till February 1921, the Constituent Assembly was adjourned because the Lithuanian-Belarusian Division of the Polish Army
Polish Armed Forces
Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej are the national defense forces of Poland...
under General Lucjan Żeligowski
Lucjan Zeligowski
Lucjan Żeligowski , was a Polish general, and veteran of World War I, the Polish-Soviet War and World War II. He is mostly remembered for his role in Żeligowski's Mutiny and as head of a short-lived Republic of Central Lithuania.-Biography:...
seized Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. Many representatives went to the front to defend the historic capital. Before adjourning it had created the so-called Small Seimas (Lithuanian: Mažasis Seimas) consisting of the Chairman and six members of the regular Constituent Assembly who were authorized to pass urgent laws.
In March 1921, after international arbitration
Arbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
, a border treaty with Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
was signed. 21 km of coastline including the towns of Palanga
Palanga
Palanga and beautiful sand dunes. Officially Palanga has the status of a city municipality and includes Šventoji, Nemirseta, Būtingė and other settlements, which are considered as part of the city of Palanga.-Legend:...
and Šventoji
Šventoji
Šventoji can refer to these objects in Lithuania:*Šventoji River, 246 km length tributary of Neris*Šventoji River , 73 km length tributary of the Baltic Sea...
were transferred to Lithuania. It also defended its interest in the city of Mažeikiai
Mažeikiai
Mažeikiai is a city in the north-western Lithuania, on the Venta River. It has a population of around 45,300, making it the eighth largest city in Lithuania. The city is the administrative center of Mažeikiai district municipality in Telšiai County. It is the largest city that does not have its...
. In return, Latvia received the so-called Aknysta foreland (Latvian: Aknīste) north of Rokiškis
Rokiškis
Rokiškis is a city in northeastern Lithuania with population of about 16,000.-History:The legend of the founding of Rokiškis tells about a hunter called Rokas who had been hunting for hares . However, cities ending in "-kiškis" are quite popular in the region. The city was first mentioned in 1499...
. In total, Latvia gained about 100 km² more than Lithuania. This treaty solved all border conflicts with Latvia and the border remains the same today. It became a foundation for good and healthy cooperation between the two nations.
On September 23, 1921 Lithuania became a member of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. Most of the world's countries immediately recognized its independence.
On February 15, 1922 it passed a law on land reform. It was a decade-long reform which nationalized land owned by the nobility and distributed it to the volunteers who fought in the Freedom Wars and to peasants who owned none or very little land. This way Lithuania's agriculture was based on small (20-50 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
) farms. Over the years 459,000 ha of land were distributed to over 65,000 people. The nobility was allowed to keep 80 ha of land and was reimbursed an average of 27 litas per ha for nationalized land. People who received land, except for the volunteers, were required to pay for the land for 36 years.
The main goal, to adopt a new constitution, was reached on August 1, 1922. The constitution granted broad powers to the Seimas
Seimas
The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...
, the Parliament. It selected the Cabinet of Ministers
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
and elected the President. The Seimas and the president were to be elected every three years in democratic elections. Lithuania was declared a democratic republic modeled after the example of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Because of the Christian democrats' majority, the constitution clearly reflected Christian ideas. For example, it established that religious education is mandatory and its preamble
Preamble
A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subject of the statute...
starts with the words "In the name of Almighty God" (Lithuanian: Vardan Dievo Visagalio).
On September 9 a law was passed on the national currency, introducing the litas
Lithuanian litas
The Lithuanian litas is the currency of Lithuania. It is divided into 100 centų...
. On October 1, it was introduced. Litas became one of the stronger currencies in Europe.
On October 6, 1922 the Constituent Assembly resigned. A new regular Seimas started on November 13. The assembly passed approximately 150 laws, strengthened the state's administrative system, and laid the foundations of the future economic, social and cultural life in Lithuania.
Speakers of the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania
- Gabriele Petkevicaite-BiteGabrielė Petkevičaitė-BitėGabrielė Petkevičaitė was a Lithuanian writer and activist. Her pen name Bitė eventually became part of her last name.-Biography:...
(chaired the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly) May 15, 1920 - Aleksandras StulginskisAleksandras StulginskisAleksandras Stulginskis Aleksandras Stulginskis Aleksandras Stulginskis (born (February 26, 1885 in Kutaliai, in Šilalė district municipality near Tauragė, Lithuania, Russian Empire; died September 22, 1969 in Kaunas) was the second President of Lithuania (1920–1926)...
, 1920-1922.