Lithuania–Poland relations

Polish–Lithuanian relations date to 13th century, when Grand Duchy of Lithuania under Mindaugas took over some of Rus' lands and thus established a border with then-fragmented Kingdom of Poland.

Medieval ages

Until late 14th century most of contact between the two countries was limited to border military conflicts, with the brief exception of an 1320s alliance between king of Poland, Władysław Łokietek, and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Gediminas. In 1385 the growing threat of the Teutonic Order to both countries led to a firmer alliance, the Union of Krewo, which signaled the beginning of centuries-long Polish–Lithuanian union. The union reached an important milestone in 1569, when the Union of Lublin created a new federal state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth lasted till the Constitution of May 3, 1791 and partitions.

Interbellum

Despite federation proposals such as Międzymorze, after the First World War both countries chose to pursue independent statehoods instead of recreating a previous union. Differences on border issues, particularly over the cities of Vilnius (Wilno) and Sejny (Seinai) led to the Polish-Lithuanian War and bad relations for most of the interwar period.Michael Brecher, Jonathan Wilkenfeld, "A Study of Crisis", University of Michigan Press, 1997, ISBN 0472108069, [http://books.google.com/books?id=GjY7aV_6FPwC&pg=PA252&vq=Lithuania&dq=Polish+ultimatum+Lithuania&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U3ymCSKFIcCCMVgRMtlRZi3gnf5XA Google Print, p.252-255] ]

Lithuanian-Polish relations worsened, as Polish and Lithuanian forces skirmished in the background of the Polish-Soviet War (and Lithuanian-Soviet War). Polish Military Organization staged Sejny Uprising was met with massive outrage in Lithuania.cite book |last=Lesčius |first=Vytautas |coauthors=Editors: dr. Gintautas Surgailis; habil. dr. prof. Algirdas Ažubalis; habil. dr. prof. Grzegorz Błaszczyk; dr. doc. Pranas Jankauskas; dr. Eriks Jekabsons; habil. dr. prof. Waldemar Rezmer and others |title=Karo archyvas XVIII |chapter=Lietuvos ir Lenkijos krainis konfliktas del Seinu krasto 1919 metais |publisher=Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija |date=2003 |location=Vilnius |pages=pp.188-189 |url=http://www.kam.lt/EasyAdmin/sys/files/ArchyvasXVIII.pdf |doi= |id=ISSN 1392-6489 ] Furthermore image of Poles deteriorated because of the uncovered plot to overthrow sovereign Lithuanian government by Polish Military Organization, that was supported by local Polish minority. The relations were worsened further as Polish-Lithuanian War erupted and Józef Piłsudski ordered Żeligowski's Mutiny happened. In the aftermath of the Polish annexation of the Republic of Central Lithuania, Lithuania severed diplomatic relations with Poland. Poland and Lithuania experienced notable crisis' in their relationship in 1927 (where a threat of renewed hostilities led to partial restoration of the diplomatic relations) and 1938 (when the 1938 Polish ultimatum to Lithuania forced Lithuania to agree to full restoration of the diplomatic relations). League of Nations was involved in smoothing over the conflicts in 1919-1920 and 1927.

After the events of 1919/1920, Polish actions and Poles themselves were viewed with high level of suspicion in Lithuania - and vice versa. Both governments - in the era nationalism was sweeping through Europe - treated their respective minorities harshly. In Lithuania, people declaring Polish ethicity were officially described as Lithuanians who merely needed to be re-Lithuanianized, Polish-owned land were confiscated, Polish religious services, schools, publications, and voting rights were restricted. [cite web |url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/ethnic/Random%20Narratives/LithuaniaRN1.3.pdf |title=Lithuania|accessdate=2007-06-18 |last=Fearon |first=James D. |coauthors=Laitin, David D. |year=2006 |format=pdf |publisher=Stanford University |pages=4 |language=English |quote=Lithuanian nationalists resented demands by Poles for greater cultural autonomy (similar to that granted to the Jewish minority), holding that most of Lithuania's Poles were really deracinated Lithuanians who merely needed to be re-Lithuanianized. Resentments were exacerbated when Lithuanian Poles expressed a desire to "re-unite" the country with Poland. As a result, the nationalizing Lithuanian state took measures to confiscate Polish owned land. It also restricted Polish religious services, schools, Polish publications, Polish voting rights. Poles were often referred to in the press in this period as the "lice of the nation"] Lithuanian minority in Poland was an object of Polonisation, with government encouraging settlement of Polish army veterans in disputed regions. [cite web |url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/ethnic/Random%20Narratives/LithuaniaRN1.3.pdf |title=Lithuania|accessdate=2007-06-18 |last=Fearon |first=James D. |coauthors=Laitin, David D. |year=2006 |format=pdf |publisher=Stanford University |pages=4 |language=English |quote=From 1936 till 1939, 266 Lithuanian schools were closed in the whole territory of the former Vilnius Territory. Activities of almost all Lithuanian cultural organizations were banned there. In the areas controlled by Poland, resentments grew as a new settlement of Polish army veterans with economic ties to Poland brought greater Polonization.] Almost all Lithuanian schools were closed (closed 266, only 3Fact|date=June 2007 remained) and almost all organizations were banned.

World War II

The issue of Polish and Lithuanian relations during the Second World War is a controversial one, and some modern Lithuanian and Polish historians still differ in their interpretations of the related events, many of which are related to the operations of Polish resistance organization of Armia Krajowa on territories inhabited by Lithuanians and Poles. In recent years a number of common academic conferences have started to bridge the gap between Lithuanian and Polish interpretations, but significant differences still remain. [cite book |last=Dovile |first=Budryte |title=Taming Nationalism? |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|date=September 30, 2005|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UJMzpeUHkQcC&pg=PA187&lpg=PA187&sig=ealL7IU7BZw8wkUq1YuBa9Mkhx0 |pages=188-189|id=ISBN 0-7546-4281-X ]

Communist era

Second World War put an end to independent Polish and Lithuanian states. After the war both former states fell under the sphere of influence of Soviet Union. Poland was shifted westwards, thus giving up most of the disputed territories previously containing significant Lithuanian minority in the Second Polish Republic, those territories were incorporated into Lithuanian SSR and Belarus SSR, itself one of the Soviet republics. At the same time many Poles from Kresy were allowed to leave Soviet Union, and mostly were transferred west to Recovered Territories, and Polish minority in Lithuania (or Lithuanian SSR) was also significantly downsized. Under the eye of the Soviet Union, the various ethnic groups in the Eastern Bloc were to cooperate peacefully, and that policyDubious|date=March 2008, coupled with the population migrations limiting the size of both minorities in respective regions, resulted in lessening of tensions between Poles and Lithuanians.

Modern times

During the Second World War Polish and Lithuanian territories were both occupied by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, but the relations between Poles and Lithuanians were still poor. After the end of World War II, both Poland and Lithuania found themselves in the Eastern Bloc, Poland as a Soviet satellite state, Lithuania as a Soviet republic. The fall of communism in the years of 1989-1991 led to a formal reestablishment of relations by the Polish and Lithuanian states. After a relative crisis in the early 1990s [ [http://countrystudies.us/poland/90.htm Polish foreign relations with the former Soviet Republics] from the mid-1990s perspective] those relations have been steadily improving over the past two decades, with both countries joining the NATO and European Union.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.polandembassy.lt/en/co.html Polish-Lithuanian Co-operation] - on post-1991 Polish–Lithuanian relations, Polish Embassy in Lithuania
*B. Dundulis, [http://www.lituanus.org/1971/71_4_01.htm A historiographic survey of Lithuanian-Polish relations] , Lituanus, Lithuanian quarterly journal of arts and sciences, Volume 17, No.4 - Winter 1971
*Joanna Rohozinska, [http://www.ce-review.org/99/13/rohozinska13.html The Conquest of Pragmatism: A new chapter in Polish-Lithuanian relations] , Central Europe Review, Vol 1, No 13, 20 September 1999
*cite web|author=Antanas Valionis, Evaldas Ignatavièius, Izolda Brièkovskienë|title=From Solidarity to Partnership: Lithuanian-Polish Relations 1988-1998, 1998, issue 2|publisher=Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review|url=http://www.lfpr.lt/uploads/File/1998-2/Valionis.pdf
*Virgil Krapauskas, "Political change in Poland and Lithuania: The impact on Polish-Lithuanian ethnic relations as reflected in Lithuanian-language publications in Poland (1945-1991)", Journal of Baltic Studies, Volume 29, Issue 3 Autumn 1998 , pages 261 - 278, [http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a770955025~db=all]

ee also

*History of Lithuania and Foreign relations of Lithuania
*History of Poland and Foreign relations of Poland
*Lithuanian minority in Poland and Polish minority in Lithuania