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Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001

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Page 1: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Lithuania

Dan NatzkeGeog. 308.001

Page 2: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Location

•Southeast corner of the BalticLittoral.•Borders with Russia, Poland,Belarus and Latvia•Geographical center of Europenear Moletai, 25 km north of Vilnius

Russia

Page 3: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Landscape

•Characterized by low rolling hills,mixed coniferous and deciduous for-ests, numerous small lakes, ponds, riversand streams typical of a glaciated land-scape. •The Curonian Spit, below right, is a Unique feature on the shores of the Baltic. It consists of a stabilized string of sand dunes that began to accumu-late at the end of the last ice age. Today it is a popular tourist destination.

Page 4: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Early History

• Indo-European ancestors of the Balts move toward the shores of the S.E. Baltic• 2300 – 2000 BC replacing earlier Finno-Ugrians.• Differentiation of Baltic peoples into tribes 1600-100 BC.• Pressure from E. Slavs forced Eastern Balts (including tribes later becoming Lithuanian) to the eastern Baltic Sea in the 6th century AD.• Up to the 13th century developed highly militaristic feudal society led by dukes.

Page 5: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

The Grand Duchy and Golden Age (13 – 14thC)

•Grand Duke Mindaugas formed a state to face German crusading orders and beganeastward expansion (early 13th C).•Established capitol at Kernave (right).•Successive Grand Dukes continued to hold out against the crusaders and greatly expand the Duchy into Slavic lands.

•The 14th and 15th centuries marked Lithuania’sgolden age.•Grand Duke Vytautas ruled from Vilnius and Trakai (left) and briefly expanded the Duchy to the Black Sea.•His cousin, Jogaila, was chosen by Polish nobles to be the Polish king. Jogaila convertedto the Roman Church in 1385 and began the 400-year long union of Poland and Lithuania.

Page 6: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

The Golden Age

1385 – Last state in Europe to Christianize.

1410 – Battle of Zalgiris (Tannenberg).

1569 – Union of Lublin formalized the poli-tical union between Poland and Lithuania.

1569 – 1795 The Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania.

Grand Duchy of LithuaniaK. of Poland

Page 7: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Partition of the Commonwealth

•Rise of Muscovy challenges the Common-wealth hold on eastern frontier beginningwith Ivan III and especially Ivan IV.

•Increasing weakness of the Polish Sejm.

•Increasing Russian influence in Poland.

•Poland partitioned out of existenceI 1772 (Russia, Prussia, Austria)II 1793 (Russia, Prussia)III 1795 (Russia, Prussia, Austria)

Page 8: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Russification 1863 – 1905-Religion-Language and alphabet-Simultaneous national revival

Russian Occupation

Page 9: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Independence, 1918 -- 1939•Independence, 16 February 1918

•Parliamentary democracy

•Smetona coup, 1926 – democracy’s end

•Increasing national chauvinism

•End of sovereignty through Soviet base agree-ment, 10 October 1939

•Holocaust in Lithuania – upwards of 200,000 murdered, 1941– 1942

Page 10: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Occupation 1940 – 1991

•Soviet military occupation, June 1940.•“elections”, then incorporation to the USSR, August 1940.•Abbreviated sovietization

-nationalization-collectivization-deportations

•German occupation June 1941 – Fall 1944.•Soviet control returns 1944.•1944 – 53 Sovietization finished what re-mained undone in 1940-41.•1944 – 53 partisan war.•Strict communist party control of economic, social, political life remained to 1980’s.

Page 11: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Independence Renewed

•Gorbachev’s reforms, 1985 – 1991•formation of independentcultural, ecological organizations with nationalistundercurrent.•Sajudis•Calendar protest/singing revolution/”Baltic Way”•Independence renewed 11 March 1991•Two failed Soviet attempts to reverse secession

-10 -- 13 January 1991-August 1991

Page 12: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Religion

Predominantly Roman Catholic (79%)Non-believers 9.5%Orthodox 4.1%Old Believers 0.8%Lutherans 0.7%

Historically large Jewish population (up to 240,000 before WWII).Practicing Jews in 2002 at 1,272 (.037%).

Small Sunni Muslim population at2860 (.082%).

Karaim – originally a Turkic people whopractice the Mosaic/Karaim faithnumber 258 faithful.

Page 13: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Demography

•Relatively homogeneousPopulation of over 80%Lithuanians.•Total population droppedBy 5% between 1989 and2002.•Ethnic minorities graduallyemigrating from Lithuania.

•At 6.7% of the current population Poles replaced Russians as the Secondlargest minority in the years since independence.•Tatars outnumber the neighboring Latvians (3,235 to 2,955 respectively).•4,007 are of Jewish background.•Belarusians and Ukrainians made up under 2% of the population in 2002.•The countryside is almost entirely Lithuanian.•Urban areas contain most of the non-ethnic Lithuanian population, especially Russians.

Page 14: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Ethnic Distribution as of 1989

Page 15: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Traditional Lithuanian Ethnographic Regions of the 19th Century

Page 16: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

The Karaim•One of Lithuania’s smallest minorities.•Currently (2002) number 258 – about half theirnumber in 1959.•Community centered at Trakai with outposts in Vilnius and Panevezys.

-Related to other smaller communities in Ukraine and Poland

•Lithuanian Karaim take part in the national eco-nomic, political and social life of the state. •Prominent Karaim, Helena Kobeckaite, served as Lithuanian Minister of Minorities in 1992 and helped to shape the minorities policies of the newly independent state.

Page 17: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Karaim Culture and Language under Threat

•Lithuanian Karaim community strongest, most numerous in ECE.

•If the community dies out, the rest of ECE Karaim will likely follow.

•Closely associated with Lithuania, especially at Trakai, Vilnius and in the north near the Latvian border in Birzai and Panavezys.

“Karaim” – describes their ethnicity, language and culture.

“Karaism” – along with “Mosaic religion”, describes their religion.

“Karaite” – is an adherent to Karaism.

Page 18: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Karaim Culture and Language under Threat•Surrounded by Baltic and Slavic speakers.

-About 50 in Lithuania still conversant in Karaim, a Turkic language.-8 Still speak the language in Ukraine and none in Poland.

•Dwindling numbers threaten complete absorption into the surrounding population.•Traditional practices limit growth

-Endogamy-No proselytism for new members-In a mixed marriage the non-Karaite is not allowed to join the community. Mixed mar-riages effectively pull the smallcommunity apart.

Page 19: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Origins of the Karaim

•Most likely from Khazaria, located between the DonAnd Volga Rivers (West/East), and the steppe from theCaucasus northward.•Khazars – nomadic Turkic tribes that controlled east-west trade in the region between 6-10 centuries AD.•During Khazaria’s peak of power the region was a center of a new religion – Karaism.•Karaism – from a sect of Mesopotamian Jews in 8th Cwho based their beliefs solely on a literal interpretationof the first books of the Bible in reaction to the increa-sing influence of the Talmud and Rabbinical scholar-ship in mainstream Judaism. •Strong Islamic influence in dogma of the religion inc-luding:

-trust in human free will-avoiding human depiction of the Holy

•“Karaim” derives from Hebrew and Arabic words for “to read/recite the Holy Writ”.•Spread into Khazaria in the following centuries.

Page 20: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

How the Karaim Came to Lithuania

•By the 11th century the Mosaic reli-gion (Karaism) and Turkish culture melded in the Crimea creating a distinct Karaim ethnicity.•In the late 14th century the former Khan of the Golden Horde, Tokh-tamysh, whom Tamerlane had bani-shed, sought refuge with Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas.•1397 – Lithuania involved in a conflict between Tatar factions, meets with some military success.•1397 – 1398 upwards of 600 Karaim and Tatar families move to Lithuaniaand settle primarily in Trakai but also At major frontier towns such as Panevezys and Birzai.

Page 21: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Karaim in Lithuania

•Special privileges given to the Karaim probably part of the agreement for their participation in the conflict with the Golden Horde.

•Trakai palace guard

•Magdeburg rights to Karaim communities in 1441•Legal status equal to other cities in the duchy•Legal self-jurisdiction•Independent Karaim administration•Elected leader (nominated by representatives of the Duke)

•At Trakai, Karaim lived seperately from Lithuanians and had their own city seal.

•Spatial, legal separation helped to deflect assimilation pressure.

Page 22: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Traditional Occupations•Served a role similar to Cossacks in Ukraine – border guard.

•Military – fighting and frequently suffering disproportionately in Lithuania’swars.

- possible separate military unit- some Karaim might have held leadership roles in the military

•Agriculture – especially breeding horses.

•Interpreters and envoys between the Gol-den Horde and Lithuania.

•Several Karaim were physicians to im-portant Lithuanian and Polish magnateFamilies.

Page 23: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Recent History

•Russian authorities granted partial rights to Karaim after they avoided conflict in 1863 revolution.

-independent religious leadership maintained-exemption from military service-similar rights as rest of the empire’s subjects-disassociated from Jews – labeled as

“Karaim” not “Jews-Karaim”•Change in classification helped the small population of Karaim avoid decimation in the Holocaust.•Independence of Lithuania and Poland encouraged aKaraim revival.•Revival interrupted during Soviet occupation when the Karaim Kenessas closed and cultural activity slowed.•1991 Independence brought another revival in Karaim heritage.

Page 24: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Ignalina – Background

•Lithuania primarily agricultural to 1960’slacked preexisting industrial basepartisan conflict 1944-53surplus of rural labor

Industrialization/urbanization programs begin in 1960’s.

•In 1960 peat made up 26% of fuel consumed•By 1970 this declined to 5%

Moscow dictated industrial and urban policy –re-public level cut out of decision making.

Page 25: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

1970’s Energy Crisis

1970’s – demand for energy doubledevery four years.

Energy resource poor Lithuania depen-dent on foreign fuel.

Druzhba oil pipelinecoal and gasmeager hydropowerBaltic oil exploration beginning

Increasing industrialization and urba-nization required greater fuel supply, potentially straining available resources.

Nuclear power provided the answer.

Page 26: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Central Planning and the Ignalina NPP

•Mid ’70’s Brezhnev plan to increase numberof nuclear stations in European portions ofUSSR.

•Sites chosen virtually without consent of localauthorities, scientists.

•Ignalina location – near Latvian and BelorusianSSR’s at Lithuania’s largest lake, Druksai.

•Ignalina to solve energy problem in Baltic.

•INPP original plans of 1970’s – two 1,000 MWRBMK graphite moderated (Chernobyl-type) reactors.

Page 27: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Opposition to INPP

•Moscow did not confer with Lithuanianscientists or conduct geological study (deter-mine earthquake threat, effects to groundwater).•Lake Druksai in popular vacation area nearAukstaitija National Park.•Situated near densely populated areas.•Moscow – size of INPP increased to four 1,500 MW reactors – planned facility to be the largest in the USSR.•Lithuanian Academy of Sciences – Druksainot large enough to cool the plant’s giant re-actors. 2.5-3 MW was the maximum.•Lithuanian scientists publicly criticize INPPPlans in 1980 article.•Lithuanian and Russian scientists discuss.•Moscow reduced the number to 3 reactors –still too much for the lake to cool.•Concession remarkable pre-Gorbachev.

Page 28: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Gorbachev’s Reforms and Chernobyl

•Before 1986, few Lithuanians even knew of Ignalina.

•Glasnost allows for freer discussion.•Perestroika restructuring allows for the formation of some independent organizations.

•Chernobyl + reform = public opposition

•Lith. media quiet in analysis of Chernobyl•No fanfare as Ignalina reactor 2 goes onlineIn 1987.

•Jan 1988 strict military censorship on NPP’slifted – floodgates open for protest.

•The nascent environmental protest movementemboldened by success fighting oil explorationat Nida. Academy of Sciences scaled down Ignalina’s size.

Page 29: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Independent Organizations•Late 1987, early 1988 Zemyna, the first independent organization, formed under auspices of Komsomol and Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

•Environmental focus.

•Scathing criticism of Ignalina, seemingly with support of Science Acad.March 1988 – claimed Ignalina caused mutations at Druksai.Spring 1988 – collected up to 70k signatures against Ignalina.

•By late spring, Lithuanian politicians began to back the environmental movement noting the surge in public opinion against the plant.

Sensed popular dissatisfaction with Moscow policy and the party.

Page 30: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Environmental Independence Movement

•Zemyna and eco-mvt plays the nat’l card --Moscow policy = nat’l annihilation•Zemyna mass movement, the environ-mental wing of Sajudis (Lith. Mvt. for Perestroika)•Sajudis, Ignalina central role in nationalmovement.•Ignalina, symbol of Soviet impositions

-colonization-threat to environment -fear of assimilation

•Protest stops construction of reactor #3•Public backed politicians supporting pop-ular ecological movement. Necessary to maintain public support to hold power –not Moscow’s sanction.

Page 31: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Nationalist Character of Protest•Protests at Ignalina took on nationalistic over-tones

-plays-concerts-folk dances

•For the protesters, these events became a Showcase of ethnic Lithuanian vitality in the face of Soviet oppression.

•Not long after mass protests at Ignalina, Sa-judis moved away from the Ignalina, environ-mental issues and focused on political change. Popular concern for environmental issues caused by Soviet occupation was the founda-tion for a mass political movement opposing Moscow.

Page 32: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Ignalina after Independence•Ignalina ensures energy self-sufficiency.(traditional plants require energy imports –can meet energy needs but at twice the cost)

•A matter of survival for Lithuania.

•Lithuania became the state most depen-dent on nuclear energy.

-around 80% from Ignalina(delays in modernization, less useof non-nuclear sources)

•Energy export to Latvia, Belarus.

•Economics Ministry wants to export Igna-lina’s power to Poland, west to EU.

•Important source of revenue.

Page 33: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

Ignalina and EU Accession•Neighboring countries, esp in Scandinavia fear a second Chernobyl.

•Considered the 3rd least safe plant in Europe.

•Requirement for Lithuanian accession to EU –shut down Ignalina, reactor #1 2005, #2 2009.

•EU pledged up to 375 million Euros by 2006 for safety upgrades, preparations to decom-mission.

•Lith. Government agreed to the stipulations in1999.

•Currently Vilnius claims $3 billion beyond EUagreement to decommission and arrange a replacement.

Page 34: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

The Battle over the INPP•Lithuanian gov’t – without extra EU funds social, economic effects drastic, gov’t lacks funds to meetthe agreement.

•If the plant begins decommission in 2005 the resultcould be great detriment to economy as Europeanenergy market opens to Lithuania.

•Yet agrees the plant must close, unsafe.

•“Euroskepticism” high among Lithuanians-EU stand on Ignalina-small agricultural subsidies

•Some Lithuanian authorities want to keep the stationinto 2017 or later.

Page 35: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center

The Battle over the INPP•Visaginas built 1975 specifically to house workers at Ignalina.

-Current population: 33,800-86% ethnic minorities (Russian, Russian speakers)-80% of region’s income from INPP

•Economically least developed region in Lithuania•At plant’s closure Ministry of Economy predictsdepression in the region.

-78% business may face bankruptcy-22% cut jobs

•National Labor Exchange predicts that $16,500 necessary for creation of each new job.•Visaginas region now administratively separated from Utena county to deal with future economic, social problems.•NGO’s attempt to mitigate negative affects in region by developing business sector.

Page 36: Lithuania Dan Natzke Geog. 308.001. Location Southeast corner of the Baltic Littoral. Borders with Russia, Poland, Belarus and Latvia Geographical center