| |||||||
| Capital | Telšiai | ||||||
| Largest city | Mažeikiai | ||||||
| Other cities | Kretinga, Tauragė | ||||||
| Language official |
Lithuanian | ||||||
| others | Belarusian, Russian, Polish | ||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||
| Demonym | Lithuanian | ||||||
| Government | Parliamentary republic | ||||||
| President | Valdas Adamkus | ||||||
| Area | approx 13,500 km² | ||||||
| Population | approx 390,000 | ||||||
| Independence | from Soviet Union | ||||||
| declared | May 15th, 1984 | ||||||
| Currency | Lithuanian litas | ||||||
| Organizations | Baltic Alliance, Nordic Union, League of Nations | ||||||
The Republic of Lithuania is a nation-state in what was once western Lithuania, and claims itself the heir to the Lithuanian Republic that was unjustly seized by the Soviet Union during World War II. Lithuania is located in the Baltics and is part of the Baltic Alliance and is an observer state of the Nordic Union as of June 10th, 2011.
History[]
Pre-Doomsday[]
The first people settled in the territory of Lithuania after the last glacial period in the 10th millennium BC. Initially inhabited by fragmented Baltic tribes, in the 1230s the Lithuanian lands were united by Mindaugas, who was crowned as King of Lithuania on 6 July 1253. After his assassination in 1263, pagan Lithuania was a target of the Christian crusades of the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order. Despite the devastating century-long struggle with the Orders, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania expanded rapidly overtaking former Slavic principalities of Kievan Rus'. By the end of the 14th century, Lithuania was the largest country in Europe and included Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia. In 1385, the Grand Duke Jogaila accepted Poland's offer to become its king. He converted Lithuania to Christianity and established a personal union between Poland and Lithuania.
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was created in 1569. From 1573, Kings of Poland and Grand Dukes of Lithuania were elected by the nobility, who were granted ever increasing Golden Liberties. These liberties, especially the liberum veto, led to anarchy and the eventual dissolution of the state. During the Northern Wars, the Lithuanian territory and economy were devastated by the Swedish army. Before it could fully recover, Lithuania was again ravaged during the Great Northern War. Eventually, the Commonwealth was partitioned by Russia, Prussia, and Hapsburg Austria. The largest area of Lithuanian territory became part of Russia. After unsuccessful uprisings, the Tsarist authorities implemented a number of Russification policies, including a ban on the Lithuanian press and the closing of cultural and educational institutions, and Lithuania became part of a new administrative region called Northwestern Krai. Nevertheless, a Lithuanian National Revival laid the foundations of the modern Lithuanian nation and independent Lithuania.
During World War I, the Council of Lithuania (Lietuvos Taryba) declared the independence of Lithuania on 16 February 1918, and the re-establishment of the Lithuanian State. Domestic affairs were controlled by the authoritarian President, Antanas Smetona and his party, the Lithuanian National Union, who came to power after the coup d'état of 1926. In June 1940, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed Lithuania in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. A year later Russia was attacked by Nazi Germany leading to the Nazi occupation of Lithuania. After the retreat of the German armed forces, the Soviets re-established the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1944.
Post-Doomsday[]
The major cities of Jonava, Kaunas, Kėdainiai, Šiauliai, Klaipėda, and Vilnius were all victims to the nuclear onslaught that was Doomsday. The industrial city of Kaunas and the costal city of Klaipėda were obliterated altogether in a strike on the headquarters of the local air force and a strike on the naval facilities and ports. respectively. Meanwhile, all of Šiauliai was destroyed in EMP missile strikes on the air base and the somewhat neighboring Plokštinė missile base, near the Platelai Lake.
Having lost contact with the Soviet Union, with a large civilian casualty as result of direct explosions, and a mounting death toll due to severe injury and/or nuclear exposure, the months that followed the events of Doomsday consisted of mass violence, looting, civilian unrest, and large demonstrations against the somewhat functioning government, which was continuing to stick to subtle Soviet ideals, despite the USSR's sudden disappearance and lack of contact. Among the surviving population, attempts at recovery and reformation were being sought out, accompanied by surviving local government officials and military personnel. As demonstrations and campaigns went on into the summer months, the government relented and established the relatively small town of Telšiai as an at-the-time temporary capital and refugee center, which would become a move that proved fundamental in the journey to independence, as well as becoming an advancement that would be praised by world leaders in later years. Over the course of a few weeks, it was declared that Telšiai would prove to be a suitable permanent capital, with the termination of the capital city of Vilnius months back.
With a newly-decided capital and a still relatively strong military compared to struggling neighbor nations, Lithuania took on the task of formally announcing independence from the USSR on May 15, 1984, and establishing contact with the emerging Baltic nation known as the Republic of Courland which Lithuania recognized quite early on as a successor to the illegally occupied Latvian Republic, leading to well-nurtured bonds between the two Baltic nations, along with the signing of the Ventspils Treaty, a treaty which established the Baltic Alliance, an alliance which was modelled off of the Baltic Entente of 1934 and ensured a strong union against possible threats which included post-Soviet Union states. Following the Alliance's founding, the two nations began efforts to set up contact with other Northern European states, which proved successful once contact with the Republic of Latgalia was made through telegraph and radio communications by the Republic of Courland in the fall of 1984, despite sour relations between the two nations. Once more, in the mid-1980s, contact was initiated with several Nordic countries which included the Republic of Finland; the Kingdom of Denmark; the Kingdom of Norway; and the Kingdom of Sweden, and subsequently, the fellow Baltic nation of Estonia, which had only declared independence from the USSR in August of 1985.
In 1988, the Republic of Latgalia faced a major economic crisis dubbed the Latgalian Panic of 1988 as a result of an unstable economy, a lack of organization stemming all the way back to the immediate aftermath of Doomsday, and the remaining Soviet presence. The economic situation resulted in the Republic of Latgalia seeking closer relations with their Lithuanian counterpart, to which the Lithuanian President at the time, Vytautas Sakalauskas, initiated trade talks with the crippling nation though it proved to do little to quell the crisis in Latgalia. With the impoverished population of Latgalia having lost their ideal way of life over the years, there began a swell of ethnically Lithuanian and Russian emigrants from Latgalia who immigrated into the far well-off Lithuanian state and the neighboring Courland. As a result of the aid provided to Latgalia, the western portion of what had been the Latvian Republic and the following Latvian SSR, by the Lithuanian government, relations with Courland were briefly strained but rapidly recovered by late December of 1988.
With contact reinstated between the Nordic states, talks of a union began in 1989, which was the stepping stone that led to the signing of the Treaty of Trondheim on September 6, 1990. Initially, the Republic of Lithuania had little to no inclination to join the relatively new Nordic Union as a member state, preferring to strengthen the union of Baltic nations that was the Baltic Alliance, though, Lithuania kept close relations if ever a strong threat presented itself or relief would be needed in some form. Over time, however, as threats began to present themselves and their relationships with Courland, Latgalia, and Estonia strengthened further, Lithuania grew more favorable toward the prospect of joining the Nordic Union. Eventually, over two decades following the Union's establishment, Lithuania, alongside Courland, began negotiations to become observer states of the Nordic Union rather than full members, which was agreed upon by the Nordic Union on June 10, 2011.
Geography[]
Lithuania borders East Poland, Belarus, Estonia, and Courland. It is located on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea in Europe. Lithuania's landscape is mostly made up of blooming meadows, dense forests and fertile fields of cereal.
Culture[]
Lithuanian culture combines indigenous heritage, represented by the unique Lithuanian language, with Nordic cultural aspects and Christian traditions. Linguistic resemblances represent strong cultural ties with Latvia in various historical moments Lithuania was influenced by Nordic, Germanic and Slavic cultures. Many cultural changes occurred throughout Lithuania's transformation from a country occupied by the Soviet Union to an independent state.
Politics & Government[]
Valdas Adamkus, the President of Lithuania
Lithuania is a parliamentary democracy headed by a president. Executive power is exercised by the president and the cabinet, which consists of several other ministers. The Prime Minister has the power to dissolve the legislature and reinstate a new one, as long as the president has judicial approval.
Economy[]
Manufacturing[]
Though Lithuania has only regular access to the regional market, the Lithuanians manage to earn a substantial income supplying their manufactured goods to neighboring nations. As their most important port of Klaipėda was destroyed on Doomsday, the Lithuanians have a deal with Courland to ship the goods for them. In exchange the Lithuanians pay a tariff to the Courlanders. In light of the extremely friendly relationship between the two counties, the tariff is typically a pittance (10% of cargo value or lower), and most of the time the Courlanders don't bother to enforce it anyway.
Agriculture[]
The Lithuanians have a thriving agricultural sector. The ravages of Doomsday were quick to vanish as most of the radioactive fallout was contained within localized pockets (due to the lack of any strong local winds). Even these areas faded with time. The industry is strong enough to make Lithuania self-sufficient by way of foodstuffs, especially with the local food processing sector. Most of the food is either traded to other nations or used to feed their own citizens, but a portion of it serves another purpose.
Military[]
An example of the AG-3 rifles purchased from the Nordic Union.
The Lithuanian army has been undertaking a major modernization. They had previously used old Soviet hand-me-downs like their ally Courland. They have started to purchase new equipment from the Nordic Union. They have officially made the AG-3 assault rifle the official rifle of the army. Due to the fondness some soldiers have for the AKM, the government made it an option to keep their AKM.
International Relations[]
The Lithuanians have good relations with the Nordic Union through Estonia, Belarus, East Poland and Prussia. Their exceptional relations with Courland facilitated the signing of the Baltic Alliance. The Lithuanians are supportive of an anti-Siberian Alliance to help break the Siberian's control of the League of Nations and guarantee their rights as a sovereign nation. They are planning a conference of post-Soviet states as soon as representatives of all nations could get to a designated city for the meeting.