Lithuania Minor - Lithuanian Claims

Lithuanian Claims

Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1422 Treaty of Melno refused of all territorial claims in Prussia. Grand Duchy of Lithuania was occupied by Russia in 1795 and Lithuania became independent in 1918. The first time in modern times Lithuanians put eye on East Prussia was in 1914, August 17 when so called Amber Declaration was signed. The leaders of Lithuanian national revival expressed hope to Czar that East Prussia would be attached to autonomous Lithuania within Russian Empire. In the document East Prussia was viewed as a part of Samogitia.

Lithuanian leaders viewed to Lietuvininkai people as a part of Lithuanian nation. While Prussian Lithuanians had different aspirations, Lithuanians didn't look seriously to this. Lithuania declared own independence basing on Wilsonian Self-determination right, but Lithuanian leaders didn't wanted to use this right to Poles of Lithuania, and to Prussian Lithuanians. Prussian Lithuanians were viewed as Germanised who should be re-lithuanised no matter they want to or not. Such policy was being done during reign of autocratic Antanas Smetona in 1926-39 in Memel Territory.

In 1919 Versaillies, Lithuania asked for large areas in East Prussia. Though delegation of Lithuanians was not recognized, such claims were quickly used by Poland and, with help of Clemenceau anti-German policy, the part of East Prussia was detached from Germany. Detached area was named Memel Territory.

The capture of Memel Territory by Soviet Army in 1944 in Soviet Lithuania was named a "liberation of Samogitia".

It was set in the Potsdam conference that the question of the status of the Königsberg region, which was passed to the Soviet Union, would be discussed during the future fifty years. But the Soviet Union has collapsed and the territory became the enclave oblast of Russia.

The opinion requiring attach the Kaliningrad oblast to Lithuania exists among Lithuanians today. According members whole Kaliningrad oblast, is an ancient Lithuanian land i.e. Lithuania Minor is understand as a Lithuanian land from times immemorial. The political party which has no seats in Seimas, Lithuanian nationalist union, requires to attach Kaliningrad oblast and the rest of East Prussia to Lithuania too. According Lithuanian nationalists Lithuania can be seen as rightfull success-state of Old Prussians, and even all Balts The opinion of attachment is popular among Nationalistic people and spare movement of Neo-pagans in Lithuania.

On the other hand, in Russia and mainly in Kaliningrad exists an opinion that Memelland was transferred to Lithuania unlawfully, as Lithuania entered Soviet Union in its borders of year 1939, and Memel was included into Soviet Union as part of East Prussia. Moreover, the Klaipeda Convention of 1924 stated that Klaipėda was given to Lithuania as an exchande for Poland-occupied Vilnius Region. In 1939, Klaipėda was returned to Germany after an ultimatum. According to some polytologists, namely Mikhail Aleksandrov, the head of Baltic States department of CIS Countries Institute, the rights of modern Lithuania for controlling Klaipėda are questionable.