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| In 1939 Lithuania fell
back into “Russian hands”, mostly due to the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. Why
was this treaty signed?! Already from long ago Russians feared German invasion
in the Eastern Europe and thus started to work on a way to get into accord
with Germany. After the Russian leader, Stalin, changed the foreign minister,
the new minister Molotov started negotiations for a non-aggression treaty
with German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, despite the long years
of rivalry between communism and fascism. At its turn Germany offered to
sign such a treaty in order to save its military forces and later to be
able to invade Poland. Finally the treaty was signed in Moscow on August
3 of 1939 by Molotov and Ribbentrop, in the presence of Stalin. It is also
known as the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact.
The pact was made up
of seven main articles and a secret additional protocol consisting of another
four articles, which was not published at the time. The four additional
articles contained information about the division of Baltic States. “Article
I: In the event of a territorial and political rearrangement in the
areas belonging to the Baltic States (Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania),
the northern boundary of Lithuania shall represent the boundary of the
spheres of influence of Germany and U.S.S.R; Article IV: This protocol
shall be treated by both parties as strictly secret”.
The consequences of this treaty were dramatic. On August 1940 Soviet Union annexed the Baltic States and the worst followed on June 22, 1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union and the Non-Aggression Pact became a dead letter. Thus Lithuania was trapped in the Soviet Union and remained a part of it till the March 11, 1990. This secret pact thus put the end to Lithuania’s sovereignty. In the world’s eyes it was viewed only like Soviet’s occupation of territories, but knowing the pact, the future of the Baltic States was decided before hand and in secret from Lithuanians and the rest of the world. |