Antanas Smetona and his Lithuania : : from the national liberation movement to an authoritarian regime (1893-1940) / / by Alfonsas Eidintas ; translated and edited by Alfred Erich Senn.

• Superior document: On the Boundary of Two Worlds : Identity, Freedom, and Moral Imagination in the Baltics, Volume 42
• VerfasserIn: Eidintas, A.
• TeilnehmendeR: Senn, Erich,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, Netherlands ; : Brill :, Boston, [Massachusetts] : : Rodopi,, 2015.; ©2015
• Year of Publication: 2015
• Language: English
• Series: On the boundary of two worlds ; Volume 42.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (506 p.)
• Notes: Includes index.

This biographical overview of the life of Antanas Smetona (1874-1944), his importance in the Lithuanian national movement, his central role in the emergence of modern Lithuania (1918-1920), and the development of the various groups of nationalists in Lithuania, offers a picture of the creation of a national state in XXth century Europe. Twice the president of Lithuania (1919-20 and 1926-40), the authoritarian ruler of the state from 1926-1940, Smetona established his role as a capable and needed politician in Lithuania’s political life, a middle person between the political left and right. The study characterizes Smetona’s closest and most important associates, who helped him to formulate legislation for his model of presidential regime, the nationalistic ideology, and the development of national economy. Despite its authoritarian tendencies Smetona’s rule surprisingly continued to be for many Lithuanians a symbol of Lithuanian independence and national freedom through the years of Soviet occupation.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- The Pupil Antanas Smetona and the Teacher Jonas Jablonskis -- With Father Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas at Viltis -- Petras Klimas – Between Smetona and Steponas Kairys -- Smetona and the Lithuanian Monarchists -- Smetona’s Conflict with Juozas Gabrys-Paršaitis -- Baron Stasys Šilingas and the President -- “The Man of Greatest Compromise” – Ernestas Galvanauskas and Smetona -- Jonas Lapenas and the Tautininkai: Why the lts did not Become a Party -- Antanas Smetona and Foreign Diplomats -- Smetona and Izidorius Tamošaitis: The Justification of the Coup -- His Wife Sofija Chodakauskaite-Smetoniene -- The Smetona-Voldemaras Tandem -- The Split with Voldemaras -- Smetona’s Daily Routine -- The Ideologist Izidorius Tamošaitis -- Tumas-Vaižgantas, the Priests, and the Church -- The Creation of National Culture, Vincas Kreve and the President -- Lithuania’s Poles and Smetona, “King of the Jews” -- Smetona, Adolf Hitler, and the Nazis -- Smetona’s In-Laws: Juozas Tubelis and Jadvyga Chodakauskaite -- A Quick Succession of Prime Ministers in Crisis -- The Intriguer: Stasys Raštikis, the Army and the President -- Antanas Merkys, Broken and Apathetic -- With General Musteikis and into the Diplomatic “Swamp” -- Povilas Žadeikis and Smetona in America -- The Fates of Smetona’s Family and Friends -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Index.