Central Bureau of the Lithuanian Sections of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
The Central Bureau of the Lithuanian Sections of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) (
Background
During
Provisional Central Bureau
A meeting of the Lithuanian District of the Petrograd Branch was held on September 10, 1917. It decided to disband the Lithuanian District and instructed its members to join the Bolshevik Party work-place cells.
Political activities were conducted among Lithuanian workers, which provoked splits along Bolshevik/Menshevik lines in the existing Lithuanian socialist groups.
Lithuanian Affairs Commissariat
In November 1917, the
First and Second Conferences
On January 5–8 (18-21), 1917, the first All-Russian Conference of Lithuanian Bolsheviks was held in Petrograd.
A permanent institution for the Lithuanian Bolsheviks – the Central Bureau of the Lithuanian Sections of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks) – was elected at the conference.[8][14] The Central Bureau was subordinated to the Bolshevik Party Central Committee.[15]
In April 1918, the theoretical publication
The Second Conference of Lithuanian Communists was held May 26–27, 1918.[17] At the time, the membership of the Lithuanian Sections had decreased significantly.[5] The Central Bureau had allotted one delegate for every 30 party members. Sections with 10–30 members would get one delegate with voting rights, whilst sections with less than 10 members would get a delegate without voting rights. The conference was attended by 16 delegates from Petrograd, Moscow, Smolensk, Vitebsk, Tula, Voronezh, and Nizhny Novgorod with voting rights (V. Kapsukas, K. Giedrys, G. Liutkevičius, E. Tautkaitė, P. Fedaravičius, J. Stašelis, F. Norvydas, A. Bernotas, K. Klorys and others). They represented slightly less than 600 party members. There were 8 delegates without voting rights: Z. Angarietis, J. Lenkaitis, Stasys Matulaitis, P. Mickevičius and Jurgis Smolskis from the Central Bureau, S. Žebrauskas from the Tiesa editorial office, J. Tarvainis from Nizhny Novgorod, and V. Jasaitis from Riga.[5]
At both the first and second conference Kapsukas and Angarietis clashed over tactics on building the communist movement in Lithuania.[17] Kapsukas argued that the Lithuanian Bolsheviks should work within existing labour and left-wing democratic movements, to build support for the Bolshevik line before forming a separate revolutionary party. Angarietis rejected cooperation with non-communist groups and wanted to build a separate, communist party immediately. Angarietis' position prevailed as the RCP(B) threw its weight behind his line, expressed in an article in Izvestia.[17]
Building the Communist Party in Lithuania
The Second Conference of the Lithuanian Sections approved a plan to send revolutionary cadres into Lithuania to build Bolshevik organizations there.
On August 14, 1918, a clandestine meeting was held in Vilna at which revolutionary social-democrats, under the influence of the Central Bureau of the Lithuanian Sections, established the
After the Central Bureau members had left for Lithuania, the activities of the Central Bureau were interrupted for some time.[20] However, local Lithuanian Sections continued to function.[20]
Lithuanian-Belorussian Department
With the merger of the Lithuanian and Byelorussian soviet republics into the Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania and Belorussia (SSR LiB) in February 1919, the party decided that the organization among Lithuanian and Belarusian workers should be combined.[20] Thus the Central Bureau of the Lithuanian Sections as well as its Byelorussian sections of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) were reorganized into the Lithuanian and Belorussian Agitation and Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik).[20] The Department Board consisted of Rapolas Rasikas (chairman), Jonas Stašelis (secretary) and Chodošas.[20] Rasikas was also put in charge of building the 5th Vilna Infantry Regiment of the Red Army in Moscow, travelling across Soviet Russia to enlist men born in the Lithuanian governorates.[19][21]
In Odessa, the Lithuanian evacuees published Lietuvių komunistas ('Lithuanian Communist') in the summer of 1919. Some ten issues were published between June and August 1919. J. Kamarauskas was the editor of the newspaper.[22]
The Third Conference of Lithuanian-Belorussian RCP(B) members was held in Moscow on March 17–21, 1920. The conference critically reviewed the functioning of the Soviet Lithuanian and SSR LiB governments in 1918–1919. The conference elected new leadership for the Lithuanian and Belorussian Agitation and Propaganda Section, including R. Rasikas (secretary), V. Kapsukas, Chodoš, Romančiuk and J. Stašelis.[20]
Lithuanian Bureau re-established
In the fall of 1920, as the Belarusian communists in Soviet Russia left for the re-established
In the fall of 1920, the disagreements emerged in the Lithuanian Sections in Soviet Russia, with a faction opposed to Kapsukas and Angaretis coming to the forefront.[20][23] The Fourth Conference of the Lithuanian Sections was held in Moscow on December 1–7, 1920. A new Central Bureau was elected which included Petras Kurkulis-Vardūnas, Pranas Mickevičius-Paprūsis (secretary), R. Rasikas, K. Rimša and J. Stilsonas.[20] On February 7, 1921, the newly-elected Central Bureau of the Lithuanian Sections was approved by the Organizational Bureau of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks).[20] The leadership of the Central Bureau of the Lithuanian Sections openly opposed the leadership of the Communist Party of Lithuania.[20] Raudonoji vėliava ('Red Banner') was launched as the new organ of the Central Bureau of the Lithuanian Sections.[22] Twenty-three issues of the newspaper were published from Moscow between March 8 to October 23, 1921, with Petras Kurkulis-Vardūnas as the editor.[22][7] Raudonoji vėliava frequently carried articles by Mickevičius-Paprūsis and Kurkulis-Vardūnas attacking the leadership of the Communist Party of Lithuania.[22] The polemical texts in Raudonoji vėliava caught the attention of the Central Control Commission of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks), which reprimanded the publication for anti-party activities.[22] The opposing faction remained dominant in the Central Bureau of the Lithuanian Sections elected at the Fifth Conference of Lithuanian Communists held in November 1921.[20]
Central Bureau disbanded
With the return of most Lithuanian evacuees to Lithuania, the ranks of the Lithuanian Sections shrunk significantly.[15] On November 11, 1921, the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) decided to abolish the Central Bureau.[20][15] Later, the key leaders of the opposing faction (Mickevičius-Paprūsis and Kurkulis-Vardūnas) were expelled from the party.[20]
A Secretariat, with Kazys Giedrys as its secretary, was formed as replacement of the Central Bureau to lead the work of the local Lithuanian Sections of the party.[15][20] The monthly magazine Komunaras , edited by V. Kapsukas, became the organ of the Lithuanian party sections in December 1921.[20][7] By 1922, most Lithuanian war refugees had returned to Lithuania, further reducing the membership base of the Lithuanian Sections.[20] There was also a lack of funds for the running of the Lithuanian Sections.[20] Gradually, most Lithuanian Sections were closed down.[20] In January 1923, a meeting of Lithuanian communists voted to disband the Secretariat and shut down the publication of Komunaras.[15][20] However, a small number of local Lithuanian Sections continued to exist for some time.[15]
Notes
- ^ The Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) was known as "Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks)" until March 1918.
References
- ^ Aleksandr Mikhaĭlovich Prokhorov (ed). Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Vol. 16. Macmillan, 1973. p. 251
- ^ ISBN 9789955341802.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tadas Adomonis (1986). Lithuania: An Encyclopedic Survey. Encyclopedia Publishers. pp. 114, 148–149, 304.
- ^ a b Из истории школы Белоруссии и Литвы: труды Института теории и истории педагогики. Institut teorii i istorii pedagogiki (Akademii͡a pedagogicheskikh nauk RSFSR). Просвещение, 1964. p. 310
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bronius Vaitkevičius. Socialistinė revoliucija Lietuvoje 1918-1919 metais. Mintis, 1967. pp. 146-147, 189, 202, 215-216, 248-249
- ^ Vestnik Leningradskogo universiteta, Issues 2-6. Izd-vo universiteta, 1960. p. 28
- ^ a b c Aldona Gaigalaitė, Bronius Vaitkevičius. Борьба за Советскую власть в Литве в 1918-1920 гг: сборник документов. Минтис, 1967. p. 382
- ^ ISBN 978-0-902818-54-5.
- ^ Очерки истории коммунистической партии Литвы: 1887-1920. Минтис, 1973. p. 546
- ^ a b Советская педагогика, Volume 21, Issues 7-12. Наркомпрос, Учпедгиз, 1957. p. 83
- ^ a b P. N. Sobolev. The Great October Socialist Revolution. Progress Publishers, 1977. pp. 295, 297
- ^ Kommunist, Issues 1-6. Gazetno-zhurnalʹnoe izd-vo T͡SK KP Litvy, 1986. p. 85
- ^ B. Pranskus. Близкие дали: воспоминания. Вага, 1978. p. 113
- ^ a b Anatoliĭ Andreev. Борьба литовского народа за Советскую власть, 1918-1919 гг. Гос. изд-во полит. лит-ры, 1954. pp. 26-27
- ^ a b c d e f Революционное движение в Вильнюсском крае, 1920-1940: Документы и материалы. Минтис, 1978. p. 391
- ^ a b Romas Šarmaitis. Lietuvos Komunistų partijos spauda 1917-1940: dalis. Knygos ir brošiūros. Mintis,, 1981. p. 298
- ^ ISBN 978-0-88033-012-1.
- ^ Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 46, Nb. 4-8. Carfax Publishing Company, 1994. p. 1351
- ^ ISBN 978-0-918920-04-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Juozas Matulis. Mažoji lietuviškoji tarybinė enciklopedija, Vol. 3. Mintis, 1966. p. 122
- ^ Istorii︠a︡ SSSR, Issues 4-6. Izd-vo Akademii nauk SSSR, 1964. p. 142
- ^ a b c d e f g Romas Šarmaitis. Lietuvos Komunistų partijos spauda 1917-1940: dalis. Periodiniai leidiniai. Mintis,, 1981. p. 12
- ISBN 978-0-8179-1081-5.