Trimitas (literally: trumpet) is the official magazine of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union.
The first issue was published in May 1920 in Kaunas. It was a weekly magazine. Its editors included priest Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas (nominally), Matas Šalčius, Rapolas Skipitis, Teodoras Daukantas, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, Juozas Purickis, and many others. [1] [2] The circulation grew from 5,000 in 1920 to 25,000 in 1939 and 32,000 in 1940. [1] [3] The magazine and the Riflemen's Union were banned soon after the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940. Both the union and the magazine were reestablished after Lithuania declared independence in March 1990. The circulation was 11,800 in 1990, 2,000 in 1997, and 1,000 in 2013. [1] [3] In 1992–2009, it was published monthly. Since 2010, it is published every two months. [1]
The most important goals of the magazine were to propagate the riflemen ideology and to recruit new members. The content was varied as it did not restrict itself to only news for the riflemen or contributions from the riflemen. The magazine published local and international news, poetry, literature, articles on warfare, sports, culture, history. Marius Katiliškis published his stories in the magazine. [4] Other contributors included Antanas Vienuolis and Janis Rainis. [1]
The Lithuanian Riflemen's Union, also referred to as Šauliai, is a paramilitary non-profit organization supported by the Government of Lithuania, that is active in three main areas: military training, sport, and culture, but this differs between peace and wartime.
ELTA is a Lithuanian news agency based in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. In a day, it receives about 5,000 news articles and produces about 300 articles in Lithuanian, Russian, and English. ELTA cooperates with foreign news agencies such as Reuters, ITAR-TASS, DPA, PAP, Xinhua, and others.
Lietuvos aidas is a daily newspaper in Lithuania. It was established on September 6, 1917, by Antanas Smetona, and became the semi-official voice of the newly formed Lithuanian government. When the government evacuated from Vilnius to the temporary capital, Kaunas, it ceased publication. The newspaper was revived in 1928 as the newspaper of the Lithuanian government and became the most popular newspaper in Lithuania. At its peak, it published three daily editions with combined circulation of 90,000 copies. World War II disrupted its publication. In 1990, after Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union, the newspaper once again became the official newspaper of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania. At the end of 1992, its circulation reached 103,000 copies. However, it was soon privatized and faced shrinking readership, financial difficulties, and other controversies. In April 2006, bankruptcy proceedings were initiated by the State Tax Inspectorate when its tax debts reached more than 4 million litas. The company was liquidated in 2015, but the newspaper continues to be published by a non-profit organization.
Antanas Žmuidzinavičius was a Lithuanian painter and art collector.
Tiesa was the official daily newspaper in the Lithuanian SSR. Established in 1917, the newspaper soon became the official voice of the Communist Party of Lithuania. After the Lithuanian victory in the Lithuanian–Soviet War, the party and the newspaper were outlawed in Lithuania. Thereafter, it was first printed in exile and later illegally in Kaunas. Tiesa survived irregular publishing schedules, frequent relocations, staff changes, and other difficulties and, after the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940, became the official daily of the new communist regime. At its peak, its circulation exceeded 300,000 copies. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Tiesa lost its official status and its circulation shrunk. The publication was discontinued in 1994.
Lietuvos ūkininkas was a weekly Lithuanian-language newspaper published between 1905 and 1940. It was published by and reflected the political views of the Lithuanian Democratic Party, Peasant Union, and Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union. Its printing and daily operations were managed by its long-time publisher Felicija Bortkevičienė. It was a liberal publication geared towards the wider audience of less educated farmers and peasants. In 1933, its circulation was 15,000 copies. When Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, the newspaper was nationalized and replaced by Valstiečių laikraštis.
Viltis was a Lithuanian-language newspaper published in Vilnius in 1907–1915 and 1991–1994. The newspapers was established in October 1907 by Antanas Smetona and Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas. It promoted unity among Lithuanians attempting to bring together conservative Catholic clergy and more liberal intelligentsia. The newspaper concentrated on cultural matters as opposed to politics or news reports. It was supported by the clergy, but it was not a religious newspaper. Eventually, the clergy grew dissatisfied with the secular and moderate tone and Smetona left in 1913 to establish a separate newspaper Vairas. The intellectuals around Viltis became known as viltininkai and formed an early embryo of the Lithuanian Nationalist Union, the ruling party in Lithuania in 1926–1940. Viltis was discontinued due to World War I. It was briefly resurrected in the early 1990s by the Lithuanian Nationalist Union.
Vairas was a Lithuanian-language political and cultural newspaper published by Antanas Smetona and the Lithuanian Nationalist Union, the ruling party in Lithuania in 1926–1940. It was published three separate times. Vairas was first established in January 1914 when Smetona departed Viltis; it was discontinued due to World War I. The newspaper was briefly revived in September 1923 when Smetona and Augustinas Voldemaras harshly criticized their political opponents and the Lithuanian government. Due to anti-government rhetoric, their newspapers were closed by state censors one after another, but they would quickly establish a new newspaper under a new title. Vairas was closed in February 1924. The newspaper was reestablished as a cultural magazine in 1929 with the backing of the authoritarian regime of Smetona. In 1939, it became a weekly political magazine that pushed an agenda of radical nationalism and openly sympathized with National Socialism. The magazine was discontinued after the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940.
Karys is a Lithuanian-language military magazine published since 1919. It is a magazine about the Lithuanian Army and is geared towards the soldiers and the general public. During the interwar period (1919–1940) it was published weekly in Kaunas by the Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania and the General Staff of Lithuania. During World War II, it was a magazine of the Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Battalions. During the Soviet period (1950–1990), it was published monthly by Lithuanian veterans in New York. After the restoration of independence in 1990, it is once again published monthly by the Ministry of Defence. The circulation was 4,000 copies in 1920, 33,000 copies in 1940, 1,650 copies in 1983, 22,000 copies in 1991, 3,000 copies in 2005.
Rapolas Skipitis was a Lithuanian attorney and politician. In 1920–1922, he was Minister of the Interior and was later elected to the Second and Third Seimas. After the 1926 coup d'état, he chaired the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union (1927–1928), Society for the Support of Lithuanians Abroad (1932–1940), and several other Lithuanian organizations. He also edited several newspapers, including Ūkininko balsas (1925–1928), Trimitas (1927–1928), Namų savininkas and Pasaulio lietuvis (1937–1940). At the start of World War II, he retreated to Germany and joined the Lithuanian Activist Front. He was reserved the seat of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Provisional Government of Lithuania. After the war, he settled in Chicago where he was active in Lithuanian American cultural life.
Tėvynės sargas was a Lithuanian-language periodical first established in 1896 in Tilsit, East Prussia during the Lithuanian press ban and the Lithuanian National Revival. It was published by the clergy and later by the Christian Democrats, thus it reflected and advocated for Roman Catholic ideals and values. Its motto was "All for Lithuania, Lithuania for Christ". With interruptions, it was published until 2000.
Riflemen's Star is a decoration bestowed by the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania. The star is awarded to distinguished members of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union, other citizens of Lithuania and foreign countries for merits to the Riflemen's Union and the Republic of Lithuania. The Riflemen's star is recognised as an order.
Vienybė lietuvninkų was a Lithuanian-language weekly newspapers published in the United States from February 1886 to January 1921. Established by two Lithuanian American businessmen in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, the newspaper changed its editors and political orientation frequently. Initially, it was a conservative pro-Catholic newspaper that supported unity among Polish and Lithuanian immigrants in the historic tradition of the old Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was a response to anti-clergy and anti-Polish Lietuwiszkasis Balsas published by Jonas Šliūpas in New York. Under the influence of priest Aleksandras Burba, the newspaper dropped its support of the Polish–Lithuanian union in favor of the Lithuanian National Revival and Lithuanian nationalism. Around 1896, the newspaper started shifting away from Catholicism towards liberalism and socialism. Attacked by the clergy as a "godless" publication, the newspaper suffered financial difficulties but the popularity of socialist ideas surged in the aftermath of the Lattimer massacre of mine workers in September 1897 and during the Russian Revolution of 1905. After the failure of the revolution, the socialist moods subsided and Vienybė lietuvninkų returned to Lithuanian nationalism. The newspaper relocated to Brooklyn, New York, in May 1907. It represented nationalism, or the third middle road between two main political camps – conservative clergy and liberal socialists. It continued to be published until January 1921 when it was reorganized into Vienybė, which continued to be published until 1985.
Rygos garsas was a Lithuanian-language newspaper published in Riga from March 1909 to August 1917. While format and publication frequency varied, most of the time Rygos garsas was a four-page newspaper published twice a week. In total, 716 issues were published. The newspaper published news from abroad and Lithuania as well as articles on issues of Lithuanian education, religion, culture in Latvia. It supported the Catholic values.
Tauta was a Lithuanian-language newspaper published by the Party of National Progress in Kaunas, Lithuania from 19 November 1919 to 5 November 1920. It was a four-page newspaper published once or twice a week. In total, 65 issues appeared.
Mūsų senovė was a Lithuanian-language academic magazine published in Kaunas, Lithuania in 1921–1922 and in 1937–1940. It was the first attempt to publish a periodical dedicated to the study of the history in Lithuanian. It was published irregularly and mostly dealt with the materials and topics related to the Lithuanian National Revival and the Lithuanian press ban. In total, 10 issues appeared.
The Union for the Liberation of Vilnius was an organization established in 1925 to support Lithuanian territorial claims to Vilnius Region then part of the Second Polish Republic. With 27,000 members and 600,000 supporters in 1937, it was one of the most popular organizations in interwar Lithuania. Its main goal was to mobilize the entire Lithuanian nation for cultural and educational work. It established an unofficial but highly popular national mourning day on 9 October. It organized numerous events, such as lectures and concerts, to promote the idea of Vilnius as an integral part of the Lithuanian national identity – the historical capital of Lithuania that was unjustly occupied by Poland, though the city itself had a minuscule Lithuanian population. It also developed a coherent narrative of suffering brothers Lithuanians under the oppressive Polish regime, giving Lithuanians a common enemy. The union promoted emotional, almost cult-like, national attachment to Vilnius. The union was disestablished after the Polish ultimatum in March 1938.
Draugija was a Lithuanian-language magazine published in Kaunas in 1907–1914, 1919–1923, and 1937–1940. Published by the Society of Saint Casimir, it focused on the issues of Lithuanian culture, literature, science, and politics and was geared towards the intelligentsia and the Catholic clergy. It urged everyone to work on developing the Lithuanian culture which would distinguish the Lithuanian nation from others and believed in slow and steady cultural work. The magazine critically reviewed essentially every more substantial work of Lithuanian literature, published articles to improve and standardize the Lithuanian language, discussed how to improve education, analyzed social and political issues in Lithuania, promoted Christian democracy, criticized ultra-conservatives and attempted to find the proper place for the Catholic Church in modern society and science. Its issues usually had more than 100 pages and reached circulation of 1,000 copies. Its long-term editor was Catholic priest Adomas Jakštas (1907–1938). In total, 213 issues were published. Its supplement for Catholic youth Ateitis (Future) edited by Pranas Dovydaitis gave rise to the Lithuanian Catholic Federation Ateitis.
Šaltinis was a Lithuanian-language weekly newspaper published in Sejny, then part of Congress Poland. It was an illustrated Catholic publication supported by the Lithuanian clergy and the professors and clerics at the Sejny Priest Seminary. The content focused on news, practical advice, and educational articles. It was the most popular Lithuanian periodical with circulation reaching 15,000 copies in 1914. The weekly supplement, Šaltinėlis, became the first Lithuanian periodical dedicated to children.
The Lithuanian People's Army were short-lived armed forces of Lithuania and the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic following the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940. The army was formed by the Act of 3 July 1940 of the People's Government of Lithuania and replaced the Lithuanian Armed Forces of independent Lithuania. According to data from 1 June 1940, the army had 28,115 persons – 26,084 soldiers, 2,031 civil servants, and with the announcement of the mobilization it was possible to call 120,400 reserve troops. The army existed until 30 August 1940 before being transformed into the 29th Rifle Corps of the Red Army. Many Lithuanian soldiers and officers were repressed by arrests or executions for their anti-Soviet attitude.