Act of Tilsit

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A 1938 reprint of the act
A 1938 reprint of the act

The Act of Tilsit (Lithuanian: Tilžės aktas) was an act, signed in Tilsit by 24 members of Prussian Lithuania National Council on November 30, 1918.[1] Signatories demanded unification of Lithuania Minor and Lithuania Proper into a single Lithuanian state. This would mean detaching the northern areas of East Prussia, inhabited by Prussian Lithuanians, from German Empire.

The part of the East Prussia north of Neman River, the Memel Territory up to the city of Memel (Klaipėda), was detached by Polish efforts by the Treaty of Versailles and placed under the supervision of the League of Nations. The rest of East Prussia, located south of the Neman River, including the town of Tilsit, where the act was signed, remained within Germany.

The Act was not signed by main pro-Lithuanian oriented Prussian Lithuanian leaders: Wilhelm Storost, Alexander Kurschat, Wilhelm Gaigalat. The last one was elected as chairman of the Prussian Lithuanian Council, but refused to take the position.[2] He was replaced by general secretary Erdmonas Simonaitis.

Eventually, the Act of Tilsit became an important propaganda pretext for the staged Klaipėda Revolt of 1923, after which Memel Territory (Klaipėda Region) was annexed by Lithuania.[1] In March 1939, Lithuania was forced to cede Klaipėda Region to the Nazi Germany. Some[1] of the signatories of the Tilsit Act were later persecuted by the Nazis for treason, and Erdmonas Simonaitis was sent to a Nazi concentration camp.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c (Lithuanian) Šilas, Vytautas (1998). "Mažlietuvių apsisprendimo aktas". Mokslas ir Gyvenimas 11-12 (491–492). ISSN 0134-3084. 
  2. ^ (Lithuanian) Aleknavičius, Bernardas (2004). "Nors nuritintas akmuo..." ([dead link]). Mokslo Lietuva 2 (292). ISSN 1648-710X. 
  • A.A. Gliožaitis "Tilžės akto reikšmė" ("Voruta", 1998, 1999 No 43-47)
  • Algis A. Regis, "Tilžės aktas" ("Lietuvių dienos”, No 1 (361), 1986)
  • Petras Cidzikas "Tilžės aktas - vilties aktas" ("Voruta", No 23 (521), 2002)
  • Romualdas Ozolas "Tilžės aktas: alternatyvos ir imperatyvai" ("Donelaičio žemė", No 1-2, 2004)