Autorytarna przedwojenna Litwa
Authoritarian Pre-War Lithuania

Summary/Abstract: The parliamentary-cabinet system of government installed in the Republic of Lithuania resulting from the Great War collapsed due to its own weaknesses in 1926. Antoni Smetona took over power and served as president until 1940, when Lithuania became part of the USSR. He became a dictator, aiming to consolidate ethnic statehood. He largely succeeded in this. In foreign policy, he was based on the dogma of pushing the limits of independence, while in internal relations he practiced moderate, conservatively tinged socialism. Such policies resulted in economic and cultural achievements that helped strengthen national identity. In 1940, the regime collapsed along with the state due to imperial pressure, but this does not invalidate its achievements.

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