Fourth Seimas of Lithuania

Fourth Seimas of Lithuania

The Fourth Seimas of Lithuania was the fourth parliament (Seimas) elected in Lithuania after it declared independence on February 16 1918. The elections took place on June 9 and June 10 1936, a bit less than ten years after the Third Seimas was dissolved by President Antanas Smetona. The Seimas commenced its work on September 1 1936. Its five-year term was cut short on July 1 1940 when Lithuania lost its independence to the Soviet Union. It was replaced by the People's Parliament in order to legitimize the occupation. [cite web |url=http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter/w5_show?p_r=282&p_k=2 |publisher=Seimas |title=Fourth Seimas 1936–1940 |accessdate=2008-03-13]

After a military coup d'état in 1926, Smetona assumed the power and continued to strengthen his position. In 1935–1936, Smetona's prestige was declining as a trial against 122 Nazi activists in the Klaipėda Region caused Nazi Germany to declare a boycott of Lithuanian imports of agricultural products. This caused an economic crisis in Suvalkija (southern Lithuania), where farmers engaged in violent protests. [cite book |last=Eidintas |first=Alfonsas |coauthors=Vytautas Žalys, Alfred Erich Senn |editor=Ed. Edvardas Tuskenis |title=Lithuania in European Politics: The Years of the First Republic, 1918–1940 |edition=Paperback |year=1999 |month=September |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=0-312-22458-3 |pages=123] Advisers to Smetona tried to convince him that a Seimas could share the criticisms that was aimed solely at the President.lt icon cite book |last=Eidintas |first=Alfonsas |title=Lietuvos Respublikos prezidentai |year=1991 |publisher=Šviesa |location=Vilnius |isbn=5-430-01059-6 |pages=125, 128]

In early 1936, before the election, all public organizations had to re-register with the government. Political parties, however, were not re-registered and had to close. The Lithuanian Nationalists Union remained the only party in Lithuania. A new electoral law provided that the nominations of the candidates must come not from parties but from counties and municipal councils which were appointed by the central government. The votes were to be cast not for party lists, but for specific individuals. cite encyclopedia |editor=Simas Sužiedėlis | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Lituanica |title=Seimas |year=1970–1978 |publisher=Juozas Kapočius |volume=V |location=Boston, Massachusetts |id=LCC | 74-114275 |pages=101] The number of representatives was reduced from 85 to 49. Such changes provided that the Nationalists got 42 seats; remaining seven seats were taken by the Young Lithuania, a youth branch of the Nationalists Union.

The Seimas functioned primarily as an advisory to the President: it debated proposals, made recommendations, and confirmed President's decisions. Its main purpose was to adopt a new constitution. It was accomplished on February 11 1938. The new constitution provided for even more powers to the president. Up to that point all constitutions defined Lithuania as an independent democratic republic; the 1938 constitution dropped the word "democratic."lt icon cite book |title=Lietuvos istorija 11–12 klasėms |first=Rūstis |last=Kamuntavičius |coauthors=Vaida Kamuntavičienė, Remigijus Civinskas, Kastytis Antanaitis |year=2001 |publisher=Vaga |location=Vilnius |isbn=5-415-01502-7 |pages=385–386]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Seimas — Not to be confused with Sejm or Saeima. Seimas Type Type Unicameral …   Wikipedia

  • Lithuania Minor — ( lt. Mažoji Lietuva; de. Kleinlitauen; pl. Litwa Mniejsza; ru. Máлая Литвá) or Prussian Lithuania ( lt. Prūsų Lietuva; de. Preußisch Litauen, pl. Litwa Pruska) is a historical ethnographic region of Prussia, later East Prussia in Germany, where… …   Wikipedia

  • Lithuania — Lithuanic /lith ooh an ik/, adj., n. /lith ooh ay nee euh/, n. a republic in N Europe, on the Baltic: an independent state 1918 40; annexed by the Soviet Union 1940; regained independence 1991. 3,635,932; 25,174 sq. mi. (65,200 sq. km). Cap.:… …   Universalium

  • Great Seimas of Vilnius — Portrait of Jonas Basanavičius, chairman of the Seimas. The Great Seimas of Vilnius (Lithuanian: Didysis Vilniaus Seimas, also known as the Great Assembly of Vilnius, the Grand Diet of Vilnius, or the Great Diet of Vilnius), was a major assembly… …   Wikipedia

  • History of Lithuania — The history of Lithuania dates back to at least 1009, the first recorded written use of the term.[1] Lithuanians, a branch of the Baltic peoples, later conquered neighboring lands, establishing the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in the 13th century …   Wikipedia

  • Constituent Assembly of Lithuania — Steigiamasis Seimas Type Type Constituent assembly Timeline …   Wikipedia

  • Outline of Lithuania — …   Wikipedia

  • 1938 Polish ultimatum to Lithuania — The 1938 Polish ultimatum to Lithuania was an ultimatum delivered to Lithuania by Poland on March 17, 1938. Five days earlier, Poland s southern borders were threatened by the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, therefore Poland decided it was …   Wikipedia

  • Referendums in Lithuania — There have been nine referendums in Lithuania since it declared independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990. Because of strict requirements only four referendums were successful. Older Lithuanian laws required that more than a half of… …   Wikipedia

  • Orders, decorations, and medals of Lithuania — Awards and decorations of Lithuania are governed by the Republic of Lithuania Law on State Awards of 2002, amended in 2003. Contents 1 State decorations 1.1 Orders 1.1.1 Insignia of the Orders 1.2 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”