Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; Lithuanian: Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika; Russian: Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика, romanized: Litovskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika), also known as Soviet Lithuania or simply Lithuania, was de facto one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union between 1940–1941 and 1944–1990. After 1946, its territory and borders mirrored those of today's Republic of Lithuania, with the exception of minor adjustments to its border with Belarus.[1]
For the short-lived republic of 1918–1919, see Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1918–1919).
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist RepublicLietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika (Lithuanian)
Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика (Russian)
Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика (Russian)
Internationally unrecognized territory occupied by the Soviet Union
(1940–1941; 1944–1990)
De facto sovereign entity (1990–1991)
Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party soviet socialist republic (1940–1989)
Unitary multi-party parliamentary republic (1989–1991)
16 June 1940
21 July 1940
3 August 1940
June 1941
September–November 1944
1988
18 May 1989
11 March 1990
6 September 1991
65,200 km2 (25,200 sq mi)
3,689,779
Soviet rouble (Rbl) (SUR)
+7 012
During World War II, the previously independent Republic of Lithuania was occupied by the Red Army on 16 June 1940, in conformity with the terms of the 23 August 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, and established as a puppet state on 21 July.[2] Between 1941 and 1944, the German invasion of the Soviet Union caused its de facto dissolution. However, with the retreat of the Germans in 1944–1945, Soviet hegemony was re-established and continued for forty-five years. As a result, many Western countries continued to recognize Lithuania as an independent, sovereign de jure state subject to international law, represented by the legations appointed by the pre-1940 Baltic states, which functioned in various places through the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service.
On 18 May 1989, the Lithuanian SSR declared itself to be a sovereign state, though still part of the USSR. On 11 March 1990, the Republic of Lithuania was re-established as an independent state, the first Soviet Republic to leave Moscow and leading other states to do so. Considered illegal by the Soviet authorities, the country was recognized by the Western powers immediately prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union itself recognized Lithuanian independence on 6 September 1991.
In astronomy[edit]
A minor planet, 2577 Litva, discovered in 1975 by a Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh is named after the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic.[51]