As a result of the German-Soviet Invasion of Poland, part of the Vilnius Region was under Lithuanian administration in the period lasting from the takeover of the city from the occupying Soviet administration on 27 October 1939, to the occupation of all of Lithuania, including Vilnius, on 15 June 1940..
As a result of the Polish–Lithuanian War (1919–1920) and the Polish–Soviet War (1919–1921), Vilnius and the surrounding region became part of Poland for a period of 19 years. Lithuania continued to claim the territory, regarding Vilnius as its historical and constitutional capital, as it had been the capital since 1323. The strained relations between the two countries did not improve until 1938. In the following year, however, Poland became the victim of a joint German-Soviet invasion in September 1939; as a result of the defeat, its territory was divided between the two occupiers. Lithuania did not join the invasion, but the Soviets offered to cede Vilnius and the Vilnius region in return for allowing the establishment of Soviet military bases on its territory.
The transfer of Vilnius, completed on 27 October 1939, was celebrated as an act of historical justice, even though it resulted in a de facto loss of sovereignty. It also led to the severance of diplomatic relations with the Polish government-in-exile, which regarded Lithuanian rule as an occupation. Lithuania opted against an immediate relocation of its capital to Vilnius, instead embarking on a policy of Lithuanization, which hurt the Polish population, who made up the majority of the population of the incorporated territory, particularly the closure of all Polish organizations and the withdrawal of civil rights from a population that Lithuania considered foreign. Despite these measures, the Polish population regarded Lithuanian rule as more favorable than German or Soviet occupation.
In June 1940, as part of its occupation of the Baltic States, the Soviets demanded in an ultimatum that Lithuania form a puppet government, the People's Government of Lithuania, and allow Soviet troops into the entire territory of the state. This marked the complete loss of sovereignty and the de facto occupation of the whole of Lithuania by the Soviet Union.
Entry of Lithuanian troops into the Vilnius region
After the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, Lithuania was pressured by German diplomacy to enter Vilnius. Despite the idea's popularity among the Lithuanian public, the Lithuanian government rejected it. German pressure ceased on September 16. A day later, the USSR began its aggression against Poland and the borders were crossed by the Red Army, which occupied Vilnius on the night of September 18–19, after fighting the Polish Army units defending the city. Vilnius became the unofficial capital of Western Belarus, and a brief period of Belarusization began for the region, which the Belorussian Communists believed would soon be incorporated into Soviet Belarus.
On 19 September, Lithuanian envoy in Moscow claimed Lithuanian rights to Vilnius. After the new German-Soviet border was established on 28 September, the Soviets invited the Lithuanians to talks. Negotiations lasted from 3 October to 10. The result of the talks was the "Treaty on Mutual Assistance and Transfer of Vilnius and Vilnius Region to Lithuania," under which, in exchange for Vilnius, Lithuania agreed to establish Soviet military bases on its territory. The treaty was ratified by the Lithuanian Seimas on 14 October. Lithuanian diplomats did not doubt that the presence of Soviet troops meant preparation for annexation. During negotiations, the Soviets threatened to annex Vilnius to Soviet Belarus and even to reconstitute the Lithuanian-Belarusian SSR. In addition, Lithuania received only a fragment of territory that Soviet Russia had recognized as part of Lithuania under the Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty of 12 July, 1920. Lithuania annexed most of Wilno-Troki County with Vilnius, half of Święciany County, and parts of Grodno, Lida, Oszmiany, and Brasław counties. Soviet troops remained in Lithuanian-ruled Vilnius region, deploying in Naujoji Vilnia, Gaižiūnai, Prienai and Alytus.
Polish envoy in Kaunas submitted a protest note on behalf of the Polish government. The Lithuanian side responded that Vilnius was and is an inseparable part of Lithuania, which Poland occupied since 1920. According to Polish military attaché , the Lithuanians' response was even harsher; they were to state that they did not recognize the Polish government in Paris, and for them, Poland ceased to exist. In response, Charwat left Lithuania, thus breaking off Polish-Lithuanian relations. Michał Römer (Mykolas Römeris), a Lithuanian specialist in international law and rector of University of Kaunas, argued that Lithuania had not violated Poland's sovereignty because it had taken over its capital peacefully, from the state under whose administration it was temporarily located. He argued that, from the Lithuanian point of view, Poland had never acquired the right to possess Vilnius, so in view of this, Lithuania remained neutral with respect to Poland. On 18 October 1939, the Polish government lodged a formal protest to the government of Lithuania and other countries with which it had diplomatic relations against Lithuania's takeover of Vilnius.
The Lithuanian public generally welcomed the news of the annexation of Vilnius with enthusiasm, and mass demonstrations took place in Kaunas. Left-leaning journalist Justas Paleckis gave a gratitude speech toward the Soviet Union, in which he demanded freedom for political prisoners and the resignation of President Smetona; for this, he was sent to the Dimitravas forced labor camp. However, most of the better politically oriented Lithuanian intelligentsia realized that this was only a prelude to the occupation of Lithuania by Soviet forces.
Throughout the interwar period, official propaganda for the recapture of Vilnius portrayed the city as a country suffering from poverty and backwardness under Polish rule; the ongoing hostilities compounded this impression. As a result, there were initiatives in Lithuania to send humanitarian aid to Vilnius, and an official proclamation issued on 13 October called for this. The director of the Kaunas State Theater, Antanas Juška, headed the Relief Committee for the Vilnius Country.
On 19 October, the Soviet Workers' Guard was disbanded. As early as 22 October, Lithuanian flags appeared on buildings in Vilnius, and the first Lithuanian officials also arrived in the city and began forming a Lithuanian militia. Soviet units were leaving the city, carrying out looting. In addition, about 3,000 Jewish residents of the city were allowed to leave for the depths of the USSR - mainly those previously involved in the formation of the foundations of Soviet power.
Lithuanian troops crossed the Polish-Lithuanian border in several places. The main route of the march led from Kaunas through the border crossing at Zawiasy, where the barrier was ceremoniously sawed through, and border wreaths were burned. On 28 October, Lithuanian army units, commanded by Vincas Vitkauskas, entered Vilnius.. The encroaching troops were welcomed by delegations of Vilnius Lithuanians, Byelorussians, Tatars, Jews, and Polish Krajowcy. The parade in the city was recorded on color film. Volunteers were brought in from Kaunas, Lithuania, to form a cheering crowd in honor of the Lithuanian army.
Polish residents of the city greeted the Lithuanian army with indifference, and sometimes with interest. The general feeling was that Lithuanian rule in Vilnius would be short-lived. There was also a prevailing sense of relief at the end of the Soviet occupation, during which 348 people were arrested and deported, among them political leaders and university professors. Polish Archbishop of Vilnius Romuald Jałbrzykowski refused to greet Lithuanian troops by ringing bells, and during his sermon called the Lithuanians the next occupiers. The very next day, a Polish patriotic demonstration was organized, attended by about 700-800 people; the police dispersed it.
Demographics of the region The actual demographics of the region, and especially the ethnic breakdown, are difficult to determine mainly because the area that began to be ruled by Lithuania crossed the Polish administrative division, so that Polish statistics from the 1931 census cannot be a direct basis for making estimates. The Polish population dominated in and around Vilnius, while the Lithuanian population was in the minority, grouped in the southwestern slice of Wilno-Troki County and parts of Święciany County. The areas of pre-war Poland, where the concentration of Lithuanian population was greatest, were outside the Lithuanian administration.
In Vilnius alone, the number of Lithuanians ranged between 1.4 and 7 thousand. This number, as a result of immigration from Kaunas, has risen to 30-40 thousand. Making an accurate estimate is also prevented by population shifts related to the war effort. In Vilnius alone, at the end of October 1939, there were 18,000-20,000 refugees, half of whom were Jews.
Two Lithuanian researchers, Leonas Sabaliūnas and , have made their own estimates of the area's demography under Lithuanian rule, which differ significantly. + Leonas Sabaliūnas Regina ŽepkaitėPoles321,70059%180,00039,37%Jews107,60019,5%156,00034,16%Belarusians75,20013,7% – –Lithuanians31,3005,7%88,00019,23%Other13,2002%33,0007,24%Total549,000457,000
Economy of the region The Vilnius region was hit quite hard by the hostilities and the month-long Soviet occupation. There were many refugees from other regions of Poland, and unemployment and food prices were rising. The Lithuanian government made an effort to relieve the major problems plaguing the region. In the fall of 1939, a mandatory loan of 50 million litas was dispersed to Vilnius. It was charged to civil servants' salaries and to income tax payers. By the end of April, the budget had received 30.1 million litas. This allowed Vilnius's budget to be set at 28.5 million litas, exceeding the pre-war Polish budget; the Lithuanian press emphasized this heavily. Additional funds were used to invest in urban infrastructure.
Less successful was the fight against unemployment. At the beginning of December 1939, there were 8815 unemployed people in Vilnius; later, the number only increased. This was caused by the paralysis of industry related to the loss of markets; this was equally true for all of Lithuania, whose trade had collapsed due to the outbreak of war. The reason was also the deliberate activity of the Lithuanian authorities to close Polish enterprises and cooperatives and replace them with Lithuanian ones.
Poverty began to prevail in the city. The authorities estimated the number of people in need of permanent support at 150,000, but they themselves were able to assist 25,000, and the Red Cross assisted a further 27,000. When distributing aid, the Lithuanian authorities preferred groups considered loyal; thus aid was directed primarily to the Lithuanian population, followed by members of the Belarusian and Jewish minorities. Very little aid was given to Polish Army reservists.