Yedinstvo (Lithuania)
Encyclopedia
Yedinstvo was a pro-Moscow and anti-Sąjūdis
movement in the Lithuanian SSR
during the Perestroika
era. The goals of the movement were similar to those of the Latvian and Estonian Internationalist Movements, e.g. opposition to disintegration of the Soviet Union. The Unity was supported by Soviet military and KGB
.
In addition to representing the interests of the Russophone immigrants, the organization had limited success among the Polish minority in Lithuania
, many of whom preferred Lithuania as a member of the Soviet Union. Yedinstvo went as far as to support forming a Polish autonomous region in southeastern Lithuania. Some commentators suggested that the Unity organization was more popular with the Polish minority than the Russophone minority of Lithuania, which might have surprised the Poles of Warsaw, then seeking a de-communization in Poland. Also, the pro-Moscow stance at times compromised the activities of more Lithuania-friendly Poles. At the election to the Soviet Congress of People's Deputies, two Poles were elected to that body, both pro-Moscow.
The movement lost influence after the abortive August coup, that its leaders had supported. Since 1991, the organization has been inactive.
Sajudis
Sąjūdis initially known as the Reform Movement of Lithuania, is the political organization which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was established on June 3, 1988 and was led by Vytautas Landsbergis...
movement in the Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
during the Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
era. The goals of the movement were similar to those of the Latvian and Estonian Internationalist Movements, e.g. opposition to disintegration of the Soviet Union. The Unity was supported by Soviet military and KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
.
In addition to representing the interests of the Russophone immigrants, the organization had limited success among the Polish minority in Lithuania
Polish minority in Lithuania
The Polish minority in Lithuania numbered 234,989 persons, according to the Lithuanian census of 2001, or 6.74% of the total population of Lithuania. It is the largest ethnic minority in the country and the second largest Polish diaspora group among the post-Soviet states...
, many of whom preferred Lithuania as a member of the Soviet Union. Yedinstvo went as far as to support forming a Polish autonomous region in southeastern Lithuania. Some commentators suggested that the Unity organization was more popular with the Polish minority than the Russophone minority of Lithuania, which might have surprised the Poles of Warsaw, then seeking a de-communization in Poland. Also, the pro-Moscow stance at times compromised the activities of more Lithuania-friendly Poles. At the election to the Soviet Congress of People's Deputies, two Poles were elected to that body, both pro-Moscow.
The movement lost influence after the abortive August coup, that its leaders had supported. Since 1991, the organization has been inactive.