Historians as nation state-builders: the formation of Lithuanian University, 1904-1922

2005·3.5 MB·English

by  Janužytė, Audronė

Audronė Janužytė
HISTORIANS AS NATION STATE-BUILDERS:
THE FORMATION OF LITHUANIAN UNIVERSITY
1904–1922
ACADEMIC DISSERTATION
To be presented, with the permission of
the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Tampere,
for public discussion in the Pinni auditorium B1097
of the University, Kanslerinrinne 1, Tampere, on May 28th,
2005, at 12 o’clock.
U n i v e r s i t y o f T a m p e r e
T a m p e r e 2 0 0 5
ACADEMIC DISSERTATION
University of Tampere,
Department of History
FINLAND
Copyright © Audronė Janužytė
Editorial Board: Matti Alestalo
Marjatta Hietala
Jouni Häkli
Pertti Koistinen
Jyrki Käkönen
Eveliina Permi
Sales
Bookshop TAJU
Yliopistonkatu 38, 33014 Tampereen yliopisto
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
email taju@uta.fi
http://granum.uta.fi
Cover drawing of the central building of the University of Lithuania
(Vytautas Magnus University) by Laura Leščinskaitė.
Layout: Aila Helin
Printed dissertation
ISBN 951-44-6312-9
Electronic dissertation
Acta Electronica Universitatis Tamperensis 441
ISBN 951-44-6313-7
ISSN 1456-954X
http://acta.uta.fi
Cityoffset Oy
Tampere 2005
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Th e re-establishment of independent states in Europe at the end
of the 20th century made it possible for historians in those states
to benefi t from free international cooperation. Th e ultimate value
of such cooperation is the ability to share historical knowledge
and experience. Th e years 1992–1993 were especially signifi cant
for me as a historian because I then had the opportunity to study
history and complete my master’s thesis Th e Infl uence of Political
Events on the Development of Historical Science in Lithuania
1918–1956 (supervisor Professor Stephen Fischer Galati) in
the Central European University in Budapest. Th e spring term
of 1995 was another signifi cant period in my professional life
because of my visit to the University of Joensuu in Finland.
Making the acquaintance of and working with the then Professor
of History at the University of Joensuu, Marjatta Hietala, led me
to make essential revisions of the subject of my doctoral thesis.
Her straightforward questions on how Lithuanian historiography
developed in the inter-war period set me once again to explore the
sources on the formation of the Lithuanian state at the beginning
of the 20th century. Analysing the activities and the written works
of the inter-war Lithuanian historians we concluded that the fi rst
historians had been politicians who directly participated in the
creation of the independent state of Lithuania. Th us the subject of
my dissertation was generated.
Th is doctoral thesis, which took a long time to write, was
commenced in Budapest and completed in Finland, and now has
fi nally developed into a book. Th is work truly would not have
been possible without the generous assistance of the people, whose
contribution I acknowledge with great pleasure.
My fi rst thanks are due to my supervisor, Professor Marjatta
Hietala at the University of Tampere, for those long hours she has
spent discussing, reading, and commenting on my texts, for her
constant help and encouragement, as well as for fi nding the funds
for writing the thesis and publishing the book. I have always and
everywhere felt her professional supervision, and her responsible
and caring attitude towards me as a doctoral student and a person.
I also thank warmly the examiners of my manuscript, Professor
Emerita Aira Kemiläinen of the University of Jyväskylä and
Professor Miroslav Hroch of Charles University in Prague, for
their constructive criticism, perceptive comments, and their helpful
suggestions for revisions.
My deepest thanks are due also to the scholars in the project
Scholars, Science, Universities and Networks as Factors Making Cities
Attractive (a long term analysis in an international context) and
especially to Dr. Mervi Kaarninen at the University of Tampere
and Dr. Timo Rui of the University of Joensuu. Th ey both have
read and insightfully commented on draft chapters of the thesis
and in many ways contributed to the completion of the process.
I am grateful to my fi rst teacher at the Vilnius Pedagogical
University, ProfessorAldona Gaigalaitė, whose profound knowledge
of Lithuanian historiography fostered my understanding of the
political situation in Lithuania at the beginning of the 20th century.
I am most thankful to Associate Professor Eugenijus Jovaiša of
Vilnius Pedagogical University, who provided me with perfect
working conditions for the completion of my thesis and for the
preparation of maps as well as for the selection of the photographs
in the book.
I am also grateful to Professor Pertti Haapala of the University
of Tampere who has always been willing to help me with my
organisational problems. I wish also to express my particular
thanks to the Coordinator of North American Studies Sari Pasto,
Librarian Teijo Räty, and Department Secretary Riitta Aallos at
the University of Tampere, as well as the International Relations
Manager, Sofi ja Pivoriūnienė, of Vilnius Pedagogical University
who all helped me with various practical problems in the fi nal
stages of the research.
I am also truly grateful to the Nordic Council of Ministers for
granting me an eleven-month fellowship for my post-graduate
studies at the Universities of Joensuu and Tampere in 1996–1997,
as well as to the Academy of Finland, for granting me a one-year
scholarship for fi nishing my doctoral thesis at the University of
Tampere in 2002–2003. I wish to extend my warmest thanks to
the board that kindly accepted my work into its series Studies in
European Society and Politics and, personally, to Eveliina Permi who
has been most helpful in all matters concerning the publication.
I am also thankful to Ms Lina Guobienė who kindly corrected
some of my English language. Similarly, I give my warmest thanks
to Dr. Robert E. Bell, who has given me most useful advice in
making my doctoral thesis more readable.
Naturally, I also owe my heartiest thanks to my parents Adelė
and Petras Janužiai, my sister Zita and her husband Valius
Kildišas and my friends Loreta Žadeikaitė, Regina and Dainius
Nojikai, Violeta and Kęstutis Vilučiai for their understanding and
support during the lengthy period of writing.
Vilnius, April 2005
Audronė Janužytė

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................3
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................11
Lithuanians in the past ........................................................................11
Political and cultural agendas: towards the nation state ..................17
Th e object of this research. Th e contribution of historians ............37
Research questions ..............................................................................44
Th eoretical background ......................................................................47
New approaches in the thesis .............................................................53
Th e methods and the sources .............................................................55
1. THE HISTORIANS’ CONCEPT OF NATIONALISM
AND THE POLITICS OF INDEPENDENCE ....................63
1.1. Petras Klimas’ concept ......................................................................64
1.1.1. Th e role of language in national and political identity ...........68
1.1.2. National consciousness and the will to form an
independent Lithuania .............................................................80
1.1.3. Culture and history ....................................................................82
1.1.4. Vision of the future – the national ideal ...................................88
1.2. Is nationalism the underlying idea of the twentieth century?
Th e fate of Lithuania .........................................................................89
1.3. Independence and ways to achieve independence ..........................96
1.3.1. A possible plebiscite ...................................................................99
1.3.2. Th e reaction of Klimas to the plebiscite proposed by
the Bolsheviks ..........................................................................101
1.3.3. Th e Lithuanian path to independence: Klimas’
proposals ..................................................................................102
1.4. Stages of creating an independent state ........................................105
1.5. Forms of governing the Lithuanian state ......................................106
1.5.1. Th e proposal for a constitutional monarchy:
Purickis and Voldemaras ........................................................106
1.5.2. A joint Lithuanian and Latvian Republic: Šliūpas ..............112
1.5.3. Th e union with Belarus ..........................................................117
1.6. Th e territory of the nation state – the ethnic-national law ........118
1.7. Relations with neighbouring countries: Th e Vilnius question
and the Gardinas delegation ...........................................................125
1.8. National minorities and the founding of the nation state ...........131
1.9. Education: illiteracy as an obstacle in building of
the nation state ................................................................................138
2. THE CONCEPT OF A NATIONAL
VILNIUS UNIVERSITY 1915–1919 .................................149
2.1. Th e moderators of the national Vilnius University in
Autumn 1915–May 1918: Purickis, Šliūpas and Klimas ..........150
2.2. Th e re-establishment of a national Vilnius University
May 1918–January 1919: Voldemaras, Purickis,
Biržiška, Yčas and Klimas ...............................................................158
2.2.1. A University Commission: Biržiška, Voldemaras,
and Purickis .............................................................................159
2.2.2. Considering the Statute for a national Vilnius University:
Yčas, Voldemaras, Biržiška and Klimas ...............................163
2.2.3. Th e Vilnius University’s Statute .............................................177
2.3. A new University in the midst of wars ..........................................183
3. PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION IN
INDEPENDENT LITHUANIA 1919–1922 .....................187
3.1. Th e Learned Courses in Vilnius 1919–1921:
Biržiška and Janulaitis .....................................................................189
3.2. Activities of Lithuanians in the United States: Šliūpas ................192
3.2.1. Association of Friends of Vilnius University,
Summer 1918–Summer 1919 ..............................................193
3.2.2. Financial and material aid 1919–1920 ...............................195
3.3. An alternative to Vilnius University: the Advanced Courses
in Kaunas 1920–1922 ....................................................................198
3.3.1. Th e attempts by intellectuals to fi nd a compromise with
the governing institutions September–November, 1919 ......200
3.3.2. Th e formation of private higher school December
1919–1920 .............................................................................204
3.3.3. Drawbacks of the Advanced Courses .....................................207
4. STRUGGLES IN DEFINING THE NEW
UNIVERSITY 1921–1922 ..................................................213
4.1. Th e idea of a Catholic University ..................................................216
4.1.1. Th e organisation of Faculty of Humanities ...........................220
4.2. Changes in the structure of the University ...................................223
4.2.1. Criticism of and resistance to the decisions of
the Ministry of Education ......................................................224
4.2.2. Th e compromise arrived at between the Lithuanian
Government and the political parties .....................................226
4.3. Th e opening of the University of Lithuania .................................232
4.3.1. Drawbacks of the new University ..........................................238
4.3.2. Th e Statute of the University of Lithuania ............................241
5. BETWEEN NATIONALISM AND INTERNATIONALISM:
THE INFLUENCE OF THE UNIVERSITIES OF
EASTERN AND WESTERN EUROPE ON THE
NEW UNIVERSITY OF LITHUANIA .............................249
5.1. Studies in Russian Universities up to 1914 ..................................249
5.2. Studies at universities abroad 1918–1922 ...................................251
5.3. Th e international relationships of the Advanced Courses
1920–1922 .......................................................................................254
5.4. Th e international relationships of the University of Lithuania
in the interwar period .....................................................................257
5.4.1. Studies in history at European Universities ...........................257
5.4.2. Study tours of historians to foreign universities .....................261
5.4.3. Th e international patronage of scholars .................................269
5.4.4. Th e contribution of foreign scholars to the Lithuanian
University ................................................................................272
5.4.5. International conferences and congresses ...............................283
CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................295
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................311
APPENDIX ................................................................................339