Reddit reviews The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569–1999

> I mean we were so supportive of their independence and in the middle ages we were very close.

From the nationalist Lithuanian point of view, the Poles conspired with Lithuanian elites to subdue Lithuania to the Polish Crown in return for giving the Lithuanian nobles a freer hand to run the show within Lithuania. Those centuries of being "very close" are interpreted as a belligerent occupation by determined Lithuanian nationalists. The conflict over Wilno/Vilnius was seen as an existential threat to Lithuanian nationalists: the entirety of what is now Belarus had already been stripped away from Lithuania, so losing the capital to Poland would doom the project of national independence to failure.

The tension is almost entirely one-sided precisely because Poland and Lithuania were historically so close. The Lithuanian nationalist movement was starting with basically nothing: the Lithuanian middle and upper classes, if they even identified as "Lithuanian," were overwhelmingly Polonized. The language of education and religion throughout Lithuania was Polish. In order to establish a "Lithuanian" nation outside of a Polish superidentity, they had to demonize Polish and Polonization. That's why Lithuanian nationalists were willing to use German and Russian invaders against the local Poles: Lithuanians weren't assimilating to German or Russian culture, so those peoples weren't threats. Lithuanians had for centuries assimilated to Polish culture, so that Polish culture had to be made the enemy, and a lot of Lithuanian behavior post-independence can be explained by the nationalists' need to set themselves opposite Poland in order to encourage a burgeoning Lithuanian middle class to continue to identify as Lithuanians and not become Poles.

Also, at the time of independence, Poles were still having an internal discussion about whether or not the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth should be revived in a federation between Poland and Lithuania. The assumption among Poles, obviously, was that Poland would be the leader of this federation. Lithuanian nationalists trying to carve out independence resented this assumption and saw any Polish support for Lithuanian independence as support for a quasi-independent Lithuanian vassal for Poland.

Edit: This book, The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999, by Timothy Snyder, has a great history of Vilnius (as well as Lvov).

The only sources I can find that give in-depth look of Lithuanian history are actually in Lithuanian language. Besides Lithuanian history is too complicated to begin with. I think you will have to do most of your research by yourself, though I can give some small facts.

You could also check out lituanus (Lituanus is an English language journal dedicated to Lithuanian and Baltic art, history, language, literature and related cultural topics) site.

Lithuania only had one King - Mindaugas that was baptised by Livonian monks after Battle of Saule, which made Livonian Order weak, but we needed a way to deal with invading Teutonic Order in Western Lithuania, at that time Kingdom of Poland was still an enemy state of Kingdom of Lithuania because they're the ones that invited Order to deal with Pagan old Prussians (Balts) that were raiding their Christian land. Mindaugas soon converted back to paganism after TO haven't stopped their attacks and especially due to him dying without heir, Kingdom of Lithuanian was once again Grand Duchy of Lithuania, even though most future Grand Dukes of Lithuania would call themselves as Kings of Lithuania, Ruthenia and Samogitia when writing to Pope... Also Lithuania and especially Samogitia are last regions to be baptised. That's just small part I can give, it would take forever to write everything that started to snowball from it.

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>any good media to watch

You could watch simplified version of medieval Lithuania's border changes like this one (sadly it's in Lithuanian language), this one is a bit more in-depth on border changes.

There is video of why Battle of Grunwald/Žalgiris/Tannenberg (1410) was very important battle for Polish, Lithuanian and Teutonic Order's (soon to become Duchy of Prussia) history in region, that would determine which state will be on top. Also would suggest reading about Battle of Blue Waters (which finalized our conquest of ex-Kievan Rus'), Battle of Orsha (insane early XVI c. battle against Muscovy) and Battle of Kirchholm (yet another victory against all odds battle of early XVII c.), Lithuania has many battles from German Order to Mongols, to Swedes, to Russians, to Turks and so on.

There are even trailers to promote 600th anniversary of the battle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzAQXsYA0Uk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42DavvCuOJs

I can also give you video of Lithuanian armed forces during Interwar period, fun fact we actually had more than enough of capability to stop advancing Soviet forces, though only until they would get re-enforcements.

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>listen

There is podcast about Northern Crusades.

>read

You can either read books that include some parts of our history.

Maybe start with wikipedia as it is easiest and shortest way to get glimpse of Lithuanian history:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_Lithuania

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lithuania

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Lithuania

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish–Lithuanian_Commonwealth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish-Lithuanian_identity

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_National_Revival

etc.

Again, my point is not that Ukrainian ultra-nationalists do not exists, it's that pointing to OUN as some kind of defining Ukrainian characteristic is completely bad faith. Saying anti-semitism or ultra-nationalism as somehow so terrible in Ukraine as to justify Russian invasion is bad to the point of trolling. In fact, Ukraine is one of the most tolerant nations in Eastern Europe in terms of accepting ethnic minorities and Jews specifically:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/28/most-poles-accept-jews-as-fellow-citizens-and-neighbors-but-a-minority-do-not/

Meanwhile, have you seen how Russia has treated the ethnic Tatars in the now occupied Crimea?
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/11/14/crimea-persecution-crimean-tatars-intensifies

I mean, all the shouting about Nazis and digging up books from esoteric academics serves one simple purpose, propaganda to obscure the present reality of invasion and interference in a sovereign nation.

If you want to understand OUN and Ukraine in the context of Russia, German invasion, Poland, etc... I mean actually understand it instead of searching out talking points for Putin appologists, you could do a lot worse than Timothy Snyder, one of the most respected academics on the subject.
https://www.amazon.com/Reconstruction-Nations-Ukraine-Lithuania-1569-1999/dp/030010586X/ref=la_B001H6N9K4_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525742609&sr=1-5

Would suggest reading The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569–1999 by Timothy Snyder.

>So what so terrible is on this events I dont know who is Mykolas Biržiška what he done. It was war time. Maybe he was suspected for espinage or maybe he were. Rest of activists ]were expelled. I know it wasnt glory but really shit storm for one man. As for repressions. Ok it wasnt good answer but you admit closing those schools wasnt good move either.

War was already over by year 1920. You're a sick person for defending execution, especially for just for espionage.

>It is intereesting. Give me more details here: dates, places, peoples, sources. Pact Molotov–Ribbentrop was signed 23 August 1939 war started few days later so there is no possible that it happened after pact.

From book The Baltic Transformed: Complexity Theory and European Security by Walter C. Clemens Jr., in page 6.

>Someone started topic here about joined parade of Nazi Germany and Communist Russia in occupy Polish city Brest. And you do what? Starting blaming Poland for actions like Putin made on Crimea. Wrong place wrong time. You could create own thread and I m sure there would be a place for discusion.

I just pointed out that Poles are too ready to defend their actions as long as it benefited Poland, not other states. It was okay for you to take over lands for ethnic reasons while ignoring the fact that half of pre-WW2 Poland was full of Ukrainians and Belarusians which Soviets took. Also pre-WW2 Poland several non-Polish territories (Klaipėda/Danzig), hell it once claimed whole of Lithuania not only by Pilsudski.

>Sorry If my answer were to spicy. I didnt know who I m talking cultural or none cultural person. Topic of victory Russian-German Brest parade is painfull.

That answer was not spicy, it was full of grammatical mistakes and out right insults. What it showed is that you're uncultured person.

>Of course there is Żeligowski mutiny in history in elementary school. It is even said that it was on secret orders of main commander marshall Piłsudski whose born in Vilnus region. It is also said that inhabitants of Vilnus wanted to be part of Poland. But I was on my mind here uprising made by "Vilnus Selfdefence" in New Yrears Eve 1918/1919.

So you finally see the similarities between Crimea and Vilnius, congrats. And it is not "said" it's a historical fact which Pilsudski admitted himself that he carried out that order.

> How it was possible that part of Lithuanians felt as a part of "Poland" and spoke polish(some of corse lithuanian)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonization#Lithuanian_lands

>part felt as Lithuanians wanted to be in independant country and spoke Lithuanian language... What happen between 1863 and 1918 that you or part of you wanted to be separated state it is only 50 years? What happen?

Because XX c. was an era of rise of nationalism. Lithuanian National Revival

If you want to go deeper, I suggest reading this book.

> Where do you getting this from?

Largely from this book.

> Jogaila married Jadwiga to ensure Lithuania gets Christianized and stops Teutonic Order from attacking us, which they didn't, sadly, besides it was great start up path for Polish-Lithuanian alliance since they both had common enemy - Teutonic Order.

That's true as well, and was listed as the second of the reasons given in the book.

> Lithuania was never secondary culture where are you getting this bs? It just what happens when you're smallest of neighbours it was a natural process like in most nations that unify.

...yeah, that's basically what I said. Their position, as the smallest of the neighbors, meant that their culture remained held down by the dominating slavic culture.