Antanas Smetona

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Antanas Smetona (10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was one of Lithuania's most prominent political figures during World War I and World War II.

He served as Lithuania's first President from 4 April 1919 to 19 June 1920.

He served as the country's last President from 19 December 1926 to 1945, before it was occupied by the Soviet Union.

He was also one of Lithuania's most influential nationalist ideologists.

Early life and education

Smetona was born on August 10 [O.S.] [July] 1874 in the village of Unis, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire, to a family of farmers – the former serfs of the Taujnai Manor, which belonged to the Radziwi family. Smetona's patrilineal ancestry has been traced back to Laurentijus, who was born in 1695 and died near Raguva. Smetona was the eighth of nine children. His parents, who were hardworking people who managed to double their inherited 5 hectares (12 acres). His father was literate, and Smetona learned how to read at home.

His father died in 1885 when Smetona was just 11 years old, and after financial hardships, Smetona, the only one of his siblings' siblings, was sent to the primary school in Taujnai, where instruction was in Russian due to the Lithuanian press ban. This was his dying father's request. His mother wished that Smetona would become a priest. Smetona wanted to continue his education after graduating in 1889, but gymnasiums accepted students only up to the age of 12, but he was only 15 years old. According to this, he was forced to study privately in Ukmerg in order to keep up and pass examinations to enroll in the fourth class of gymnasium. Although his brother Motiejus worked in a factory in Liepja, he attempted to enroll in the Liep'ja Gymnasium in summer 1891. He was refused admission to the Palanga Pre-Gymnasium, which had no age restrictions. Smetona was an excellent student (one of the top two students) and was granted a tuition waiver. He also obtained free housing and was able to assist himself by giving private lessons as a superintendent of a student dormitory. Pro-Gymnasium students from three other future signatories of Lithuania's Act of Independence, Jurgis aulys, and Steponas Steponas aulys attended. As Palanga was close to East Prussia, it was much simpler to obtain Lithuanian literature, which had been outlawed by the Tsarist authorities. Smetona began reading Lithuanian periodicals and books, including a history of Lithuania by Maironis.

He passed his entrance exam for the Samogitian Diocesan Seminary in Kaunas after graduating in 1893, according to his family's wishes. Nevertheless, he had no desire for priesthood and enrolled at the Jelgava Gymnasium in Latvia. This was a cultural hub of Lithuanian national revivalival, attracted many future experts in Lithuanian culture and politics, including Juozas T.belis and Vladas Mironas, who later became Smetona's political companions. Lithuanian language and culture were especially promoted by the linguist, Jonas Jablonskis, Greek teacher with whom Smetona had a close working relationship. The Jablonskis spent time in Smetona, Lithuanian dialects, compiling statistics on Lithuanian dialects. Smetona met his future wife, Sofija Chodakaita, through Jablonskis who recommended him as a tutor for her brother.

The Jelgava Gymnasium's administration compelled the Lithuanian students to recite their prayers in Russian, while Latvian and German students were encouraged to use their native languages in fall 1896. Smetona and other students protested and were banned from returning to school, and were suspended. The majority of people who attended were re-admitted and confirmed, but a handful who refused were refused admission to any other academy. The students presented petitions to Pope Leo XIII and Ivan Delyanov, Minister of National Education, Ivan Delyanov. Smetona and two others, Jurgis lavapelis and Petras Vasiliuka, were able to book an audience with Delyanov, who encouraged Lithuanians to pray in Latin and expelled students to continue their studies. Smetona did not return to Jelgava, but she did finish up at Gymnasium No. 1. 9 in Saint Petersburg.

Smetona joined the University of Saint Petersburg's Faculty of Law upon graduation in 1897. He was more interested in history and languages, but knew that if he wanted to work in Lithuania, his options were limited to priest, advocate, or doctor. Saint Petersburg, with a direct railway link to Lithuania, was rapidly evolving as a Lithuanian cultural center. Smetona founded and chaired a clandestine Lithuanian student group; Steponas Kairys succeeded him later. He was also active in a Lithuanian choir led by eslovas Sasnauskas, organist at the Church of St. Catherine. Smetona was introduced to socialist theories and even read Marx's Capital, but she resolutely dismissed them. He was suspended from the university, jailed for two weeks, and deported to Vilnius for attending the student protests of February 1899. It was the first time Smetona visited the city, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania's historical capital, and it left a lasting impression on him. He was allowed to return to the university a month later.

Smetona and his roommate, Vladas Sirutaviius, published about 100 copies of a short Lithuanian grammar developed by Petras Avionis, based on Friedrich Kurschat's German-language writings. This grammar was insufficient for Lithuanian needs, and Jonas Jablonskis started to work on his Lithuanian grammar in summer 1900. Avionis, emait, and Smetona, among others, but Smetona mainly edited Bishop Motiejus Valan's works. The grammar was published in 1901 and became a vital work in the establishment of the Lithuanian language. The police began investigating a network of Lithuanian book smugglers and raided Smetona's room, where they discovered several banned Lithuanian publications in early 1902. He was incarcerated in the Vyborg Castle but was able to obtain acquittal and a diploma that spring.

Early activities

After graduating from the university in 1902, he moved to Vilnius and worked at the Vilnius Land Bank until 1915. He was an active participant in Lithuanian cultural life and, up until his rise to president in December 1926, devoted a considerable amount of time and energy to the Lithuanian press. He married Sofija Chodakait in the Church of St. Raphael the Archangel in Vilnius two years ago.

Smetona's humble beginnings in Vilnius assassinated him in the activities of various Lithuanian nationalist organisations before he became involved in the Lithuanian Democratic Party, which he represented in the Great Seimas of Vilnius. He was later elected to the Presidium of the United Kingdom. He worked with the Lithuanian newspaper Vilniaus inios in 1904 and 1907 (The Vilnius News). He edited the weekly Lietuvos kininkas (The Lithuanian Farmer) from 1905 to 1906. Smetona and the Rev. were born in 1907, and they were married. Juozas Tumas-Vaigantas founded a venture to print the newspaper Viltis (The Hope) and began distributing and distributing it. Smetona, a Lithuanian immigrant, was in favour of national unity. He was also one of the founding members of the Aura (Dawn) company for the publishing of Lithuanian books, a member of the Lithuanian Mutual Aid Society of Vilnius, the Vilnius Educational Society, the Vilnius University, the Vilnius University, the Vilnius State Academy, and several other organisations, as well as teaching the Lithuanian language at Vilnius schools. He began releasing Vairas (The Rudder), a bi-weekly newspaper, in 1914.

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