Restoration of the State
During World War I Lithuanian territory was occupied by the German army. Under such change in circumstances Lithuania began its pursuit of independence and not autonomy anymore. Ideologists of the National revival no longer associated the concept of Lithuanian statehood with the restoration of the former Great Duchy and started formulating stipulations of the national state creation within the ethnic Lithuanian lands. A favorable opportunity to declare these aspirations and announce the decision of the nation emerged when Germany and Russia found themselves weakened during the war and revolutions sprang up in both countries. A Lithuanian conference was summoned in September, 1917 in Vilnius and representatives of all social classes, political trends, parties and emigration took part in it. The conference adopted a resolution that a Constituent Assembly be called in Vilnius, the historical capital of Lithuania, in order to adopt the State Constitution and determine relations with other countries. The Council of Lithuania was elected to represent the matters concerning the nation and to carry out the resolutions adopted at the conference. Under the pressure of the German authorities, the Act of Independence was adopted on December 11, it pronounced Lithuania’s independence, but also called for “a firm and permanent alliance” with Germany. Lithuania was to become a kingdom ruled by a German sovereign. Such declaration did not help to relieve Lithuania’s domestic situation at all. Germans continued to behave as occupants, ruthlessly plundering and exploiting the land, which was already exhausted by the war.
