The 11th of March
Due to the consistent policies of the U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the Pope John Paul II, the Soviet Union began to sense defeat in the armament race during the Cold War. As a result, in 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev made the decision to launch a policy of restructuring (”Perestroika”) and publicity. Lithuania was to make use of this “thaw” in Soviet policies and, in 1988, the Reform Movement of Lithuania (”Sąjūdis”) was founded. At first, the organization sought greater Lithuanian autonomy, but soon it set its hopes on a far greater cause - the reestablishment of Lithuanian independence. The historic coat of arms, anthem and flag of Lithuania, prohibited during Soviet times, were reinstated. Vilnius Cathedral was returned to the Catholic Church, and, first and foremost, the great injustice was undone - political prisoners and exiles were rehabilitated. On August 23, 1989, to mark the 50th anniversary of Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact betwen Germany and Soviet Union, which led to the occupation of the three Baltic states, the „Baltic Way” („Baltijos kelias”) demonstration was organized - hundreds of thousands of people joined their hands to form a human chain from Vilnius to Talinn, drawing the world’s attention to the common historical fate, solidarity and the strive for freedom of the Baltic countries.
