Prieštaravimai Sąjūdyje atkūrus Lietuvos nepriklausomybę

The research determined that the Sąjūdis, which united the nation and led it to independence in the period of national revival, did not only start losing its immense popularity in society and its leaders due to fierce internal disagreements after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence on 11 March 1990 but also divided the nation. Sąjūdis gradually turned into a self-contained movement devoted to its honorary chairman Vytautas Landsbergis. First of all, a great intolerance of the Sąjūdis leaders towards a different opinion, an ill-founded division of society into patriots and communists, the exaggeration of its role in the life of the country and the attempt to turn Vytautas Landsbergis into the President of Lithuania with strong powers at any price in the period 1990–1992 enable to speak about the evolution of Sąjūdis into an ultraradical right-wing movement which had little in common with the Sąjūdis founded in 1988, which was a mouthpiece of democratic values. As it could have been expected, after the lost elections to the Seimas in the spring of 1993, Sąjūdis, led by its leader Vytautas Landsbergis, transformed into a right-wing political party with rather radical members – Homeland Union / Lithuanian Conservatives.

Straipsnyje pirmą kartą bandoma analizuoti, kodėl 1990 m. lietuvių tautą į nepriklausomybę atvedęs Lietuvos persitvarkymo sąjūdis (LPS), atėjęs į valdžią, prarado savo turėtą didelį populiarumą ir visuomenėje pradėtas vertinti labai prieštaringai. Atskleidžiamos LPS vidaus problemos, dalies jo narių pasitraukimo iš šio judėjimo ir Lietuvos gyventojų nusivylimo Sąjūdžiu priežastys. Daugiausia dėmesio skiriama 1990–1992 m., kai Sąjūdis prarado savo populiarumą visuomenėje.

Founded on 3 June 1988 in Vilnius, the Reform Movement of Lithuania Sąjūdis (RML), which was met with tremendous popularity among residents and which brought together diverse social classes under its flag, made the most significant contribution to the restoration of Lithuania’s independence. A great authority and role of Sąjūdis in society at that time reflected in the saying: “Sąjūdis is Lithuania”. The situation changed after the restoration of independence with the majority of Sąjūdis in the democratically elected Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania in the period 1990–1992. Its activities were received rather controversially: it was the period when Lithuania defended itself from the USSR military aggression, Lithuania was granted international recognition, the laws passed by the Supreme Council laid solid foundations for the country’s further statehood and, finally, the Constitution of Lithuania adopted in the autumn of 1992 established a democratic government in the country. On the other hand, it was the time when Lithuania underwent strong domestic disagreements resulting in a severe controversy between the government and the opposition. As a consequence, Sąjūdis could not avoid huge problems as well, with the members of its leadership engaged in a serious confrontation. The former brothers-in-arms became fierce opponents, a number of active figures withdrew from the Sąjūdis movement, it lost its popularity in the eyes of the public. To fill the gaps in the research of the history of Sąjūdis, the article reveals the reasons which determined that after coming to power, the RML did not only lose its former immense popularity but was received very controversially in society (with a special focus on writers) and explains why a number of former leaders withdrew from the movement.