Mykolas Sleževičius facts for kids
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Mykolas Sleževičius
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| Prime Minister of Lithuania | |
| In office 26 December 1918 – 12 March 1919 |
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| Preceded by | Augustinas Voldemaras |
| Succeeded by | Pranas Dovydaitis |
| In office 12 April 1919 – 7 October 1919 |
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| Preceded by | Pranas Dovydaitis |
| Succeeded by | Ernestas Galvanauskas |
| In office 15 June 1926 – 17 December 1926 |
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| Preceded by | Leonas Bistras |
| Succeeded by | Augustinas Voldemaras |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 15 June 1926 – 17 December 1926 |
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| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Vincas Karoblis |
| Succeeded by | Petras Karvelis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 February 1882 Drembliai village, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania) |
| Died | 11 November 1939 (aged 57) Kaunas, Lithuania |
| Resting place | Petrašiūnai Cemetery |
| Political party | Lithuanian Democratic Party |
| Other political affiliations |
Lithuanian Popular Socialist Democratic Party Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union |
| Spouse | Domicėlė Sleževičienė |
| Children | Marytė Sleževičiūtė |
| Alma mater | Odessa University |
Mykolas Sleževičius (born February 21, 1882 – died November 11, 1939) was a Lithuanian lawyer, politician, and journalist. He was a very important person in Lithuania between the two World Wars. He served as the Prime Minister of Lithuania three times. Sleževičius helped prepare Lithuania for its fight for freedom and built the first parts of the new country.
He was elected to the Lithuanian parliament, called the Seimas, four times. In 1926, he became prime minister for the third time. His government tried to make important changes in Lithuania. However, these changes were not liked by some groups, like the Catholic church and military officers. This led to a military takeover in December 1926. This takeover brought Antanas Smetona to power, who ruled with strong authority. Sleževičius continued to be active in his party but never had as much power again.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mykolas Sleževičius was born on February 21, 1882. His birthplace was Drembliai village in the Russian Empire. This area is now part of Raseiniai district municipality, Lithuania. He was the older of two brothers. His younger brother, Kazimieras, later became a geophysicist. Their father passed away in 1890.
Even though his father died early, Mykolas got help from his aunt and uncle. He went to school in Jelgava and finished high school in 1901. After not getting into a technical university, he started studying law. He began his law studies at Odessa University in 1902.
Early Political Steps
While studying in Odessa, Sleževičius became interested in politics. He joined the movement for Lithuanian independence. He also helped organize cultural events. These included concerts, plays, and even religious services in the Lithuanian language. Sleževičius took part in the Russian Revolution of 1905. He helped keep public order during this time. In the same year, he represented Lithuanians from Odessa at the Great Seimas of Vilnius. He also started writing for a newspaper called Lietuvos ūkininkas.
After getting his law degree in 1907, Sleževičius returned to Lithuania. He joined the Lithuanian Democratic Party (LDP). For the next five years, he worked as a lawyer. He also took part in cultural activities, especially theater. He was the main editor for Lietuvos ūkininkas from 1907 to 1912. He also edited another newspaper, Lietuvos žinios, from 1910 to 1912. When the German army took over Lithuania in 1915, Sleževičius moved to Russia.
In Russia, Sleževičius stayed active with the Lithuanian community. He helped people who were suffering from the war. In 1917, he and others formed a new party. It was called the Lithuanian Popular Socialist Democratic Party.
Later in 1917, Sleževičius joined the Supreme Council of Lithuania in Russia. This group was based in Voronezh. They supported the idea of Lithuania becoming an independent country. They also helped Lithuanians return home. Sleževičius was briefly put in prison by the Bolsheviks in 1918. He was released after a month and went to Moscow. He finally returned to Lithuania on December 19, 1918.
Leading the Government
Sleževičius came back to Lithuania during a very difficult time. The new Lithuanian state was weak and had almost no army. The Bolshevik army was getting closer. The previous prime minister and the head of the Council of Lithuania left for Germany. Many people thought they were running away. Military officers then asked Sleževičius to become the new leader. He agreed to be prime minister. He asked that his government be given full power to make laws. The Council agreed and appointed him on December 26, 1918.
His first time as prime minister was hard. The Polish army took Vilnius in January 1919. This forced the government to move to Kaunas. The Bolshevik forces were also moving forward. Sleževičius worked to get help from Germany. He also started to gather and train Lithuanian forces. On January 8, 1919, Germany agreed to help fight the Bolsheviks. This cooperation helped push the Bolsheviks back. Sleževičius's government had a lot of power. But this led to disagreements with the Council of Lithuania. Sleževičius resigned on March 12, 1919.
Just two weeks later, Sleževičius was asked to lead the government again. He agreed, but only if the Council of Lithuania chose a president. The Council agreed and elected Antanas Smetona as the first President of Lithuania. The previous prime minister resigned. Sleževičius became prime minister again on April 12, 1919. He also worked as the acting foreign minister. His government created a volunteer army, which became the Lithuanian Armed Forces. They also worked to stop a Polish nationalist group. His government also started building the main parts of the Lithuanian state. This included setting up government, finance, and legal systems. Sleževičius's government also planned the first land reform. This plan promised land to people who joined the army. This helped get more soldiers for the new country.
Some right-wing members of the government resigned. Also, other politicians caused problems. Because of this, the government fell apart. Sleževičius resigned on October 7, 1919. He chose not to join the next government.
A Member of Parliament
In 1919, Sleževičius had already started preparing for parliamentary elections. In April 1920, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania. This group was in charge of writing the Constitution of Lithuania. His party joined with another group to form a block. Later in 1920, a conflict started between Poland and Lithuania. Sleževičius was chosen to lead the Lithuanian Defense Committee. This committee helped organize and support the army. Even without a government position, Sleževičius was still a very important politician. A famous lawyer, Michał Pius Römer, said that in 1921, Sleževičius was "one of the most powerful men in the country."
In the elections of 1922, Sleževičius was elected to the First Seimas (parliament). His party won only 5 seats. On November 24, 1922, his party merged with another. They formed the Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union (LVLS). Sleževičius led this new political group in the Seimas. The First Seimas did not last long. In the elections of 1923, LVLS did very well. They won 16 seats, becoming the largest party in the Second Seimas.
The elections of 1926 were even more successful for LVLS. The party won 22 seats in the Third Seimas. Sleževičius was reelected to parliament again. The newly elected President, Kazys Grinius, asked him to form the new government.
The 13th Cabinet and the Coup
Sleževičius's government started its work on June 15, 1926. He was also the minister of justice and acting foreign minister. His government was a coalition with the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania.
This government took important steps to make things normal in Lithuania. They ended martial law, which had been in place since independence. They also brought back political freedoms. Many political prisoners were released. However, the opposition strongly criticized these decisions. They claimed the government was helping communists. On November 21, a student protest was stopped by the police.
The government also signed the Soviet–Lithuanian Non-Aggression Pact. This treaty had been planned by the previous government. But Sleževičius's government signed it. This made the Christian Democrats and the Catholic church unhappy. They became even more upset when the government suggested cutting salaries for church leaders. They also proposed cutting money for Catholic schools in the 1927 budget.
The proposed budget also included cuts to the military. This, along with claims that the government was not stopping communism, made the military angry. Many conservative military officers were also fired. Because of this, plans for a military takeover began in November 1926.
On the evening of December 16, a Soviet diplomat told Sleževičius about a possible coup. But Sleževičius did not take any action. On the evening of December 17, 1926, the military carried out the coup. They took over government offices and arrested officials. Colonel Povilas Plechavičius asked Antanas Smetona to become president. Smetona was a Nationalist who knew about the coup beforehand. Sleževičius resigned as prime minister. President Grinius was forced to appoint Augustinas Voldemaras as the new prime minister. Grinius soon resigned too. The Seimas then elected Smetona as the new president. Smetona later closed the Third Seimas in April 1927. He did not call for new elections for more than nine years.
After the Coup
The coup basically ended Sleževičius's main political career. He was already sick during the coup. He left Lithuania to get medical treatment and did not return to parliament before it was closed. On January 3, 1927, he resigned from his party's main committee. One politician said that the coup "suddenly parted M. Sleževičius from any kind of political activity."
Sleževičius and Grinius were criticized for their actions during the coup. In January 1929, Sleževičius returned to his party's activities. He gave a speech defending his actions. He said that resigning was the only way to avoid a lot of violence. He also blamed the Christian Democrats for opening the door to authoritarian rule. In 1931, he was again elected to his party's main committee. Sleževičius and his party continued to support democracy. They called for new elections to the Seimas. Sleževičius took part in political groups, but he could not change the political system. The elections that finally happened in 1936 were not truly democratic. Opposition parties were banned, and opposition candidates, including Sleževičius, were not allowed to run.
Other Activities and Family Life
Sleževičius was a well-known lawyer in Lithuania between the wars. After the coup, he worked as a lawyer for different groups. He was also a member and later the Chairman of the Lithuanian Council of Lawyers.
Sleževičius loved theater. In Odessa, he started a cultural group called Rūta. This group was a center for Lithuanian culture in the city. When he returned to Lithuania, Sleževičius helped start a similar group in Vilnius. He was its secretary. This group was active from 1908 to 1918. It had a library, organized talks and concerts, and put on over 50 plays. Sleževičius directed several of these plays. His plays "Mindaugas" (1908) and "Živilė" (1909) were very popular.
Sleževičius edited several newspapers. He also wrote for others. He translated many plays into Lithuanian. He also started the project to publish the Lithuanian Encyclopedia.
Sleževičius was married to Domicėlė Sleževičienė, who was a dentist. They did not have their own children. However, they adopted a daughter named Marytė. Marytė later married Mečislovas Mackevičius. He became the minister of justice in the Provisional Government of Lithuania in 1941. Mykolas Sleževičius's brother, Kazys, was a famous geophysicist. He led the Department of Geophysics and Meteorology at the Lithuanian University.
Mykolas Sleževičius passed away on November 11, 1939, in Kaunas. He was buried in the Petrašiūnai Cemetery.
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Mykolas Sleževičius
