Why Did the Soviets GIVE Territory to Lithuania in 1939?

In 1939 the Vilnius District was taken by the Red Army from Poland and then given to Lithuania. Why did the Soviets handed the city over to the Republic of Lithuania? In 1940, Lithuania fell under Soviet control as part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact's secret agreements. The Soviet Union issued an ultimatum in June, demanding the stationing of Soviet troops and the formation of a pro-Soviet government. Under pressure, Lithuania accepted, and soon after, Soviet forces occupied the country. On July 22, the Lithuanian People's Seimas declared all land and large enterprises nationalized, aligning with Soviet policies. A delegation, led by Justas Paleckis, traveled to Moscow in August, allegedly requesting Lithuania’s incorporation into the USSR, which was promptly formalized. Soviet officials from the USSR flooded Lithuanian institutions, imposing the Soviet regime and beginning agricultural collectivization. Wealthy farmers were targeted as "enemies of the people," and heavy taxation followed.

Soviet rule caused economic turmoil, with shortages of goods and a sharp decline in personal wealth. By 1941, thousands of Lithuanians had been deported to Siberia as part of Soviet repressions. However, the occupation was brief. On June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa, pushing the Red Army out of Lithuania. The swift German advance ended Soviet rule, but Lithuania then fell under German occupation, marking the start of another dark chapter in its history.

History Hustle presents: Why Did the Soviets Give Territory to Lithuania in 1939?

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SOURCES

– 1939, The Year that Changed Everything in Lithuania's History (Šarūnas Liekis).

– The History of Lithuania (Alfonsas Eidintas, Alfredas Bumblauskas, Antanas Kulakauskas, Mindaugas Tamošaitis).

– The History of Lithuania (Kiaupa Zigmantas).

– War, Revolution, and Nation-Making in Lithuania, 1914–1923 (Tomas Balkelis).

– On the State of Central Lithuania (Alfred Erich Senn) in the Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas, Neue Folge, Bd. 12, H. 3 (OKTOBER 1964), pp. 366-374.