Since World War HI. the Soviet Union has claimed Lithuania to be a component republic. The Lithuanian people are not submissive by nature. In order to insure the continuation of its subjugation of the Lithuanian people. the Soviet Union found it necessary to adopt severely repressive policieswhich included mass deportations. terrorization. and a superimposed political and economic structure permeating every level of Lithuanian society. Despite nearly 25 years of domination. the Soviet Union has not yet succeeded in erasing the consciousness of a separate national identity from the Lithuanians nor in extinguishing their desire for the restoration of their sovereignty. Sustaining the Lithuanian people through these dark decades is the legacy of a rich cultural and national heritage as well as the indelible memory of the freedoms they enjoyed while Lithuania existed as an independent nation.
Keywords matched
deportations