1934 Lithuanian coup attempt

1934 Lithuanian coup d'état attempt 6–7 June 1934 Kaunas, Lithuania Coup d'état suppressed Voldemarininkai Lithuanian government Petras Kubiliūnas Antanas Smetona 600–800Kilinskas 2018 236   79 officers disciplined, 5 sentenced to death (sentences commuted) None The coup d'état attempt in 1934 (lt 1934-ųjų pučas) was an attempt by voldemarininkai, supporters of the former Prime Minister Augustinas Voldemaras, to overthrow the government of President Antanas Smetona. While voldemarininkai planned several coups against the government, this coup was the largest and most threatening. Voldemaras was ousted as Prime Minister in September 1929, but still enjoyed considerable support among the members of the liquidated Iron Wolf and many younger military officers. On 6–7 June 1934, several hundred soldiers captured several strategic objects, including the General Staff, in Kaunas and sent a delegation to negotiate with Smetona about reinstating Voldemaras and making other changes in the government. The coup was not directed against Smetona, but against the government of Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis. Other military units and the police remained loyal to Smetona, who refused to negotiate. The rebels lacked resolve and stood down after receiving promises that they would not be prosecuted. A total of 111 officers faced disciplinary actions; 32 were acquitted, while others were dismissed from the military or demoted. Voldemaras was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Five coup leaders and organizers, including Petras Kubiliūnas, were sentenced to death, but their sentences were commuted to prison sentences. All five later received presidential pardons and were released by 1937. Voldemaras was released in 1938 on the condition that he would depart Lithuania. He chose France and largely faded from public life. Background The democratically elected government of Lithuania was deposed during the military coup d'état of December 1926. It was replaced by the government of President Antanas Smetona and Prime Minister Augustinas Voldemaras. After two unsuccessful counter-coups in 1927, the new government felt insecure and established the militarized Iron Wolf organization to help the new regime fight its opponents.Petronis 2018 221 Iron Wolf was loyal to Voldemaras and there were rumors that he might use it to oust Smetona. However, Smetona acted first and removed Voldemaras as prime minister on 19 September 1929.Petronis 2018 231 The Iron Wolf was officially liquidated but its members remained loyal to Voldemaras and continued as an underground group known as voldemarininkai. In 1929–1934, voldemarininkai planned six coups against Smetona and started one.Markevičius 2012 3 Rising discontent Lithuania was affected by the Great Depression. The agricultural exports plummeted, which stirred up discontent among Lithuanian farmers. At the same time, the funding for the Lithuanian Army was reduced.Markevičius 2012 46 Many military officers sympathized with or supported Voldemaras. This was particularly true among the younger generation of officers, who compiled lists of "foreign" and thus "unreliable" older officers and tried to push them out of the military.Kilinskas 2018 219 After 1929, Smetona attempted to cleanse the military of Voldemaras supporters.Kilinskas 2018 231 After a few relatively calm and stable years, voldemarininkai began returning from internal exile and reestablishing their contacts with the military.Kilinskas 2018 232 In fall 1933, a group of young officers drafted six points of demands that called for the restoration of the spirit and goals of the December 1926 coup, removal of Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis, reinstatement of Voldemaras, and reestablishment of the Iron Wolf.Vaičenonis 2003 75 The officers were critical of Tūbelis' government, which had been in power since 1929. They saw it as stagnant, incapable, and nepotistic.Rudis 1998 234 In February 1934, Voldemaras published an article in Tautos balsas criticizing the government policies in the Klaipėda Region and worsening relations with Nazi Germany. The article was banned in Lithuania and the issue of Tautos balsas was confiscated, but the article was somehow published in Preussische Zeitung in Germany.Rudis 1998 235 Voldemaras faced trial which was to convene on 12 June 1934.Voldemaras norėjo nuversti Smetoną https://www.spauda.org/keleivis/archive/1934/1934-06-13-KELEIVIS.pdf Keleivis 2 lt 13 June 1934 24 XXIX In March and May 1934, the democratic governments in Latvia (see 1934 Latvian coup d'état) and Estonia were overthrown.Stoliarovas 2016 113–114 In May 1934, leaflets with the names of people who were allegedly spying for the State Security Department were distributed among the soldiers, causing much disturbance and discontent.Kilinskas 2018 233 At the same time, a delegation of young officers visited Smetona and demanded a government change.Kilinskas 2018 234 Rumors about the planned coup reached the president and the government, but they took little action and only ordered the police in Kaunas to be alert and strengthen its posts.Kilinskas 2018 235 Attempted coup Many of the officers participated in the successful coup d'état of December 1926, therefore the coup of 1934 was very similar to the coup of 1926.Kilinskas 2018 235 During the night of 6 to 7 June 1934, military officers stationed in Kaunas began the coup. They rang alarm bells mobilizing the soldiers. About 100 officers and 500–700 soldiers participated.Kilinskas 2018 236 Officers of the military aviation and hussar units as well as the 5th Infantry Regiment were particularly active.Kilinskas 2018 236 Using three tanks,Kilinskas 2018 238 the military blocked bridges and the railway station, took control of the General Staff and the central phone station, and encircled the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Department.Eidintas 2015 342 These and other strategic objects were taken without resistance. The police hurried to protect the Presidential Palace. It was protected by 127 police officers and 25 presidential guards,Kilinskas 2018 239–240 armed with carbines and automatic rifles.Markevičius 2012 50 Voldemaras was flown from Zarasai to Kaunas, but he arrived after the coup had already failed.Eidintas 2015 343 Petras Kubiliūnas, Chief of the General Staff of Lithuania, acted as a negotiator between the military and the president. There is no evidence that he knew of the coup beforehand but it is clear that he did not attempt to stop it and that he attempted to negotiate on behalf of the rebellious military.Rudis 1997 301 His decision to join the rebels is usually explained as a result of his conflict with Minister of Defence Balys Giedraitis lt who blocked Kubiliūnas' efforts to reform the Lithuanian Army.Kilinskas 2018 235 Giedraitis, who was a cousin of Smetona's wife Sofija,Eidintas 2015 341 was particularly disliked by the younger officers. Officers saw him as a passive official without proper education or skills.Rudis 1998 231, 237 There were three rounds of negotiations between Smetona and the military.Eidintas 2015 342–343 Smetona was supported by some of the officers and refused to negotiate. He could agree to some government changes but flatly refused to consider Voldemaras' return, calling him a "political bandit".Eidintas 2015 342Markevičius 2012 52 Smetona's supporters managed to alert the War School of Kaunas and the 2nd Infantry Regiment. They planned to use artillery to clear the blockade on the Panemunė Bridge lt Panemunės tiltas leading into the city.Kilinskas 2018 241 Lacking resolve, the soldiers returned to their barracks.Vaičenonis 2003 76 In particular, some authors place the blame for the failed coup on Kubiliūnas, who lacked determination and strong will. This sentiment is reflected in bailys (coward) – a codename assigned to him by the State Security Department.Rudis 1997 301 Aftermath Arrests started in the morning of 7 June.Vaičenonis 2003 76 To bring the end to the coup, the president had promised not to prosecute people involved in the coup.Kilinskas 2018 242 To that end, the government passed a special law granting amnesty to the coup participants, but they were still subject to disciplinary actions.https://www.spauda.org/darbininkas/archive/1934/1934-07-27-DARBININKAS.pdf 1 lt Paskelbtas amnestijos įstatymas Lietuvoje Darbininkas 27 July 1934 58Stoliarovas 2016 110 In total, 111 officers faced disciplinary action; 32 were acquitted, 5 were reassigned to new units, 6 were demoted, 46 were dismissed from the military, and 22 were demoted to privates and released to reserve.Vaičenonis 2003 76 The ceremony demoting the 22 officers to privates took place on 10 July in witness of the 2nd Infantry RegimentStoliarovas 2016 110 and was conducted by the new commandant of Kaunas Kazys Skučas.Kilinskas 2018 244 However, the government supported the dismissed officers and helped them find new employment. The government was afraid that financial difficulties would only push the disgraced officers into various anti-government organizations.Vaičenonis 2003 77 The amnesty did not apply to the coup organizers. Voldemaras, although there is no evidence that he was involved in planning the coup,Markevičius 2012 52 was sentenced to 12 years in prison on 17 June.Indrašius 2018 Separately, he was tried for the article in Tautos balsas and received a six-month prison sentence in November 1934.Rudis 1998 235 He was released in 1938 on the condition that he would depart Lithuania.Indrašius 2018 A military tribunal presided by Edvardas AdamkavičiusRudis 1998 237 handed out death sentences to Stepas Gerdžiūnas (reserve officer and member of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union) and Vytautas Kostas Druskis (former employee of the State Security Department) on 20 JuneTrimonienė 2017 and to Petras Kubiliūnas (Chief of the General Staff of Lithuania), Juozas Narakas lt (deputy commander of military aviation unit), and Juozas Bačkus (commander of the Hussar Regiment) on 15 July 1934.Stoliarovas 2016 109–110 However, Smetona commuted the sentences to life sentence for Kubiliūnas and imprisonment for 10–15 years for others. All five received presidential pardons and were released in 1937.Stoliarovas 2016 110Trimonienė 2017Rudis 1997 304 Smetona also replaced the key military commanders. Jonas Jackus lt, the director of the Kaunas War School who hurried to support Smetona, became the new Chief of the General Staff of Lithuania. Petras Šniukšta lt, a former classmate of Smetona at Mitau Gymnasium, became the new Minister of Defence.Kilinskas 2018 243 Many of the military commanders were also replaced by those who demonstrated loyalty during the coup or by those with personal connection to Smetona.Kilinskas 2018 245–246 The new commanders more closely monitored soldiers' moods and tried to root out any kind of politicking. For example, officers had to report any contact with officers who were disciplined after the coup.Kilinskas 2018 247–248 Supporters of Voldemaras attempted to stage two other coups in 1934, one in August and October, but these coups were discovered before they began and the organizers were arrested and sentenced to imprisonment for 2 to 15 years.Markevičius 2012 54–55 To address officer shortages, a special 10-month course for reserve officers was organized by the War School of Kaunas. More than 300 men applied but only 110 were accepted and 103 graduated in May 1936.Žigaras 2007 63–64 Prime Minister Juozas Tūbelis tended his resignation, but Smetona did not accept it. Instead, a new cabinet of ministers was installed on 12 June 1934.Markevičius 2012 51 The new government retained only the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Tūbelis, Minister of Internal Affairs Steponas Rusteika lt, and Minister of Agriculture Jonas Pranas Aleksa.Eidintas Žalys Senn 1999 204 References 20em Bibliography Alfonsas Eidintas 2015 Antanas Smetona and His Lithuania: From the National Liberation Movement to an Authoritarian Regime (1893–1940) Alfred Erich Senn Brill Rodopi On the Boundary of Two Worlds 9789004302037 Eidintas Alfonsas Alfonsas Eidintas Vytautas Žalys Alfred Erich Senn Alfred Erich Senn Edvardas Tuskenis Lithuania in European Politics: The Years of the First Republic, 1918–1940 Paperback 1999 St. Martin's Press New York 0-312-22458-3 Vytautas Indrašius Prof. Augustinas Voldemaras tuokėsi Utenoje Lietuvos aidas 13 February 2018 https://www.aidas.lt/lt/istorija/article/18497-02-13-prof-augustinas-voldemaras-tuokesi-utenoje lt 1 May 2021 Kilinskas Kęstutis 2018 Civilinės ir karinės valdžios sąveika Lietuvoje, 1918-1940 m. https://talpykla.elaba.lt/elaba-fedora/objects/elaba:33358364/datastreams/MAIN/content PhD thesis Vilniaus universiteto leidykla lt Kęstutis Markevičius Voldemarininkų politinis judėjimas 1929–1934 m. https://www.vdu.lt/cris/bitstream/20.500.12259/120090/1/kestutis_markevicius_md.pdf lt 2012 Master's thesis Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas Petronis Vytautas Guarding the Honor of the Nation and the Prosperity of the State: National Defense of Lithuania "Iron Wolf" (1928-1930) Journal of Baltic Studies 2 2018 49 215–239 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01629778.2017.1421241 1751-7877 10.1080/01629778.2017.1421241 149156249 subscription Gediminas Rudis 1997 Petro Kubiliūno malonės prašymai (1934–1937 m.) https://www.istorija.lt/data/public/uploads/2021/03/lim-1997-16-pub.-g.-rudis.-petro-kubiliuno-malones-prasymai-p.-300-330.pdf Lietuvos istorijos metraštis 0202-3342 lt Gediminas Rudis 1998 Lietuvos karininkijos nuotaikų 1934 m. analizė https://www.istorija.lt/data/public/uploads/2021/03/lim-1998-14-pub.-g.-rudis.-lietuvos-karininkijos-nuotaiku-p.-231-240.pdf Lietuvos istorijos metraštis 0202-3342 lt Andriejus Stoliarovas Vidiniai neramumai Lietuvos Respublikoje 1919–1940 metais http://briai.ku.lt/downloads/AHUK_32/32_099-117_Stoliarovas.pdf Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis XXXII 2016 99–117 2351-6526 10.15181/ahuk.v32i0.1463 lt free Rūta Trimonienė December 2017 Steponas Girdžiūnas-Gegužis Atmintinos datos Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania http://genocid.lt/UserFiles/File/Atmintinos_datos/2017/201712_gerdziunas_biog.pdf lt 29 April 2021 Jonas Vaičenonis Lietuvos kariuomenė valstybės politinio gyvenimo verpetuose 1927–1940 2003 Versus Aureus lt 9955-601-04-3 Feliksas Žigaras Lietuvos kariuomenės karininkų rengimo ir jų kvalifikacijos tobulinimo sistema (1919–1940 m.) 18–160 Algirdas Ažubalis Karo pedagogika lietuvoje (1918–1940 m.) https://biblioteka.lka.lt/data/PDF-leidiniai/2006-2010/2007-Azubalis-Karo_pedagogika%20Lietuvoje%201918-1940.pdf Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija lt Vilnius 2007 978-9955-423-58-4 Antanas Žilinskas 3 February 2014 Dukart nuteistas mirti savanoris https://www.santaka.info/?sidx=30147 Santaka.lt lt 29 April 2021 Category:1934 in Lithuania Category:June 1934 in Europe Category:1934 conflicts Lithuania Category:Coups d'état in Lithuania Category:Attempted coups d'état in Europe Category:Far-right politics in Lithuania Category:Fascist revolts