LTXIX a. blaivybės idėjos, organizuotos antialkoholinės veiklos raida, kai kurių politinių ir visuomeninių institucijų pastangos vienaip arba kitaip veikti masinį blaivybės judėjimą Lietuvoje dabartiniu metu yra bene visuotinio susidomėjimo objektas. Visuotinio greičiausiai todėl, kad jau keletą metų mdsų visuomenė įvairiais būdais bando išsivaduoti iš baisios ligos - alkoholizmo - gniaužtų. O svarbiausia nėra itin sėkminga oficialaus blaivinimo akcija. Juk gyvenimo mokytoja - istorija - labiausiai reikalinga būna tada, kai racionaliai valdyti visuomenę, humanizuoti ir sukultūrinti atskiras jos gyvenimo sritis be istorinės patirties perėmimo, be dešimtmečių patikrintos tradicijos gaivinimp darosi neįmanoma. Buvo neįmanoma gaivinti blaivybės tradicijas ir stalinizmo bei ilgais stagnacijos metais, kai girtuokliavimo ir dėl iš jo kylančių visuomenės ydų demagoginis smerkimas darniai sugyveno su masiniu liaudies girdymu, valstybės finansinių pamatų stiprinimu gigantiškais alkoholinių gėrimų gamybos mastais. Apie blaivybę buvo šnekama, bet apie jos tradicijas Lietuvoje tik užsimenama. Tuolab biurokratinė valstybės mašina įdėmiai sekė bet kurio organizuoto atsisakymo nuo svaigalų apraiškas, ir dėl to minėtos apraiškos taip ir neišaugo į savaiminį judėjimą. Stalinizmo ir stagnacijos valstybė bet kokio "organizavimo" monopolį sergėjo tiek pat akylai, kaip ir svaiginamųjų gėrimų gamybos bei prekybos monopolį. Todėl buvo pamirštos blaivinimo darbų pamokos, todėl nesėkmingos valdininkų, iš viršaus sumontuotų blaivybės institucijų pastangos įrodyti savo reikalingumą ypač išryškino istorinių tradicijų, praeities patyrimo mokslinės analizės deficitą.Blaivybės judėjimas, ypač Žemaičių vyskupo Motiejaus Valančiaus akcija ir blaivybės brolijos, istoriografijoje nebuvo kiek nors labiau nuskriaustos temos. Netgi priešingai: per daugiau kaip šimtmetį, praslinkusį po Vilniaus generalgubernatoriaus Michailo Muravjovo įsako, uždraudusio blaivybės brolijas ir bet kokias organizuoto blaivinimo formas, tyrinėtojai ne kartą sutelkė dėmesį ties įžymiais XIX a. vidurio įvykiais. Pasirodė straipsnių, brošiūrų, viena kita knyga ir disertacija. Tačiau rašymas rašymui nelygu [p. 7].
ENThe appearance of soberness ideas in Lithuania and their development underwent several stages during the 19th century. Every stage has left its traces in our history, in one or another way, has formed the attitude characteristic of Lithuanians towards strong drinks and the ways of sobering. The first stage embraces the events that took place early in the 19th century, the years of the flourishing of Vilnius university, the period of upsurge of the Lithuanian cultural activities and the formation of organizing structure. At that time a scientific approach to the evils drunkenness bring, the circumstances simulating drunkenness and the advantages of soberness appeared. In the academic and intellectual society of Lithuania the intolerance to the hedonistic way of life was developing. The romantic ideals declared by A. Mickevičius in "Ode to youth" which praised emancipated, free and ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of his nation individual became popular. At the same time pamphlets, articles condemning drunkenness and popularizing soberness were being published. The most distinguish manifestation of soberness ideas of that time was "Work on drunkenness" by J. Šimkevlčius. Owing to deep historical reflection J. Šimkevičius successeded to formulate the main principles of soberness based on scientific world outlook and enlightenment sentiments. Those principles were brought to life during later decades. More than thirty years had to pass that the brightest ideas of the Lithuanian intellectuals of the early 19th century would be realized. In the first of the Century there were no conditions for the mass movement: feudal bandages limiting the rise of peasants’ consciousness, deep crises of social-economic relations kindred the spreading of soberness ideas. Only in the middle of the 19th century when the emancipation and peasants reform was being prepared, owing to Catholic priests organizing activity.The antialcoholic movement was supplemented by peoples’ desire for brighter life. The attitude of the Russian government towards peasants' striving for soberness was double: reactionary, seeking to preserve feudalism which protected landlords interests the old bureaucracy most of all concerned with the financial system of the Russian empire stood for the most repressing measures against the soberness fraternities that were widespread in the Žemaičiai (Telšiai) diocese and against the bishop M. Valančius - himself. More radical layers desiring to turn the Russian bureaucratic machine to the path of bourgeois reforms considered the movement organized by the M. Valančius not only unharmful but even useful at that time. This žemaičiai peasants’ movement served as an important political argument demonstrating the necessity of altering nropination and taxation system for spirits production. On January 1, 1863 when a new accise law had come into force soberness fraternities under the leadership of the Catholic Church became unwanted and their future was predestined. That is why the uprising of 1863 in Lithuania was a pretext to charge the fraternities with political actions and to close down them in 1864 by M. Muravjov’s order. Here it is important to note that the same M. Muravjov in 1860 being the minister of Slate wealth protected soberness fraternities and M. Valančius in a special session of the government. After the uprising had been suppressed the political course of forced russification influenced the attitude towards soberness as well Russian authorities sought to concentrate all kinds of organized cultural, educational (all the, more political) activities in their hands. The main institution hindering to realize totally the monopoly of power was the Catholic Church, the influence of which greatly increased after the reform of 1861 for the mass movement for soberness.To decrease the influence of Catholic priests at least at some extent, the government of Russian empire attempted to take over the functions of organized soberness. At the end of the 19th century an official network of soberness institutions was created. In districts the so called "People’s soberness wardship committees" started to function. They supplied propaganda, established tea-rooms and libraries for people. However, the outward philanthropic aims concealed far-reaching goals of colonial Russia’s policy. The libraries supplied only Russian in kirilica printed books, soberness was connected with russification. Besides, at the end of the century after the state monopoly of spirits sale had been established, the aims of such committees were to regulate production and circulation difficulties, possible deformations. However, the aggressive and spontaneous movement for soberness which had started during the revolution of 1905-1907 in Lithuania, did not follow the ways directed by "People’s soberness wardship committees". People used to break spirits producing and selling interprises - "monopolies". The ideas of soberness were reborn along with the striving pf the Lithuanian nation for political and cultural independence.