Becoming a dissident: the cases of Aleksandras Štromas and Tomas Venclova

• straipsnio tekstas

ENThe article discloses features of dissidence manifested in Lithuania during the Soviet regime in the 1960–1980s through the analysis of dissident activities of Aleksandras Štromas (1931–1999) and Tomas Venclova (b. 1937). The analysis presented in the article yields several conclusions. Firstly, the main reasons for dissident activities of Štromas and Venclova targeted against the Soviet regime were the occupation of the Baltic states and undergoing repressions, deportations, illegal arrests, violations of human rights, and aggressive policy of the USSR in supressing the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 by military force. Secondly, with no illusions regarding the Soviet political system, Štromas and Venclova gradually got involved in the dissident activities. At first, they formed unofficial circles of self-education, established connections with Russian dissidents, contributed to underground press, and founded and supported the Lithuanian Helsinki group. Later their criticism of the regime led Štromas and Venclova to forced emigration to the West where they actively continued intellectual struggle against the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states and Sovietization of the Baltic people.Thirdly, depending on their daily political behaviour, people of the occupied Baltic states, in view of Štromas, could be divided into three groups: 1) unconditional conformists (collaborators) consisting of those who served the Soviet authorities without reservations with rather simple objectives, i.e., to satisfy their basic needs, ensure personal safety, and rise to the highest possible ranks in their party and professional career; 2) conservationists (partial conformists) who perfectly adjusted to the Soviet rule, conscientiously worked on its behalf, or participated in the official life in other ways, but made every effort to preserve the nation’s identity and integrity, historic memory, native language, traditional culture and monuments; and 3) active “extra-structural” dissidents who simply refused to adjust to the Soviet order and found themselves outside the Communist control system. Finally, the majority of societies in the occupied Baltic states were conformists and their behaviour was determined by the perception that political regimes are subject to change. Štromas believed that the Baltic people were ready to progress to free and independent existence on the first favourable occasion. His insights were confirmed by the restoration of independence of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in the 1990s. Key words: dissident, Aleksandras Štromas, Tomas Venclova, dissidence, Soviet society, collaborator, conformist.