Lithuanian military-civilian relations in Kaunas 1919
ENIn January 1919, Kaunas became a provisional and factual capital of the Lithuanian Republic, a concentration center of the volunteers of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. At that time in Kaunas, conditions for the formation of Lithuanian military units were particularly unfavourable, especially due to the fact that, until the July of 1919, Kaunas was actually controlled and governed by German military administration. The process of the establishment of state institutions of independent Lithuania and taking over the control of the city was hard and slow-going. In Kaunas, Lithuanian military personnel constantly felt like being surrounded by the enemy and continually persecuted by both communist-minded German soldiers and local citizens incited by Bolsheviks or those entertaining anti-State attitude. Sometimes such encounters ended in the loss of Lithuanian soldiers’ lives but more often in injuries and maiming, for which the troops were treated in the military hospital. However, the Military School cadets stood out in this context and were sufficiently popular with the local population. Key words: Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lithuanian soldiers, military-civilian relations, everyday life, Kaunas garrison in 1919.
