Istorika prieškario Lietuvoje. Tyrimų situacija ir probleminiai klausimai

ENTheoretical and methodological reflection in the 20th century Lithuanian historiographic tradition was not particularly strong. In a sense, it is also illustrated by the fact that the attention dedicated to relatively scarce theoretical-methodological sources of the science of history of pre-war Lithuania remains minimal to this day. The article addresses the issue of the major sources of the theory of history in pre-war Lithuania; it characterises contemporary research situation and formulates certain problematic questions for contemporary research. It also shows that Lithuania did not escape the European processes of division of Historik (into a tradition of textbooks of historical method and a philosophically-oriented branch of Historik), which began at the end of the 19th century. The theoretical-methodological courses of the basics of history first introduced at the University of Lithuania in the 1920s covered both the issues of historical method (Jonas Totoraitis) and the issues of philosophical justification of history as a science (Augustinas Voldemaras, Lev Karsavin). Special attention is paid to the type of contemporary research with a focus on the factors and circumstances that prevent a more adequate study of the theoreticalmethodological situation of the science of history in pre-war Lithuania. A classical author of late historicism and a methodologist of German history Ernst Bernheim and his works are seen as one of the most prominent theoretical-methodological schools followed or favoured by most of historians in pre-war Lithuania (the popularity of the works by the aforementioned author in the then Lithuania is revealed). Nevertheless, the theoretical-methodological potential of historiography of prewar Lithuania did not limit the paradigm of late historicism. Lithuanian historiography made an attempt to cross the threshold of knowledge that was mandatory to students at that time. The article reveals the methods how it was put to life.Questions are also raised, the answers to which would bring us closer to a more authentic understanding of the theoretical-methodological situation of the science of history in pre-war Lithuania.