Relationships between Polish and Russian population of East and Southeast Lithuania in 1944-1964

The article analyses relationships between Polish and Russian population of East and Southeast Lithuania, including representatives of the Soviet authorities of the said nationalities, in 1944-1964 and expressions of these relationships; the article also dwells on the factors that conditioned such relationships and the attitude that Lithuanian population held towards the liberalization of the status of the Polish. The article distinguishes two stages: 1) 1944-1953 (the Stalin era) which was characterised by restrictions on national minorities in Lithuania and repressions against them. However, at the end of this period the situation of the Poles in East and Southeast Lithuania was liberalized due to political reasons; 2) 1953-1964 (period of political liberalization) when Soviet national policy started showing more respect towards the rights of the titular nation of Soviet Lithuania - Lithuanians (and in the case of East and Southeast Lithuania - the Polish). The author points out that from the ethnic point of view East and Southeast Lithuania was an exceptional region inhabited by Poles, Lithuanians, Russians, Belarusians, etc. The dominant group of the population were Poles. However, the Soviet authorities started implementing the policy of radical ethnic changes in the region, thus striving to minimise the Polish influence in the area. In the period from 1944 to 1947 some 160-170 thousand of Poles relocated from East and Southeast Lithuania to Poland and their place was taken by newcomers from other Soviet republics. The group of newcomers was dominated by Russians. The settlers were privileged - they were given managerial jobs and the local people had to adjust to them. The above described situation induced the "insularity" and conservativeness of the Poles which resulted in tardy Sovietisation of the group. By order of the leadership of the USSR, the authorities of LSSR afforded grounds for the development of the education and culture of the Poles in their national language. This plan was intended to cover the aspiration of the Soviet indoctrination of the Poles. Paradoxically, with time the stereotype that representatives of the Soviet authorities of Russian origin were "defenders" of the Poles against "wicked Lithuanians" was formed. After J. Stalin's death (1953) national policy of the USSR underwent liberalization. However, this evoked the actualization of interethnic tensions in East and Southeast Lithuania that hitherto had been suppressed and "frozen". The Polish population started expressing not only anti-Soviet but also anti-Russian attitudes, viewing the Russians as a factor aggravating their situation. Nonetheless at the end of the period in question (1959-1964) the leadership of the USSR started enhancing plans of the increased unification of the country which resulted in the increased internationalization of Lithuanian population and suppression of any interethnic tensions