Issue of crafts in the Lithuanian interwar press

Remiantis šviesios atminties mokslininko doc. dr. V. Lukoševičiaus surinkta medžiaga, kitų ekonomistų atliktais tyrimais ir tarpukario publicistų teorinėmis įžvalgomis, straipsnyje aptariamas amatų klausimas kaip ekonominės minties objektas. Susipažinus su šio klausimo analizės aplinkybėmis, daromos išvados, pirma, kad su amatais buvo siejami procesai, kurie buvo svarbūs lietuvių tautos virsmui nacija, visuomenės vidurinio sluoksnio formavimuisi, valstybės modelio pasirinkimui, antra, kad Lietuvos tarpukario spaudoje daug dėmesio buvo skiriama amatams, siekiant pripažinti juos ūkio plėtros veiksniu, tai pat įrodyti visuomenei, jog ši veiklos sritis yra daugiau nei ekonominis visuomenės variklis.The issue of crafts in Lithuania was raised in combination with liberal ideas, which began spreading in the 16th-17th centuries. With the intensification of liberal thought towards the late 19th century and the emergence of the first Lithuanian newspapers, opinions and commentaries about the Lithuanian trade, industry and crafts started to appear in the press. The discussion spurred theoretical works. Lithuanian interwar economists (P. Leonas, P. Šalčius, K. Sruoga, etc.), on the basis of foreign authors, presented their insights into important issues of the development of the economy. Programmes of political parties and discourses by individual public figures were based on works of theoretical nature. In addition, the theories and concepts had a pragmatic purpose. Through them, it was aimed at winning favour from the Lithuanian public for individual activities, trade, crafts, and business. Periodical press was invoked for that purpose. Interwar press articles not only reflected the theoretical insights specific to the time but the public’s reaction to them as well. Therefore the following periodic publications appeared in the centre of attention of researchers of the history of Lithuania’s interwar economic thought: "Aušra" and "Šviesa", "Verslas" and "Amatininkas", "Varpas", etc. The research initiated by interwar economists was continued by Professor Vincentas Lukoševičius. The issues that were discussed on the pages of "Varpas", "Viltis", "Verslas" and "Amatininkas" became the subject of research for the academic. Not all collected material was published. On the basis of Professor V. Lukoševičius’ manuscripts as well as the research of other economists and the theoretical insights by interwar publicists, this paper concentrates on the issue of crafts as the subject of economic thought. A concise discussion of the issue is presented in the paper and it is concluded that, first, crafts were related to the processes important for the Lithuanian society forming a nation, formation of the middle class of society, and the choice of model for the state; second, the Lithuanian interwar press devoted a lot of attention to crafts with the aim of recognizing them a factor or economic development, also to prove to the society that this field of activity was more than a mere economic driver of the societal development