Vilnius governance in the Soviet period and the political status of first secretaries of the Lithuanian Communist party

The article analyses the status and significance of Vilnius as the political centre of Lithuania in the context of Soviet ethnic federation and national politics. What was the meaning of the capital of a Soviet republic given its nominal or fictitious (to be more exact) autonomy? Wishing to confine itself to the level of “friendship of nations”, the top-ranking nomenklatura (Soviet ruling class) of the republic sought to politicise significance of the capital as the centre of a certain republic dominated by just one titular nation. This Soviet ruling class was interested in emphasising significance of the capital of the republic by singling out Vilnius from other cities (towns) of the republic. An exceptional status of Vilnius was evidenced not only by the medal of V. Lenin (awarded to Vilnius and other capitals of the three Baltic States), resolutions (at the level of the Soviet Union) regarding industrial and social expansion of Vilnius initiated by the government of the republic, but also by individual careers of the party leaders. Although in the system of nomenklatura the first secretaries of Vilnius were a step lower than “ordinary” secretaries of the Central Committee of the Lithuanian Communist Party, the nature of activities and the scope of issues (dealt by the former) made them serious contenders for the top-ranking positions of the republic. The ambition of the nomenklatura of the republic to rule the territory entrusted to it by Moscow was leading to continuously spiking tensions with the ministries of the Soviet Union and their subordinate enterprises. Expansion of union-level ministries and their subordinate enterprises was consistent with the interests of the city. It led to growth of the general population and industrial personnel in the capital, also added to the political weight of those in charge of the city. However, the expansion of union-level enterprises conflicted with the wishes of the nomenklatura of the republic to develop the industry and the sector of services subordinate to the republic. It is claimed in the article that the Soviet system and its structure for management of economy as well as their impact on the status of the city administration could prompt the first secretary of Vilnius to deny support to the particularistic agenda of economic nationalism suggested by the Lithuanian nomenklatura. Nevertheless, (self-)inclusion of Vilnius administration and especially of its first secretaries in the network of the top-ranking nomenklatura of the republic was an important point of departure and a tool for solving conflicts of interests of Lithuania and Vilnius as the city