Riflemen factor in Lithuanian society in solving the problems of territorial belonging of Vilnius and Klaipėda

Straipsnyje remiantis Lietuvos centriniame valstybės archyve saugomais dokumentais bei istoriografinių pozicijų analize aptariama Lietuvos šaulių sąjungos veikla, susijusi su svarbiausiais Lietuvos užsienio politikos klausimais. Pabrėžiamos ne tik LŠS vadovybės, bet ir šios organizacijos padalinių bei jos narių pastangos prisidėti prie šių tarptautinių problemų sprendimo. Šaulių ideologijoje Vilniaus ir Klaipėdos kraštų teritorinė priklausomybė buvo itin svarbūs aspektai, tad net ir eiliniai šauliai jautė pareigą išreikšti savo nuomonę tarptautinėje erdvėje sprendžiant šiuos du klausimusThe international policy of the First Republic of Lithuania was dominated by two problems: the territorial belonging of Vilnius and Klaipėda regions. The Lithuanian Government tried to solve these issues in the interest of Lithuania by military and diplomatic means. However, the active involvement of the League of Nations in the settlement of these issues restricted the freedom of action of the Republic of Lithuania. The attempts have not yet been made in historiography to analyse the factor of society or its part in the solution of international policy problems. The Lithuanian Riflemen's Union did not play a role in diplomatic disputes over Vilnius and Klaipėda regions as a separate organization but it continuously expressed its opinion in public. On the other hand, the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union was an important helping hand of both the Lithuanian Army and the Government in the implementation of their plans. The article focuses on the factor of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union in society in the attempt to solve the key diplomatic problems in the 1920s. The Vilnius issue is directly related to the formation of the riflemen's organization; therefore, after the loss of Vilnius in 1920, it became an important challenge in the riflemen's activities and allowed them to ground their necessity. The riflemen's participation in the operation of the "revolt" of the Klaipėda Region in 1923 enabled to justify the idea of the "revolt" in the eyes of the international communityVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij