Act of the re-establishment of the state of lithuania
The Act of the Re-establishment of the State of Lithuania, also known as Act of March 11th, was an independence declaration by the the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic. It was adopted on Match 11, 1990. It was the first time that a Union Republic declared independence from the dissolving Soviet Union. Lithuania first gained independence on February 16, 1918 for two decades. It was after the Russian Revolution of 1917. In 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact which split Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. Lithuania, which was one of the Baltic states, were assigned to Russia and converted into soviet socialist republics. In 1988, a group of intellectuals organized the Sajudis Reform Movement which goals were to implement Gorbachev's reforms. The group later attracted large crowds to rallies at Vingis Park and radicalizing its agenda. By the time of the Baltic Way, there was a human over 370 miles long across the three Baltic states. This also marked the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. After the end of the Soviet empire, parliamentary elections of February 1990 were the first free and democratic elections since WWII. They became the first post-war non-communist government. The Supreme Soviet of Lithuanian made major changes by electing Vytautas Landsbergis as its chairman, changed its name to the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania, and formally declared re-establishment of the State of Lithuania. The act was approved at 10:44 pm by 124 members of the council. There were no votes against the act.