Vytautas Landsbergis

2.1. Childhood and Academic Pursuits

Landsbergis's father was Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis, a notable architect, and his mother was Dr. Ona Jablonskytė-Landsbergienė, an ophthalmologist. His mother played a significant role during World War II by assisting in the sheltering of Jewish children from the Holocaust. She brought a Jewish child named Avivit Kissin to her sister's home and provided a forged Lithuanian birth certificate for Kissin. Both his mother and her sister and brother-in-law were later recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem for their courageous actions. Ona Jablonskytė-Landsbergienė was specifically recognized for her efforts in hiding a 16-year-old Jewish girl, Bella Gurvich (later Rozenberg).

From an early age, Landsbergis demonstrated intellectual prowess, including a talent for chess. In 1952, he achieved third place in the Lithuanian chess championship, following Ratmir Kholmov and Vladas Mikėnas. His academic journey led him to the Lithuanian Conservatory of Music (now the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre), from which he graduated in 1955.

2.2. Academic Career

After his graduation, Landsbergis embarked on a distinguished career in music academia. He taught music theory and composition from 1952 until 1990. In 1968, he obtained his doctorate in music, and in 1969, he wrote his thesis for his PhD degree. By 1978, he had become a professor at the Lithuanian Conservatory. His academic influence expanded further when, from 1978 to 1990, he simultaneously held professorships at both the Lithuanian Conservatory and the Vilnius Pedagogical University. In 1994, he further advanced his academic credentials by writing a thesis for his doctor habilitus degree. Landsbergis is also known for his participation in Fluxus, an international artistic movement.

4.1. Role in Lithuanian Independence Movement

Landsbergis entered the political arena in 1988, co-founding Sąjūdis, the pivotal Lithuanian pro-independence political movement. His leadership quickly propelled him to national prominence. In the 1989 elections to the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union, Landsbergis was elected as one of the People's Deputies from the Lithuanian SSR. Following Sąjūdis's decisive victory in the 1990 Lithuanian Supreme Soviet election, he assumed the influential position of Chairman of the Supreme Council of Lithuania.

On March 11, 1990, Landsbergis presided over the parliamentary session that formally declared the restoration of Lithuanian independence from the Soviet Union, making Lithuania the first Soviet Republic to do so. Under the Provisional Primary Law (the de facto temporary Constitution) of Lithuania, Landsbergis held the dual roles of both the highest officer of State and the Speaker of the Parliament, a post he maintained from March 1990 until the 1992 Lithuanian parliamentary election in November 1992. During this period, Kazimira Prunskienė was appointed as Prime Minister.

The Soviet Union attempted to suppress Lithuania's independence efforts through an economic blockade in 1990, but these measures ultimately failed. Lithuania's bold move inspired other Soviet Republics to declare their own independence, further weakening the Soviet Union's control. Landsbergis held a deep skepticism regarding the view that Mikhail Gorbachev was genuinely attempting to liberalize the Soviet Union, expressing concern that Lithuania should not be deterred by such perceptions. He also played a crucial role during the confrontation between the Lithuanian independence movement and Soviet armed forces in January 1991. Iceland was the first state to officially recognize the restoration of Lithuanian independence. While Landsbergis accepted his government's recommendation to establish full diplomatic relations with the United States and the United Kingdom, he was openly critical of certain Western powers for their perceived lack of sufficient support for Lithuania's bid to restore its independence after more than 40 years of Soviet occupation. In September 1991, the Soviet government formally recognized Lithuania's independence, marking the full restoration of its sovereignty.

4.2. Post-Independence Leadership

In 1993, Landsbergis led a significant portion of Sąjūdis into a new political party, the Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives) (Tėvynės Sąjunga^Lithuanian). He served as the party leader from May 1, 1993, to May 24, 2003. This new party achieved a landslide victory in the 1996 Lithuanian parliamentary election, securing 70 out of 141 seats with 40% of the vote. As a result, Landsbergis once again served as Speaker of the Seimas from 1996 until 2000.

Despite his parliamentary success, his bid for the presidency in 1997 was unsuccessful; he finished third in the first round, receiving 15.9% of the votes. In the subsequent runoff, he endorsed Valdas Adamkus, who had placed second in the initial round and eventually became president. In the 2000 Lithuanian parliamentary election, the Homeland Union's performance declined, securing 9 seats with 8.6% of the vote.

In 2004, Landsbergis was elected by Lithuanian voters to the European Parliament in Brussels, becoming one of 13 MEPs representing Lithuania. He was re-elected in every subsequent election until 2014, making him a long-serving voice for Lithuania in the European political landscape.

4.3. International Engagements

Landsbergis has actively engaged in various international organizations and initiatives throughout his career, extending Lithuania's influence and advocating for democratic principles on a global stage. In 2005, he became an international patron of the newly established Henry Jackson Society. He is a founding signatory of the Prague Declaration (June 3, 2008), a significant document addressing the crimes of totalitarian regimes. Furthermore, he is a member of the international advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in the United States. Since 2015, Landsbergis has also served as a member of the advisory board for the Caucasian Chamber Orchestra association and its German "Förderverein," alongside figures like Roswitha Fessler-Ketteler, MEP Heidi Hautala, Aleksi Malmberg, and Frank Schwalba-Hoth.

His diplomatic efforts also included visits to other countries, notably Japan. He first visited Japan in 1992, where he delivered lectures, including one on the composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. In 2009, during another visit to Japan, he attended a lecture series at Aoyama Gakuin University's Research Institute, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the end of the Cold War. There, he presented a lecture titled "EU Integration in 1988-1989: Lithuania's Contribution," highlighting his nation's crucial role in the broader European context.

5.1. Advocating for the Ban of Totalitarian Symbols

In January 2005, as a Member of the European Parliament, Landsbergis initiated a proposal to ban both Communist and Nazi symbols within the European Union. He was supported in this endeavor by Hungarian MEP Jozsef Szajer. Landsbergis communicated his proposal in a letter to Franco Frattini, the European Commissioner of Justice and Internal Affairs, suggesting that if the EU decided to ban Nazi symbols, Communist symbols should be subject to the same prohibition. Commissioner Frattini initially expressed interest in the discussion, stating, "I am ready to join this discussion. The Communist dictatorships no less than the Nazi ones are responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people."

Landsbergis's proposal generated considerable controversy, especially in Italy, where leftist parties, including the Communist Refoundation Party and the Party of Italian Communists, vehemently protested the move. The issue became a central topic in Italian media, with La Repubblica, one of Italy's most influential dailies, publishing a full-page interview with Landsbergis outlining his proposal-a first for a Lithuanian politician in that newspaper. While the proposal garnered little support among Italian mainstream politicians, it received backing from figures like Alessandra Mussolini, a granddaughter of former Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who stated, "To implement the proposal of the Members of the European Parliament regarding Communist symbols is our moral duty."

The proposal also met strong opposition from the Russian Parliament. The First Vice-Speaker of the Russian State Duma described it as "abnormal," and a Russian Communist MP commented that "somebody in Europe became insolent and forgot who saved them from the fascists."

The debate concluded in early February 2005 when the European Commission ultimately rejected calls to extend a proposed Europe-wide ban on Nazi symbols to include Communist Party symbols. Commissioner Frattini stated that it would not be appropriate to include the red star and the hammer and sickle in a draft EU law on racism. By the end of February 2005, the European Union entirely dropped proposals to ban Nazi symbols across its 25 member states. Luxembourg withdrew the plan due to a lack of consensus among members on which symbols to ban, along with concerns that the proposed ban might infringe upon freedom of expression.

5.2. Criticism of Russian Influence

Vytautas Landsbergis is a vocal and unyielding critic of Russia's geopolitical intentions and any attempts to exert influence over the Baltic states. He consistently expresses his skepticism regarding Russia's actions towards the Baltic States in both local and international media, as well as within the European Parliament. Landsbergis warns that Russia may harbor intentions to control Lithuania and other Baltic States economically and politically, potentially through a broad network of former KGB agents and other clandestine activities. He believes that Russia, across various eras including the imperial, Soviet, and modern (Yeltsin and Putin) periods, has not abandoned its aim to dominate the Baltic countries. He has also expressed concern over what he perceives as a "reverse course" in Russia towards Soviet-era practices, citing the prominence of former KGB figures like Vladimir Putin in the political sphere and the re-adoption of the Soviet national anthem. Consequently, Landsbergis advocates for continued vigilance among Lithuania and other new EU member states, emphasizing that the "threat from the East" has not abated. He is one of the most active politicians urging Russia to provide compensation to Lithuania and other post-Soviet republics for the damages inflicted upon them during their occupations.

8.1. National Honours

• Lithuania: Former Grand Master Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Vytautas the Great
• Lithuania: Former Grand Master Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Vytis
• Lithuania: Former Grand Master Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas

8.2. Foreign Honours and Awards

• Estonia: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
• France: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (November 18, 2016)
• France: Grand Cross of the Order of La Pléiade
• Saxony: Recipient of the Saxon Constitutional Medal
• Greece: Grand Cross of the Order of Honour
• Latvia: Grand Officer of the Order of the Three Stars
• Luxembourg: Recipient of the European Medal of Merit
• Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
• Norway: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
• Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
• Romanian Royal Family: Extra Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown

Awards include:

• European People's Party: Recipient of the Robert Schuman Medal
• France: Foundation du Futur Award
• Germany: Hermann Ehlers Prize
• Italy: Vibo Valentia Testimony Prize
• Norway: Norwegian People's Peace Prize
• Philippines: Gusi Peace Prize
• Spain: Ramon Llull International Prize
• UNESCO: Recipient of the Medal for Contribution in Democracy and the Fight for Human Rights
• United States: Recipient of the Presidents Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
• United Kingdom: International Freedom Foundation Award

10.1. Debate on Head of State Recognition

A persistent and often polarizing debate in Lithuania has centered on whether Vytautas Landsbergis should be officially recognized as the head of state from 1990 to 1992, the period immediately following Lithuania's declaration of independence. On June 25, 2022, the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament) approved a bill to officially recognize him as the head of state. The Speaker of the Seimas, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, supported the bill, stating it was "a symbol of respect and acknowledgement of a person who played a significant role in Lithuania's history."

However, this legislative move was met with strong opposition, with critics claiming it constituted a "falsification of history." Opponents argued that the Provisional Constitution, along with other historical records from that time, explicitly stated that "the functions of the head of state during the transitional period remain with the collegial Parliament body-the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Lithuania." This Presidium was described as a collective political entity comprising 11 deputies, each possessing equal powers. The Presidium was eventually disbanded on November 22, 1992, upon the adoption of the current Constitution of Lithuania.

The decision by the Seimas proved to be unpopular among the general public. According to a survey conducted by Lietuvos rytas, 68% of respondents disagreed with the initiative; among them, 42% believed it was baseless, and 26% doubted its validity. Despite public sentiment, Vytautas Landsbergis was officially recognized as Lithuania's first post-Soviet head of state on June 30, 2022. Commenting on the recognition, Landsbergis stated, "Should I be congratulated? I don't know... Lithuania is the one that should be congratulated more as it is finally on a par with Estonia. Estonia has already sorted it out in a way that Arnold Rüütel was President since March of 1990." The opposition has since threatened to revoke Landsbergis's status as head of state following the next parliamentary elections.

10.2. Other Controversies

Landsbergis has also been involved in other public controversies, such as his comments regarding the 2019 Vilnius street and memorial renaming dispute. In that year, Vilnius's mayor, Remigijus Šimašius, controversially renamed a street previously named after Kazys Skirpa (who formed the Lithuanian Activist Front, responsible for massacring Jews across Lithuania) and removed a memorial dedicated to Jonas Noreika (who ordered and oversaw the killings of Lithuanian Jews in Plungė during the Plungė massacre).

In response, Landsbergis posted a poem on social media that included a derogatory term for the Virgin Mary, "žydelka" ("jew-girl"). This comment drew strong condemnation from Faina Kukliansky, chair of the Jewish Community of Lithuania. Landsbergis defended his poem, stating it was an attempt to highlight the ignorance of Lithuanian antisemites. He also publicly requested support from "at least one smart and brave Jew... who does not agree with Simasius."

11.1. Historical Significance

Landsbergis's enduring contributions to Lithuania's statehood are paramount. As the leader of Sąjūdis and the first head of state of a re-established Lithuania, he steered the nation through the critical period of regaining independence, directly challenging Soviet authority. His unwavering commitment to democratic transition and self-determination provided crucial leadership during moments of intense pressure and confrontation with the Soviet Union. His actions and political thought have had a lasting influence on post-Soviet political discourse, symbolizing the triumph of national will and the pursuit of freedom in the face of totalitarianism. He remains a revered figure in Lithuania for his role in restoring national dignity and sovereignty.

11.2. In Popular Culture

Vytautas Landsbergis's life and pivotal role in Lithuania's history have been recognized and depicted in popular culture. Notably, his story is the subject of a comprehensive documentary film titled "Mr. Landsbergis." This film, spanning an extensive duration of four hours, delves into his life and monumental contributions to Lithuania's independence movement and subsequent state-building efforts, offering a detailed portrayal of his historical significance.