“No, My Friends, We Won’t Go Slow”. The Restoration of Lithuania’s Independence in the Pages of the World Press in 1990

Horst Bacia. “The goal is called independence”

To claim independence and to achieve it are two totally different things. The expectation that this objective could possibly be reached this year already, as is being expressed currently in Lithuania, is entirely too optimistic.

“Lithuania declares its independence. The president of the Republic – a non-Communist”

Brazauskas stated that political independence is not enough. “We need economic sovereignty at the same time,” he said, pointing out that 90% of Lithuania's import and export transactions are with the Soviet Union.

Werner Adam. “Lithuania's history has fluctuated over the centuries”

It is no coincidence that Lithuania has assumed the leading role. Unlike the other two neighboring republics, where russification was much more widespread, Lithuanians account for about 80% of the population in their own country.

About the author (in German)

Johann Georg Reißmüller. “Reminiscent of Molotov”

Gorbachev issues an ultimatum to Lithuanian president Landsbergis. Your response is expected “within three days;” “Inform us about its fulfillment within two days.” Such sharp demands were also directed at Lithuania by Moscow at the beginning of the Second World War.

About the author (in German)

“Lithuania is under pressure from the Soviet blockade. Brazauskas demands that Parliament yield”

The Lithuanian people are determined to support their government in the test of strength with the Soviet leadership. An example of that is a banner carried by participants in a demonstration of about 30,000 people. The banner said: “If we survived Stalin's Siberia, we can also survive Gorbachev's blockade.”

Ulrich Schmidla. “Our weapons are our mouths and our tongues”

… “We do not need weapons to win our independence. Our weapons are our mouths and our tongues. Is Gorbachev going to rip them out?”

About the author (in German)

“Lithuania: the borders of freedom are still tight”

“Lithuania is like a hot potato – too hot to hold, yet too valuable to drop,” a representative of the citizens’ movement Sąjūdis, founded in 1988, describes the situation in Lithuania.