Page "Lithuanian people" Paragraph 4

At the end of the 19th century a Lithuanian cultural and linguistic revival occurred.

Some of the Polish-and Belarusian-speaking persons from the lands of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania expressed their affiliation with the modern Lithuanian nation in the early 20th century, including Michał Pius Römer, Stanisław Narutowicz, Oscar Milosz and Tadas Ivanauskas.

Lithuania declared independence after the World War I, which helped its national consolidation.

A standard Lithuanian language was approved.

However, the eastern parts of Lithuania, including the Vilnius region, were annexed by Poland, while the Klaipėda Region was taken over by Nazi Germany in 1939.

In 1940, Lithuania was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union, and forced to join it as the Lithuanian SSR.

The Germans and their allies attacked the U. S. S. R. in June 1941, and from 1941 — 1944, Lithuania was occupied by Germany.

The Germans retreated in 1944, and Lithuania fell under Soviet rule once again.

The long-standing communities of Lithuanians in the Kaliningrad Oblast (« Lithuania Minor ») were almost destroyed as a result.