The Lithuanian Democratic Party (, LDP) was a political party in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. The original party was established in 1902. It published newspapers ''

Lietuvos ūkininkas ''Lietuvos ūkininkas'' (literally: ''Lithuanian farmer'') was a weekly Lithuanian-language newspaper published between 1905 and 1940. It was published by and reflected the political views of the Lithuanian Democratic Party, Peasant Union, and L ...

'' (1905–1918) and ''

Lietuvos žinios ''Lietuvos žinios'' (literally: ''News of Lithuania'') was a daily newspaper in Lithuania. Established in Vilnius in 1909, it was a liberal newspaper representing the Lithuanian Democratic Party. Even though its publication was interrupted by Worl ...

'' (1909–1915). During World War I, the party split into several other parties and was disbanded in 1920. A new party under the same name was established in 1989.

History

Original party

The party was established on 17 October 1902 at count

Zubov The House of Zubov () was the Russian noble family, that rose to occupy some of the highest offices of state in the 1790s, when Platon Zubov became the last favorite of Empress Catherine the Great (). Members of the family were granted the tit ...

manor in Dabikinė near

Akmenė Akmenė () is a city in northern Lithuania. Following the discovery of large reserves of limestone and clay in the region, in 1947 construction work began on one of the largest cement production complexes in the Baltic States. Nearby, a new town ...

by activists publishing ''

Varpas ''Varpas'' (literally: ''The Bell'') was a monthly Lithuanian-language newspaper published during the Lithuanian press ban from January 1889 to December 1905. Because its publication was illegal in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, it w ...

''. In 1906, it adopted a political program prepared by

Kazys Grinius Kazys Grinius (, 17 December 1866 – 4 June 1950) was the third President of Lithuania, holding the office from 7 June 1926 to 17 December 1926. Previously, he had served as the fifth Prime Minister of Lithuania, from 19 June 1920 until his r ...

Jonas Vileišis Jonas Vileišis (January 3, 1872 – June 1, 1942) was a Lithuanian lawyer, politician, and diplomat. Early life and career Vileišis was born in Mediniai, near Pasvalys. In 1892 he graduated from the Šiauliai Gymnasium. During 1892-1894, he ...

Povilas Višinskis Povilas Višinskis (; 28 June 1875 – 23 April 1906) was a Lithuanian cultural and political activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He is best remembered as a mentor of literary talent. He discovered Julija Žymantienė (Žemaitė) and ...

, Juozas Bortkevičius and

Jurgis Šaulys Jurgis Šaulys (; 5 May 1879–18 October 1948) was a Lithuanian economist, diplomat, and politician, and one of the twenty signatories to the 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania. Šaulys attended Palanga Progymnasium and Vilnius St. J ...

. The goals of the party were to seek

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

status for ethnic Lithuania within the Russian Empire. The local governance would be delegated to parochial committees, which could collect taxes. The program supported education and cooperation, promoted participation in public life, and advocated national unity. The party supported wealthier farmers, therefore during the

Great Seimas of Vilnius The Great Seimas of Vilnius (, also known as the ''Great Assembly of Vilnius'', the ''Grand Diet of Vilnius'', or the ''Great Diet of Vilnius'') was a major assembly held on December 4 and 5, 1905 (November 21–22, 1905 Old Style and New Style d ...

of 1905 it opposed land reform that would have confiscated land from large landlords and distributed it to small peasants. After the Seimas, LDP sponsored the formation of the Peasant Union, which initially was a branch of LDP. Some member of LDP founded the Lithuanian National Democratic Party (Lithuanian: ''Tautiškoji lietuvių demokratų partija''), headed by

Jonas Basanavičius Jonas Basanavičius (, ; 23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of the Lithuanian National Revival. He participated in every major event leading to the independent Lithuanian state and is often given the informal hon ...

. A new program by Albinas Rimka was adopted in 1914 and the party was renamed into the Democratic Party of Lithuania (Lithuanian: ''Lietuvos demokratų partija''). Some members, including

Petras Leonas Petras Leonas (1864–1938) was a Lithuanian attorney and politician, the first Minister of Justice of the newly independent Lithuania in 1918. After graduating from Moscow University in 1889, Leonas held a government job at various courts in S ...

and

Andrius Bulota Andrius Bulota (; 16 November 1872 – 16 August 1941) was a Lithuanian lawyer and politician in the Russian Empire. He was a member of the Second and Third Russian State Dumas (1907–1912) and the Russian Constituent Assembly (1918). Educated ...

, of the party were elected into the

State Duma of the Russian Empire The State Duma, also known as the Imperial Duma, was the lower house of the legislature in the Russian Empire, while the upper house was the State Council (Russian Empire), State Council. It held its meetings in the Tauride Palace in Saint Peters ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, many activists evacuated into Russia. In 1917, the right wing faction formed the Lithuanian Socialist Popular Democratic Party (Lithuanian: ''Lietuvos socialistų liaudininkų demokratų partija''); another fraction formed the Lithuanian Socialist Popular Party (Lithuanian: ''Lietuvos socialistų liaudininkų partija''). The LDP, which remained in Lithuania, was in essence inactive but still officially in existence. Two of its members,

and

Petras Vileišis Petras Vileišis (; 25 January 1851 – 12 August 1926) was a prominent Lithuanian engineer specializing in the construction of railroad bridges. He was very active in Lithuanian public life and together with his brothers Jonas Vileišis, Jonas ...

, were elected to the

Council of Lithuania In the history of Lithuania, the Council of Lithuania (; ; ), after July 11, 1918, the State Council of Lithuania () was convened at the Vilnius Conference that took place between 18 and 23 September 1917. The twenty men who composed the c ...

, which adopted the

Act of Independence of Lithuania The Act of Independence of Lithuania () or the Act of February 16th, also the Lithuanian Resolution on Independence (),The signed document is actually titled simply , meaning 'decision' or 'resolution', and it "proclaims the restoration of the ...

in February 1918. The council ceased to exist in May 1920 when it was replaced by the

Constituent Assembly of Lithuania The Constituent Assembly of Lithuania or Constituent Seimas () was the first parliament of the independent state of Lithuania to be elected in a direct, democratic, general, secret election. The Assembly assumed its duties on 15 May 1920 and was ...

. The LDP was formally dissolved on 15 May 1920.

New party

A new Lithuanian Democratic Party was established on 4 February 1989, chaired by

Saulius Pečeliūnas Saulius Pečeliūnas (19 January 1956 – 2 December 2023) was a Lithuanian politician. In 1990 he was among those who signed the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania The Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania ...

. The party won three seats in the 1990 Supreme Soviet elections. It formed an alliance with the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party and the Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners and Deportees to contest the 1992 elections, with the alliance winning a total of 18 seats. The LDP contested the 1996 elections in an alliance with the

Lithuanian Nationalist Union The Lithuanian Nationalist Union ( or LTS), also known as the Nationalists (), was the ruling political party in Lithuania during the authoritarian regime of President Antanas Smetona from 1926 to 1940. The party was established in 1924 but was n ...

. The alliance won a total of six seats, with the LDP taking two. The 2000 elections saw the LDP run as part of the Union of "Young Lithuania", New Nationalists and Political Prisoners. However, it failed to win a seat.

References

{{Authority control Political parties of the Russian Revolution Political parties established in 1902 Defunct political parties in Lithuania Political parties of minorities in Imperial Russia Political parties disestablished in 1920 Political parties established in 1989 1902 establishments in Lithuania 1902 establishments in the Russian Empire 1920 disestablishments in Lithuania 1989 establishments in Lithuania Political parties in the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic pl:Litewska Partia Demokratyczna