Lithuania has had an interesting history. For example, during the fourteenth century, Lithuania was the largest country in Eastern Europe, engulfing parts of Ukraine, the Baltic States, sections of Russia, and the entirety of Poland. During this time, this massive territorial enclave was referred to as the Duchy of Lithuania. During this period, religious toleration was practiced, pagans, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox Christians all were subjects of the King of Lithuania. However, Lithuania’s political and economic holds over their territories were constantly threatened by the growing power and expansionist ambitions of the Muscovite Duchy in Russia. Several wars were fought between Lithuanian and Russian troops. By 1569, Polish immigration and close alliance with Poles began to influence nearly every aspect of Lithuanian culture. New political and cultural ideas eventually led to the dissolution of the state.
In this weakened condition, the Lithuanians could do little to resist the Swedish invasions, which took place during the Northern Wars (1655 – 1661). The devastation wrought by war, which included famine and plague, further weekend Lithuanian rule. This opened the door for foreign domination by the Scandinavian peoples, and the empires of Russia and Prussia. This foreign domination will last until World War I, when Lithuania would declare its independence from German and Russian intervention. However, independence was short-lived as the Soviets invaded Lithuania once again, while en route to Poland in 1939. These continuous foreign invasions are a common part of Lithuanian history, and have created a nation which is firmly committed to democratic ideals, strong economic policies, and proper education. The reasons that the Lithuanian people prize these qualities above all others is due to the fact that like many other Eastern European countries, Lithuania has endured as the Soviet Union's harshest communist dictatorship for the majority of the twentieth century.
