VILNIUS — A Lithuanian in 2010 has freedom of movement, freedom of speech, the right to private property — in short, the same liberties as the rest of the democratic world.

The country gained independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990, and on Thursday, the country celebrated its 20 years as a sovereign nation. However, while purchasing power has doubled since the Soviet era, the average citizen has yet to reach a Western lifestyle, as salaries and especially old age pensions remain at least one-third below the European Union average. While incomes shot up during the “Baltic Tiger” boom earlier this [private_supervisor]decade, the economic crisis hit Lithuania among the hardest in the world, causing wages and the gross domestic product to plummet.

Independence regained

Although it had an empire in the Middle Ages, throughout the modern era the country has has been dominated by German and Russian conquerors, but it always managed to keep its language and native culture alive, often through folk songs and dances. In 1990, the country left what was one of the 20th century’s most brutal regimes and in doing so helped push the whole Soviet Union into the dustbin of history.

The Sąjūdis movement, led present-day politician Vytautas Landsbergis, managed to gain enough political clout and declare the independence of the Lithuanian nation. Since then Lithuania has since then joined the European Union and NATO.

For the anniversary, leaders from around the world sent their congratulations to Lithuania.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Lithuania on its independence for the first time in eight years and though he won’t attend celebrations, he did send the country’s transport minister in his stead.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso sent his congratulations from Brussels.

“On the 20th Lithuanian independence anniversary I want to congratulate Lithuania and its people. You showed a strong commitment to freedom, independence and respect for democratic values. That inspires the world and shows the power of democratic values,” Barroso said.

U.S. President Barack Obama said in 1990 Lithuanians couldn’t have known how bright the future could be.

“At the time, brave citizens are unable to foresee the consequences of their actions, but they held firm resolution. They have become a beacon of hope for peoples of the world, seeking freedom, democracy and respect for human rights,” the U.S. president said.

Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said that the country had as much promise now as when they were just starting out.

“We wanted not only to regain our freedom, but also to restore democracy, human rights, the market economy and private property values. We wanted to become a normal European state being part of the European Union and NATO,” Kubilius said.

However, the prime minister said that people needed to start looking ahead to the country’s 40-year anniversary.

“I believe that today, our faith in Lithuania’s success has not abated in our hearts. Our belief is as strong as in the days when we fought for national freedom and independence. I know that the vast majority of our society is a thinking in a civil way about their own national interests that protect people,” Kubilius said.

Life remains hard for many

However, poll numbers say otherwise. Two decades later not everyone is as enthused about the new-found freedom and capitalist economic system as the country’s political leaders. The crisis has sent wages plummeting and upped unemployment to 13 percent. While many Lithuanians are now driving slick European cars bought during the boom years, they’re still living in decaying Soviet-era apartment blocks.

Given the relatively low pension levels, the elderly in particular have had a tough time adjusting their lives to the massive changes Lithuania has undergone. Many still do not have bank accounts, much less individual retirement accounts or mutual funds like senior citizens in the West. Their pensions are mailed in cash.

According to a Pew Research Center poll released in November, among those older than 65, Lithuanian support for the change to capitalism is 41 percent and multi-party democracy is 43 percent.

Aldona Tamošiūnienė, 77 of Panevėžys, said she does not have a bank account yet, although she owns her own apartment. She enjoys the freedoms the reborn Lithuanian republic has given her, but misses the lifestyle she could afford under the communist system. She worked on a collective farm after her family’s farm was confiscated by the communist government shortly after WWII, a fate shared by most farmers in the country at the time.

“It was much easier to live then. Before the break-up of the collective system I started getting very good money,” Tamošiūnienė told Baltic Reports. “I didn’t make much money but it was always enough for your needs. Food was much less expensive and living didn’t cost so much as now.”

Many Lithuanians remain frustrated with persistent corruption among elected officials. The current government and the Seimas as a whole have very low approval ratings in polls.

Danutė Bertašiūtė, a 51-year-old schoolteacher from Utena, said the country’s politicians have not learned to see beyond their own interests.

“All those people are corrupt. The Seimas hasn’t learned to work for our country. I think they work for themselves only,” Bertašiūtė told Baltic Reports.

Given the affect of the crisis, Bertašiūtė noted that many young people can’t find work and are leaving Lithuania and that although there are more consumer goods available than under the Soviet system, since the economy soured its difficult for many people she knows to afford them. A record number of Lithuanians emigrated in 2009.

However, Bertašiūtė said she wouldn’t rather go back to communism, as despite greater job security one’s purchasing power was no better and there was no freedom to leave for better prospects in the West. Bertašiūtė herself worked in the U.S. for a few years in the 1990s, and some of her nieces and nephews are working in Norway and the U.S.

“We can travel when we want, in other countries, we can go and we feel free,” Bertašiūtė said. “I don’t miss the Soviet system. We had jobs then, but like now economically it was bad then too, as we don’t have many things in the shop, in the supermarkets, we had only one size of shoes to buy, one size of clothes. There was little to buy.”

— Baltic Reports assistant editor Adam Mullett contributed to this article. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]decade, the economic crisis hit Lithuania among the hardest in the world, causing wages and the gross domestic product to plummet.

Independence regained

Although it had an empire in the Middle Ages, throughout the modern era the country has has been dominated by German and Russian conquerors, but it always managed to keep its language and native culture alive, often through folk songs and dances. In 1990, the country left what was one of the 20th century’s most brutal regimes and in doing so helped push the whole Soviet Union into the dustbin of history.

The Sąjūdis movement, led present-day politician Vytautas Landsbergis, managed to gain enough political clout and declare the independence of the Lithuanian nation. Since then Lithuania has since then joined the European Union and NATO.

For the anniversary, leaders from around the world sent their congratulations to Lithuania.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Lithuania on its independence for the first time in eight years and though he won’t attend celebrations, he did send the country’s transport minister in his stead.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso sent his congratulations from Brussels.

“On the 20th Lithuanian independence anniversary I want to congratulate Lithuania and its people. You showed a strong commitment to freedom, independence and respect for democratic values. That inspires the world and shows the power of democratic values,” Barroso said.

U.S. President Barack Obama said in 1990 Lithuanians couldn’t have known how bright the future could be.

“At the time, brave citizens are unable to foresee the consequences of their actions, but they held firm resolution. They have become a beacon of hope for peoples of the world, seeking freedom, democracy and respect for human rights,” the U.S. president said.

Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said that the country had as much promise now as when they were just starting out.

“We wanted not only to regain our freedom, but also to restore democracy, human rights, the market economy and private property values. We wanted to become a normal European state being part of the European Union and NATO,” Kubilius said.

However, the prime minister said that people needed to start looking ahead to the country’s 40-year anniversary.

“I believe that today, our faith in Lithuania’s success has not abated in our hearts. Our belief is as strong as in the days when we fought for national freedom and independence. I know that the vast majority of our society is a thinking in a civil way about their own national interests that protect people,” Kubilius said.

Life remains hard for many

However, poll numbers say otherwise. Two decades later not everyone is as enthused about the new-found freedom and capitalist economic system as the country’s political leaders. The crisis has sent wages plummeting and upped unemployment to 13 percent. While many Lithuanians are now driving slick European cars bought during the boom years, they’re still living in decaying Soviet-era apartment blocks.

Given the relatively low pension levels, the elderly in particular have had a tough time adjusting their lives to the massive changes Lithuania has undergone. Many still do not have bank accounts, much less individual retirement accounts or mutual funds like senior citizens in the West. Their pensions are mailed in cash.

According to a Pew Research Center poll released in November, among those older than 65, Lithuanian support for the change to capitalism is 41 percent and multi-party democracy is 43 percent.

Aldona Tamošiūnienė, 77 of Panevėžys, said she does not have a bank account yet, although she owns her own apartment. She enjoys the freedoms the reborn Lithuanian republic has given her, but misses the lifestyle she could afford under the communist system. She worked on a collective farm after her family’s farm was confiscated by the communist government shortly after WWII, a fate shared by most farmers in the country at the time.

“It was much easier to live then. Before the break-up of the collective system I started getting very good money,” Tamošiūnienė told Baltic Reports. “I didn’t make much money but it was always enough for your needs. Food was much less expensive and living didn’t cost so much as now.”

Many Lithuanians remain frustrated with persistent corruption among elected officials. The current government and the Seimas as a whole have very low approval ratings in polls.

Danutė Bertašiūtė, a 51-year-old schoolteacher from Utena, said the country’s politicians have not learned to see beyond their own interests.

“All those people are corrupt. The Seimas hasn’t learned to work for our country. I think they work for themselves only,” Bertašiūtė told Baltic Reports.

Given the affect of the crisis, Bertašiūtė noted that many young people can’t find work and are leaving Lithuania and that although there are more consumer goods available than under the Soviet system, since the economy soured its difficult for many people she knows to afford them. A record number of Lithuanians emigrated in 2009.

However, Bertašiūtė said she wouldn’t rather go back to communism, as despite greater job security one’s purchasing power was no better and there was no freedom to leave for better prospects in the West. Bertašiūtė herself worked in the U.S. for a few years in the 1990s, and some of her nieces and nephews are working in Norway and the U.S.

“We can travel when we want, in other countries, we can go and we feel free,” Bertašiūtė said. “I don’t miss the Soviet system. We had jobs then, but like now economically it was bad then too, as we don’t have many things in the shop, in the supermarkets, we had only one size of shoes to buy, one size of clothes. There was little to buy.”

— Baltic Reports assistant editor Adam Mullett contributed to this article. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]decade, the economic crisis hit Lithuania among the hardest in the world, causing wages and the gross domestic product to plummet.

Independence regained

Although it had an empire in the Middle Ages, throughout the modern era the country has has been dominated by German and Russian conquerors, but it always managed to keep its language and native culture alive, often through folk songs and dances. In 1990, the country left what was one of the 20th century’s most brutal regimes and in doing so helped push the whole Soviet Union into the dustbin of history.

The Sąjūdis movement, led present-day politician Vytautas Landsbergis, managed to gain enough political clout and declare the independence of the Lithuanian nation. Since then Lithuania has since then joined the European Union and NATO.

For the anniversary, leaders from around the world sent their congratulations to Lithuania.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Lithuania on its independence for the first time in eight years and though he won’t attend celebrations, he did send the country’s transport minister in his stead.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso sent his congratulations from Brussels.

“On the 20th Lithuanian independence anniversary I want to congratulate Lithuania and its people. You showed a strong commitment to freedom, independence and respect for democratic values. That inspires the world and shows the power of democratic values,” Barroso said.

U.S. President Barack Obama said in 1990 Lithuanians couldn’t have known how bright the future could be.

“At the time, brave citizens are unable to foresee the consequences of their actions, but they held firm resolution. They have become a beacon of hope for peoples of the world, seeking freedom, democracy and respect for human rights,” the U.S. president said.

Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said that the country had as much promise now as when they were just starting out.

“We wanted not only to regain our freedom, but also to restore democracy, human rights, the market economy and private property values. We wanted to become a normal European state being part of the European Union and NATO,” Kubilius said.

However, the prime minister said that people needed to start looking ahead to the country’s 40-year anniversary.

“I believe that today, our faith in Lithuania’s success has not abated in our hearts. Our belief is as strong as in the days when we fought for national freedom and independence. I know that the vast majority of our society is a thinking in a civil way about their own national interests that protect people,” Kubilius said.

Life remains hard for many

However, poll numbers say otherwise. Two decades later not everyone is as enthused about the new-found freedom and capitalist economic system as the country’s political leaders. The crisis has sent wages plummeting and upped unemployment to 13 percent. While many Lithuanians are now driving slick European cars bought during the boom years, they’re still living in decaying Soviet-era apartment blocks.

Given the relatively low pension levels, the elderly in particular have had a tough time adjusting their lives to the massive changes Lithuania has undergone. Many still do not have bank accounts, much less individual retirement accounts or mutual funds like senior citizens in the West. Their pensions are mailed in cash.

According to a Pew Research Center poll released in November, among those older than 65, Lithuanian support for the change to capitalism is 41 percent and multi-party democracy is 43 percent.

Aldona Tamošiūnienė, 77 of Panevėžys, said she does not have a bank account yet, although she owns her own apartment. She enjoys the freedoms the reborn Lithuanian republic has given her, but misses the lifestyle she could afford under the communist system. She worked on a collective farm after her family’s farm was confiscated by the communist government shortly after WWII, a fate shared by most farmers in the country at the time.

“It was much easier to live then. Before the break-up of the collective system I started getting very good money,” Tamošiūnienė told Baltic Reports. “I didn’t make much money but it was always enough for your needs. Food was much less expensive and living didn’t cost so much as now.”

Many Lithuanians remain frustrated with persistent corruption among elected officials. The current government and the Seimas as a whole have very low approval ratings in polls.

Danutė Bertašiūtė, a 51-year-old schoolteacher from Utena, said the country’s politicians have not learned to see beyond their own interests.

“All those people are corrupt. The Seimas hasn’t learned to work for our country. I think they work for themselves only,” Bertašiūtė told Baltic Reports.

Given the affect of the crisis, Bertašiūtė noted that many young people can’t find work and are leaving Lithuania and that although there are more consumer goods available than under the Soviet system, since the economy soured its difficult for many people she knows to afford them. A record number of Lithuanians emigrated in 2009.

However, Bertašiūtė said she wouldn’t rather go back to communism, as despite greater job security one’s purchasing power was no better and there was no freedom to leave for better prospects in the West. Bertašiūtė herself worked in the U.S. for a few years in the 1990s, and some of her nieces and nephews are working in Norway and the U.S.

“We can travel when we want, in other countries, we can go and we feel free,” Bertašiūtė said. “I don’t miss the Soviet system. We had jobs then, but like now economically it was bad then too, as we don’t have many things in the shop, in the supermarkets, we had only one size of shoes to buy, one size of clothes. There was little to buy.”

— Baltic Reports assistant editor Adam Mullett contributed to this article. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]decade, the economic crisis hit Lithuania among the hardest in the world, causing wages and the gross domestic product to plummet.

Independence regained

Although it had an empire in the Middle Ages, throughout the modern era the country has has been dominated by German and Russian conquerors, but it always managed to keep its language and native culture alive, often through folk songs and dances. In 1990, the country left what was one of the 20th century’s most brutal regimes and in doing so helped push the whole Soviet Union into the dustbin of history.

The Sąjūdis movement, led present-day politician Vytautas Landsbergis, managed to gain enough political clout and declare the independence of the Lithuanian nation. Since then Lithuania has since then joined the European Union and NATO.

For the anniversary, leaders from around the world sent their congratulations to Lithuania.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Lithuania on its independence for the first time in eight years and though he won’t attend celebrations, he did send the country’s transport minister in his stead.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso sent his congratulations from Brussels.

“On the 20th Lithuanian independence anniversary I want to congratulate Lithuania and its people. You showed a strong commitment to freedom, independence and respect for democratic values. That inspires the world and shows the power of democratic values,” Barroso said.

U.S. President Barack Obama said in 1990 Lithuanians couldn’t have known how bright the future could be.

“At the time, brave citizens are unable to foresee the consequences of their actions, but they held firm resolution. They have become a beacon of hope for peoples of the world, seeking freedom, democracy and respect for human rights,” the U.S. president said.

Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said that the country had as much promise now as when they were just starting out.

“We wanted not only to regain our freedom, but also to restore democracy, human rights, the market economy and private property values. We wanted to become a normal European state being part of the European Union and NATO,” Kubilius said.

However, the prime minister said that people needed to start looking ahead to the country’s 40-year anniversary.

“I believe that today, our faith in Lithuania’s success has not abated in our hearts. Our belief is as strong as in the days when we fought for national freedom and independence. I know that the vast majority of our society is a thinking in a civil way about their own national interests that protect people,” Kubilius said.

Life remains hard for many

However, poll numbers say otherwise. Two decades later not everyone is as enthused about the new-found freedom and capitalist economic system as the country’s political leaders. The crisis has sent wages plummeting and upped unemployment to 13 percent. While many Lithuanians are now driving slick European cars bought during the boom years, they’re still living in decaying Soviet-era apartment blocks.

Given the relatively low pension levels, the elderly in particular have had a tough time adjusting their lives to the massive changes Lithuania has undergone. Many still do not have bank accounts, much less individual retirement accounts or mutual funds like senior citizens in the West. Their pensions are mailed in cash.

According to a Pew Research Center poll released in November, among those older than 65, Lithuanian support for the change to capitalism is 41 percent and multi-party democracy is 43 percent.

Aldona Tamošiūnienė, 77 of Panevėžys, said she does not have a bank account yet, although she owns her own apartment. She enjoys the freedoms the reborn Lithuanian republic has given her, but misses the lifestyle she could afford under the communist system. She worked on a collective farm after her family’s farm was confiscated by the communist government shortly after WWII, a fate shared by most farmers in the country at the time.

“It was much easier to live then. Before the break-up of the collective system I started getting very good money,” Tamošiūnienė told Baltic Reports. “I didn’t make much money but it was always enough for your needs. Food was much less expensive and living didn’t cost so much as now.”

Many Lithuanians remain frustrated with persistent corruption among elected officials. The current government and the Seimas as a whole have very low approval ratings in polls.

Danutė Bertašiūtė, a 51-year-old schoolteacher from Utena, said the country’s politicians have not learned to see beyond their own interests.

“All those people are corrupt. The Seimas hasn’t learned to work for our country. I think they work for themselves only,” Bertašiūtė told Baltic Reports.

Given the affect of the crisis, Bertašiūtė noted that many young people can’t find work and are leaving Lithuania and that although there are more consumer goods available than under the Soviet system, since the economy soured its difficult for many people she knows to afford them. A record number of Lithuanians emigrated in 2009.

However, Bertašiūtė said she wouldn’t rather go back to communism, as despite greater job security one’s purchasing power was no better and there was no freedom to leave for better prospects in the West. Bertašiūtė herself worked in the U.S. for a few years in the 1990s, and some of her nieces and nephews are working in Norway and the U.S.

“We can travel when we want, in other countries, we can go and we feel free,” Bertašiūtė said. “I don’t miss the Soviet system. We had jobs then, but like now economically it was bad then too, as we don’t have many things in the shop, in the supermarkets, we had only one size of shoes to buy, one size of clothes. There was little to buy.”

— Baltic Reports assistant editor Adam Mullett contributed to this article. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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