Algirdas Brazauskas, Signatory to the Act of Independence of Lithuania, Speaker of the Seimas and Acting President of the Republic of Lithuania in 1992-1993, President of the Republic Lithuania in 1993-1998, and Prime Minister of the 12th and 13th Governments passed away on 26 June 2010 after a long and severe illness.

 

He identified service to the Nation and the State to be his supreme duty: “authority, as I see it, entails the greatest responsibility. It is only through brainpower, diligence, and strong will that we can build a prosperous state of Lithuania, a good and safe place for every citizen to live in”. These simple words of wisdom guided Brazauskas in his work, speeches, articles, and books.

 

Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas was born on 22 September 1932 in Rokiškis to a family of civil servants Sofija and Kazimieras Brazauskas. While giving their children simple farm tasks to perform, his parents instilled a sense of diligence and integrity in Algirdas and his younger brother Gerardas from an early age. Algirdas studied at the secondary school in Kaišiadorys, later graduated from the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute, then worked hard, got married, and had daughters Audronė and Laima.

 

Algirdas Brazauskas’ professional career began at Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant Authority where he was first employed as an engineer. As a knowledgeable construction specialist, and expert organizer of manufacturing processes, thanks to his sense of initiative Brazauskas started going up the career ladder. Even under the difficult conditions of centralized management, Brazauskas and his colleagues endeavoured to use the funds and resources in the areas where Lithuania needed them most.

 

M. Dobrovolskis, the priest and monk from Paberžė and former political prisoner, better known Father Stanislovas, refers to the Lithuanian government of the time saying, “during the Soviet years, it was them who managed to get the funding for the reconstruction of the castle of Trakai, the construction of the Žemaičių Highway, and for numerous construction projects in Lithuania.” Brazauskas’ own attitude to the events and achievements in Lithuania during the annexation as well as his assessment of his professional activities is accurately reflected in the title of his last book Ir tuomet dirbome Lietuvai (Even Then We Worked for the Benefit of Lithuania). According to Brazauskas, “one may not primitively and angrily write off two generations, their work and efforts just because they happened to live and work in the annexed state. Our country was far from being at a standstill, it was not too far away from the free European nations in terms of education, professional skills, and the level of academic research. It is with a fairly high standard of education that we began our new life as an independent state.”

 

In 1988, after the national revival began, Brazauskas got actively engaged in politics, participated in rallies, made speeches, supported the reform proposals of the Reform Movement Sąjūdis, and initiated some changes on the political scene. Supported by the mass movement of the Sąjūdis, Brazauskas was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuanian and became the most prominent leader of the nation. His popularity was based on personal qualities, including persistence in defending Lithuania’s interests and personal charm, which inspired people's self-confidence and helped to consolidate the nation. In 1988-1989, as the de facto leader of the Lithuanian SSR and the People's Deputy of the USSR, Brazauskas was in permanent contact with the Soviet Union's leadership and maintained contact with the leaders of the Reform Movement Sąjūdis at the same time. This helped him neutralise Moscow’s resistance to Lithuania’s national liberation process and significantly contributed to peaceful restoration of Lithuania’s independence.

 

The Communist Party of Lithuania, led by Brazauskas, split from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in December 1989 thus breaking the dictatorial monolith of the Party. This decision of the Lithuanian Communists was sensational to the entire world and Lithuania’s people for the first time showed their sincere solidarity with the “political divorce”.

 

Brazauskas was elected Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR on 15 January 1990. Under his leadership, the Supreme Council adopted the resolution on 7 February abolishing the 21 July 1940 declaration of the Seimas referred to as the People’s Seimas on Lithuania’s accession to the Soviet Union, which deprived the USSR of any legal grounds to consider Lithuania part of the Soviet Union. In paragraph 3 of the resolution, the Supreme Council proposed the Soviet Union to commence bilateral negotiations on the restoration of the independence of the Lithuanian State. At the end of the Session, Brazauskas said to the Members of the Supreme Council, “It is the fate of our generation to take the responsibility for Lithuania, its future, and the destiny of its people. Bearing this in mind we must consider every step we take and its purpose. Building of the state is the greatest collective activity and responsibility to the nation and its expressed will”. At the height of the national revival Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas was named “the man as hard as rock”, whose protection, warmth, and peace was sought by our citizens.          

 

On 24 February 1990, Brazauskas was elected Member of the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR (subsequently named the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas) in Kaišiadorys electoral constituency. He voted in favour of the restoration of the Independent State of Lithuania on 11 March 1990. Brazauskas became a historic figure during Lithuania’s struggle for independence in the period of 1988-1990. 

 

The Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania approved Brazauskas for the post of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania on 17 March 1990. Much was to be done by the first Government of the Independent Republic of Lithuania. It was a manifest example of cooperation between the Lithuanian Reform Movement Sąjūdis and the independent Communist Party of Lithuania. The economic blockade imposed by the USSR, which was aimed at suppressing Lithuania’s attempts of independent existence and at destroying Lithuania’s economy, brought much tension and concern. At some point Brazauskas noted that “being independent we worked in the binding environment, and yet we sought to avoid the negative effect on Lithuania and its people as much as possible”.

 

The Communist Party of Lithuania was renamed the Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania in December 1990 and Brazauskas was elected its Chairman at the inaugural meeting. When the first Government resigned in 1991, Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas joined the constructive opposition to the radical policy of the Sąjūdis. The Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania, led by Brazauskas, convincingly won the national election in 1992. Brazauskas was elected Speaker of the Seimas and appointed Acting President of the Republic of Lithuania.

 

On 14 February 1993 A. M. Brazauskas won the highest trust of Lithuanian people in direct and general presidential elections held in Lithuania for the first time in its history that led him to a new five-year term as Head of State. Lithuania was consolidating its statehood and democracy further, carrying out essential reforms, separating authority functions, legitimising ample freedom of the media, while the country’s economic indicators were improving. Lithuania became a member of a number of international organizations, it established and developed bilateral relations with European countries and states from other continents, and established good relations with its neighbours. With the priority mandate given to him by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania in foreign policy, President Brazauskas devoted special attention to the development of economic relations, strengthening of co-operation with Lithuania’s closest neighbours – Russia, Poland, Belarus, Latvia and Estonia in the fields of culture and arts, health protection, science and technology, information, etc. Therefore, the evaluation of this huge and significant work, resolute efforts and tolerant decisions of many years, Russian President D. Medvedev’s Order of Honour awarded to A. M. Brazauskas in June 2010 for his contribution to the development of relations between Lithuania and Russia, is fully understandable. As President of the Republic, Brazauskas set up the Office of the President and formed its units; he was leading the process of introduction of the national currency Litas, ensured withdrawal of the Soviet occupational army from Lithuania and submitted an application for Lithuania’s accession to NATO and the European Union. He signed the agreement on the Lithuanian-Russian state border and, together with the Polish President he organised the Vilnius Conference for the leaders of Central and Eastern European countries and initiated the reconstruction of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. During his service as Prime Minister, a decade later, Brazauskas was also destined to sign the Accession Treaties, and thus Lithuania became a member of NATO and the European Union.

 

When communicating with people, President Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas always tried to empathise with them. He had a captivating personality that radiated inner courtesy, tolerance, and lenience. He neither attempted to demonstrate his superiority over other people nor to insult or humiliate anybody, even his biggest opponents. These features of his character particularly attracted people and helped him to win their favour.

 

When recalling the period of his own presidency, Brazauskas stated that his “views had always been leftist”, thus nobody was really surprised at his closeness with the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania. Co-operation between left-wing political forces which were the Opposition at the Seimas started in 1996-2000, and one of the most successful examples of this co-operation was the emergence of Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas Social Democratic Coalition before the 2000 national election to the Seimas. Brazauskas’ return to politics was first of all related to the aspiration at consolidation of the left-wing political forces and at inspiring them to be active for the sake of Lithuania and its people. On 27 January 2001, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania merged with the Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania and Brazauskas was elected its Chairman.

In the summer of 2001, when the political situation changed, President Valdas Adamkus appointed Brazauskas Prime Minister of the 12th Government of the Republic of Lithuania and tasked him with its formation. The new Government started work under complicated conditions. The main aims of the Government were to ensure the growth of the national economy and Lithuania’s membership of NATO and the European Union.  These aims were consistently reached by Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas through intense work, sparing no efforts or time.

 

On 14 July 2004, after the presidential election, President of the Republic of Lithuania Adamkus repeatedly trusted Brazauskas with the new Government. Under his leadership the economy became stronger, the economic and social situation as well as macroeconomic indicators improved. On 1 June 2006, he resigned and his successor took over the leadership of Lithuania, already as a member of NATO and a member of the European Union. When addressing the issue of relationship between a Prime Minister and citizens, Brazauskas used to stress, “I have never avoided people, I always did my best to hear what they say, understand them, and help as much as possible”.

 

Until the last days of his active life, Brazauskas was active in the public area as a politician, he cherished immense desire to serve for the benefit of the state and the nation, and he was always interested in economic and political matters. He has been and will remain one of the most prominent political figures and heads of state of the last twenty years of independent Lithuania.

 

The history will judge his deeds providing good inspiration for future generations...

 

Awards, earned by Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas:

Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great – 26 02 1998;

Lithuanian Independence Medal – 01 07 2000;

Order of Vytautas the Great with the Golden Chain – 03 02 2003;

20 awards, given by foreign states

Books by Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas:

Lietuviškos skyrybos (Lithuanian Divorce), 1992

Penkeri Prezidento metai (Five Years as the President), 2000

Apsisprendimas (Self-Determination: 1988-1991), 2004

Lietuvos galia: atlikti darbai ir mintys apie ateitį (Lithuania's Power: Works Accomplished and Thoughts about the Future), 2004

Ir tuomet dirbome Lietuvai (Even Then We Worked for the Benefit of Lithuania), 2007

Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas honorary ranks:

Doctor of Economics, 1974

Degree Honoris Causa at Kaunas University of Technology, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Minsk Humanitarian University, and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Honorary citizen of the towns of Kaišiadorys, Rokiškis, Švenčionys, Visaginas, and Neringa