Zigmas Angarietis

Zigmas Angarietis (born Zigmontas Antanas Aleksa, Russian: Зигмас Ангаретис; June 25, 1882 – May 22, 1940) was a Lithuanian communist, Russian revolutionary, one of the leaders of the Communist Party of Lithuania. He was one of the main people behind the short-lived Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1918–1919) and Lithuanian–Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Litbel). Angarietis was arrested in 1938 during the Great Purge and executed two years later. During his lifetime he wrote over a hundred Marxist–Leninist works.^[1]

Early life and education

Angarietis was born in Obelupiai, Vilkaviškis district, to a family of wealthy landowners. His brothers Jonas Aleksa became Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture and Konradas Aleksa was a professor at the Lithuanian Agricultural Academy.^[2] After graduation from Marijampolė Gymnasium, Angarietis enrolled to the Warsaw Veterinary Institute in 1904. In Warsaw he became acquainted with activists from the Polish Socialist Party and the General Jewish Labour Bund in Lithuania, Poland and Russia. For anti-Tsarist protests leading to the Revolution of 1905, he was arrested, expelled from the institute, and served a 6.5-month prison sentence in 1904. The experience prompted Angarietis to devote his life for communist causes.^[2]

Active revolutionary

Angarietis returned to Lithuania. His family did not approve his revolutionary activities and he severed all ties with them after workers at his father's farm staged a strike and his father called the police to subdue the protest.^[2] Angarietis joined the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania in 1906 and was elected to its Central Committee in 1907.^[1] In 1908–1909, he organized publication of illegal newspaper Darbininkų žodis (Voice of Workers) in Marijampolė. For that he was arrested in 1909 and received a four-year sentence in 1911. During his arrest and trial he was imprisoned in Suwałki where he had access to a library and was able to write. At least two of his works, Ateities surėdymas (Building the Future) and Materialistiškasis istorijos supratimas (Materialistic Understanding of History), were smuggled outside of prison and later published in the United States. In October 1911, he was transferred to Pskov where living conditions were considerably worse. Upon his release in 1915, he was exiled to Minusinsk in Yeniseysk Governorate.^[2]

In the exile Angarietis became involved with the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (bolsheviks) (RSDLP(b)) and joined its ranks in 1916.^[1] He wrote many articles to communist and social democratic press using pen name Angarietis (from the Angara River) which later became his last name. After the February Revolution he moved to Petrograd and became actively involved with the Commissariat of Lithuanian Affairs of RSDLP(b). Together with Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas he planned a socialist revolution in Lithuania. Angarietis also edited newspaper Tiesa, published numerous books, and otherwise spread the communist ideology among Lithuanian war refugees.^[2]

In late 1918, Angarietis returned to Lithuania and helped organizing the Communist Party of Lithuania (CPL) and Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Lithuania and Belorussia. He became People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the short-lived Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1918–1919) and Lithuanian–Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Litbel).^[3] However, when Soviet Russia lost the Polish–Soviet and Lithuanian–Soviet Wars, these communist states collapsed and CPL was outlawed in Lithuania.

Ideological work

After the failure to establish communist rule in Lithuania, Angarietis retreated to Russia to never visit Lithuania again. First he lived in Smolensk (1920–1922) then in Moscow. In 1921, he wrote a 480-page manuscript on the history of CPL and accused Kapsukas of many practical and ideological mistakes that led to their failure. The conflict was quickly suppressed by Russian communist leaders.^[2]

Angarietis remained involved with CPL, supervising its underground activities and directing its press in Smolensk. He wrote numerous books, essays, and pamphlets. He also edited 18-volume collected works by Lenin. He was editor of various newspapers, including Komunistas (Communist, 1918–1939), Kibirkštis (Spark, 1924–1926), Balsas (Voice, 1929–1933), Partijos darbas (Work of the Party, 1931–1933). He also taught at the Communist University of the National Minorities of the West.^[2] Angarietis was CPL representative at Comintern. He was a delegate at the 3–7th Congresses of the Comintern. During the 5–7th Congresses he was elected to the International Control Commission, of which he was secretary in 1926–1935.^[3] He was also a delegate to the 6th, 8th, 10th, 12–17th Congresses of the Russian Communist Party.^[3]

Angarietis was arrested in March 1938 during the Great Purge and executed (shot) two years later. He was rehabilitated in 1956 during the de-Stalinization campaign.^[1]

References

1. Sužiedėlis, Saulius (2011). Historical Dictionary of Lithuania (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 45. ISBN 9780810849143.
2. Kriščiūnas, Edvardas (2006). "Komunisto revoliucionieriaus Z. Angariečio asmenybės ir veiklos bruožai". Istorija (in Lithuanian). 64. ISSN 1392-0456.
3. "Ангаретис Зигмас Ионович". Большая советская энциклопедия (in Russian). 1969–1978.