Lithuania: 700 Years

by Albertas Gerutis, Jonas Puzinas, Stasys Lozoraitis

At a time when Russia was little more than a loosely-knit quasi-confederation of clans preoccupied with interminable internecine warfare, Lithuania was establishing itself as perhaps the most viable state in Eastern Europe - this despite periodic invasion by the Livonian Order and the Teutonic Knights. Ironically, its gradual decline from eminence as a major European power was rooted in its greatness as a viable sate: because it sat astride the area where East met West on the European continent both geographically as well as culturally, Lithuania was forced into the position of being a buffer state between two emerging powers, Czarist Russia and Imperial Prussia, and was thus unable to be spared the fate that befell its former sister-state Poland.

Within the confines of this book - the work of some of the foremost Lithuanian historians and scholars on the contemporary scene - is told the tragic history of a people caught between two congenitally aggressor nations vying for European hegemony, if not world domination.

Lithuania: 700 Years is the first book to appear in the English language that not only "tells" the story of the Lithuanian state, but succeeds eminently in "explaining" the Lithuanian people.

Edited by Dr. Albertas Gerutis
Translated by Algirdas Budreckis
Introduction by Raphael Sealey

Contributing authors:
Albertas Gerutis
Jonas Puzinas
Stasys Lozoraitis
Juozas Jakstas
Algirdas Budreckis

458 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book to learn the history of the country my maternal grandmother left to go to America in 1913. It is written in an academic style and is dry reading. The book was published in 1969 before Lithuania got its independence back in 1990.

[Ryan Latone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult but transformative read for myself. My family immigrated from Lithuania in the early 1900's. I had no idea of the struggles they endured. While difficult to digest, the information in this book does give a factual history of Lithuania.