In the 1950s, Nikita Khrushchev suggested that the Lithuanian SSR should annex Kaliningrad oblast. Irl, Antanas Sniečkus declined this offer as it would give Lithuania a massive russian minority. But, what if he accepted? Would Lithuania be subject to the same colonization by Russians like Estonia and Latvia irl?
What would happen if Kaliningrad was transferred from Russia to the Lithuanian SSR?
- Thread starter Angel Grace
- Start date
Oh, this is a topic for me, I've partially written my bachelor's thesis on this (a part of the context at least)
Should note that though the complete transfer of Kaliningrad to Lithuania SSR may have been discussed among the higher levels of the Soviet government (though we have nothing solid to go on, mainly rumours), the much more likely proposal - which is an actual, physical proposal that was drawn by a commission formed by the Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian SSR in 1957 - entailed only the annexation of a relatively narrow strip in the north:
Officially, the proposal was considered because of economic incentives - the Curonian Gulf, which was a major fishing region, belonged mainly to the Kaliningrad Oblast which had a very small number of fishermen and thus caused inefficiency in fishing, and also the cities of Tilžė/Sovetsk and Ragainė/Neman were traditionally economically tied to the Klaipėda region across the other side of the Nemunas, rather than the Kaliningrad region. Of course, cultural and national sympathies likely also played a part - and, if this strip were annexed, I don't see why it would be *too* problematic? It wasn't so populated as to cause a significant demographic imbalance in future independent Lithuania, though the *concentrated* nature of the Russian minority in this Lithuanian-owned strip right next to Russian-owned Kaliningrad might.
The whole Kaliningrad oblast would be a lot more problematic for Lithuania to hold, yes, and I'm not sure if Lithuania would manage to go independent if it was shackled with such a large Russian-populated territory. At minimum, it would cause the same issues that the Russian populations in Latvia and Estonia caused back in the 1980s.
Should note that though the complete transfer of Kaliningrad to Lithuania SSR may have been discussed among the higher levels of the Soviet government (though we have nothing solid to go on, mainly rumours), the much more likely proposal - which is an actual, physical proposal that was drawn by a commission formed by the Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian SSR in 1957 - entailed only the annexation of a relatively narrow strip in the north:
Officially, the proposal was considered because of economic incentives - the Curonian Gulf, which was a major fishing region, belonged mainly to the Kaliningrad Oblast which had a very small number of fishermen and thus caused inefficiency in fishing, and also the cities of Tilžė/Sovetsk and Ragainė/Neman were traditionally economically tied to the Klaipėda region across the other side of the Nemunas, rather than the Kaliningrad region. Of course, cultural and national sympathies likely also played a part - and, if this strip were annexed, I don't see why it would be *too* problematic? It wasn't so populated as to cause a significant demographic imbalance in future independent Lithuania, though the *concentrated* nature of the Russian minority in this Lithuanian-owned strip right next to Russian-owned Kaliningrad might.
The whole Kaliningrad oblast would be a lot more problematic for Lithuania to hold, yes, and I'm not sure if Lithuania would manage to go independent if it was shackled with such a large Russian-populated territory. At minimum, it would cause the same issues that the Russian populations in Latvia and Estonia caused back in the 1980s.