Date of Award

2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

History

Abstract

In the wake of World War I, Europe was a political nightmare. Although the Armistice of 1918 effectively ended the Great War, peace in Eastern Europe was far from assured. The sudden, unexpected end of the war,combined with the growing threat of communist revolution throughout Europe created an unsettling atmosphere during the interwar period.The Great Powers-the victorious Allied forces of France, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States-met at Paris to reconstruct Europe. In particular, the Great Powers had numerous territorial questions to resolve. One of the most fascinating territorial struggles concerned the city of Vilnius (Vilna in Russian, Vilna in Polish), located at the confluence of the Neris (Russian Viliya)and Vilnia rivers.Possession of the city of Vilnius,the ancient and current capital of Lithuania,and its surrounding region sparked an intense conflict between Poland and Lithuania.

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