Full Text of HR0773 100th General Assembly
HR0773 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to recognize Lithuania on the occasion of | 4 | | the 100th anniversary of the reestablishment of independence as | 5 | | a democratic state; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, On February 16, 1918, the Act of Reinstating | 7 | | Independence of Lithuania or Act of February 16 was signed by | 8 | | 20 courageous, determined, and trusted representatives of the | 9 | | Lithuanian nation; this Council of Lithuania was chaired by | 10 | | Jonas Basanavicius; the Act re-established an independent | 11 | | state, based on democratic principles, with Vilnius as its | 12 | | capital city, and severed all previous links with other states; | 13 | | and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, The Act of February 16 was the result of a series | 15 | | of resolutions; the path to the Act was long and complex | 16 | | because the German Empire exerted pressure on the Council to | 17 | | form an alliance; the Council had to carefully maneuver between | 18 | | the Germans, whose troops were present in Lithuania, and the | 19 | | demands of the Lithuanian people; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, The immediate effects of the announcement of | 21 | | Lithuania's re-establishment of independence were limited; | 22 | | publication of the Act was prohibited by German authorities, |
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| 1 | | and the text was distributed and printed illegally; the work on | 2 | | the Council was hindered, and Germans remained in control over | 3 | | Lithuania, until Germany lost World War I in the fall of 1918; | 4 | | In November 1918, the first Cabinet of Lithuania was formed, | 5 | | and the Council of Lithuania gained control over the territory | 6 | | of Lithuania; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Having also withstood the fight for independence | 8 | | from foreign invaders, Lithuania sealed its parliamentary | 9 | | democracy in the Constituent Assembly in 1920; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The Act of February 16, 1918 is the legal basis | 11 | | for the existence of present day Lithuania; the Act became one | 12 | | of the key elements during the restoration of Lithuania's | 13 | | independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 and is one of the | 14 | | most important developments of Lithuanian society in the 20th | 15 | | century; therefore, be it
| 16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 17 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 18 | | recognize the 100th anniversary of Lithuania's reestablishment | 19 | | of its independence, and we honor those citizens who were | 20 | | determined to take responsibility for their country's future | 21 | | into their own hands; and be it further
| 22 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| 1 | | presented to the Lithuanian World Center in Lemont and the | 2 | | Lithuanian Consulate General in the City of Chicago.
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