Abstract
Before World War I, the Lithuanians had already become a monocultural and ethnocentric nation. On the basis of a new theory about Lithuanianhood, the Lithuanian politicians had developed a distinctive formula of statehood, which they successfully applied in their relations with Germany. The Polish politicians, especially Pilsudski, used the idea of historical statehood for the sake of modern Polish imperialism. They could treat the Lithuanian policy as a sign of weakness. In this context, the Byelorussians were seeking to strengthen their ethnographic identity. Thus they were ready to support either the Poles or the Lithuanians. Želigowski's Central Lithuania could be treated as a kind of Polish historical statehood. For Pilsudski, Central Lithuania was just a stage in his far-reaching plans. On the territory of Belarus, its analogue was advocated by Balahovich. The Lithuanians were strongly against Pilsudski's insinuations, yet their inflexible position did not help to solve the problem. Riga's peace decisions made by the Soviets and the Poles helped Zeligowski but disrupted Pilsudski's plans. On October 28,1920, the Union of Nations made a decision to hold a plebiscite between Lithuania and Poland on the territory of Central Lithuania, and this decision was a final blow for its future.
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