Excerpt from The Lithuanians of Cleveland The territory included under the term Lithuania depends upon the time of which one speaks In the fifteenth century the kingdom extended from the Baltic Sea at Polangen and the mouth of the Niemen river to the Black Sea, and from the Bug river on the west to the Oka on the east. Gradually the political unit was reduced in size until today without recognized political entity we can speak only of the territory in which live those who use the Lithuanian language. In this sense it now includes the entire province of Kovno, Vilna the part of Grodno north of the Niemen, Suvalki, Courland and, the north-eastern part of eastern Prussia. Closely akin and usually classified with them are the Letts, a people living in Courland, Livonia. Vitebsk, and a remnant of the old Prussians living'east of the mouth of the Vistula. The Lithuanians are a branch of the indo-european race quite distinct from the Scandinavians, Slavs or Germans by whom they are surrounded. Their language shows a marked similarity to the Sanskrit. From a careful comparison of the pre-historic skulls unearthed in this region with the Lithuanians of today, it would seem that they had been in Western Europe many centuries before the Slavs or Germans migrated from their Asiatic homes. Six hundred years ago the southern Lithuanians came under Prus sian domination. In 1569 by the Convention of Lublin the fortunes of the kingdom were inextricably merged with those of Poland. The dual monarchy ostensibly at least, became entirely Polish and Lithuania seemed to have disappeared. It was a bloodless political conquest, but it did not essentially change the genius or aspirations of this freedom-loving people. At the close of the eighteenth century, with the third partition of Poland by its avaricious neighbors, Lithuania passed into the hands of Russia, and to Europeans and Americans became nothing more than a memory. Her government down to the pettiest officers was Russian. Her statutes were abolished; the size of the leasehold of her people was limited to one hundred and sixty acres; lectures and meetings were prohibited; even the language itself was barred and the Russian characters substituted for the Latin. Lithuanian commerce was discouraged and great tracts of country were sold to Russian colonists. The hardest blow of all was the suppression of the press in 1864, so that the people had to rely on what literature could be smuggled in from Germany and America. But such literature did come in, as evidenced by the fact that the Lithuanian provinces have shown a smaller percentage of'illiteracy than any other section of the late Russian Empire It was none the less a tragedy for Lithuania that her youths with literary ambition, the potential leaders of her people, should have to go beyond her boundaries for their education, and afterward, in too many cases, to write in a tongue which their own people could not read. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This biographical overview of the life of Antanas Smetona (1874-1944), his importance in the Lithuanian national movement, his central role in the emergence of modern Lithuania (1918-1920), and the development of the various groups of nationalists in Lithuania, offers a picture of the creation of a national state in XXth century Europe. Twice the president of Lithuania (1919-20 and 1926-40), the authoritarian ruler of the state from 1926-1940, Smetona established his role as a capable and needed politician in Lithuania’s political life, a middle person between the political left and right. The study characterizes Smetona’s closest and most important associates, who helped him to formulate legislation for his model of presidential regime, the nationalistic ideology, and the development of national economy. Despite its authoritarian tendencies Smetona’s rule surprisingly continued to be for many Lithuanians a symbol of Lithuanian independence and national freedom through the years of Soviet occupation.

Noted historian Rosin presents the history of 50 Jewish towns in Lithuania, providing information about the founding of the settlements, their development into vibrant communities, and their ultimate destruction in the Shoah (Holocaust).

This new text places interwar European fascism squarely in its historical context and analyses its relationship with other right wing, authoritarian movements and regimes. Beginning with the ideological roots of fascism in pre-1914 Europe, Martin Blinkhorn turns to the problem-torn Europe of 1919 to 1939 in order to explain why fascism emerged and why, in some settings, it flourished while in others it did not. In doing so he considers not just the 'major' fascist movements and regimes of Italy and Germany but the entire range of fascist and authoritarian ideas, movements and regimes present in the Europe of 1919-1945.

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE A SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BESTSELLER In AD 70, when the Second Temple was destroyed, a handful of visionaries saved Judaism by reinventing it, taking what had been a national religion and turning it into an idea. Whenever a Jew studied—wherever he was—he would be in the holy city, and his faith preserved. But in our own time, Zionists have turned the book back into a temple, and unlike an idea, a temple can be destroyed. With exuberance, humor, and real scholarship, Rich Cohen's Israel is Real offers "a serious attempt by a gifted storyteller to enliven and elucidate Jewish religious, cultural, and political history . . . A powerful narrative" (Los Angeles Times).

Two world-renowned strategists detail the seven leadership imperatives for transforming companies in the new digital era. Digital transformation is critical. But winning in today's world requires more than digitization. It requires understanding that the nature of competitive advantage has shifted—and that being digital is not enough. In Beyond Digital, Paul Leinwand and Matt Mani from Strategy&, PwC's global strategy consulting business, take readers inside twelve companies and how they have navigated through this monumental shift: from Philips's reinvention from a broad conglomerate to a focused health technology player, to Cleveland Clinic's engagement with its broader ecosystem to improve and expand its leading patient care to more locations around the world, to Microsoft's overhaul of its global commercial business to drive customer outcomes. Other case studies include Adobe, Citigroup, Eli Lilly, Hitachi, Honeywell, Inditex, Komatsu, STC Pay, and Titan. Building on a major new body of research, the authors identify the seven imperatives that leaders must follow as the digital age continues to evolve: Reimagine your company's place in the world Embrace and create value via ecosystems Build a system of privileged insights with your customers Make your organization outcome-oriented Invert the focus of your leadership team Reinvent the social contract with your people Disrupt your own leadership approach Together, these seven imperatives comprise a playbook for how leaders can define a bolder purpose and transform their organizations.