On 11 March 1990, Lithuanian Independence was declared for the first time since 1940, following the words of the Supreme Council that:
‘The Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania, expressing the will of the nation, decrees and solemnly proclaims that the execution of the sovereign powers of the State of Lithuania abolished by foreign forces in 1940, is re-established, and henceforth Lithuania is again an independent state.’
Being the first country to break with the Soviet-Union, Lithuania served as a model to other Soviet republics but also faced an uncertain period. In 1991, 14 civilians died when Soviet soldiers stormed the Lithuanian Parliament, in what was later to be called the ‘January Events’.