Vincas Kapsukas

Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas circa 1918–19
Born	(1880-04-07)April 7, 1880 Wyłkowyszki (Vilkaviškis), Congress Poland
Died	February 17, 1935(1935-02-17) (aged 54) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Nationality	Lithuanian
Alma mater	University of Bern
Known for	Head of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic and Lithuanian–Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Litbel)
Political party	Lithuanian Social Democratic Party Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (Bolshevik) Lithuanian Communist Party
Movement	Lithuanian National Revival Social democracy Marxism

Vincas Mickevičius (Mickiewicz), known under his pen name Kapsukas (April 7 [O.S. March 23] 1880 – February 17, 1935), was a Lithuanian communist political activist and revolutionary. As an active member of the Lithuanian National Revival, he wrote for and edited many Lithuanian publications and joined the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party. As his views turned from socialism to communism, he became one of the founders and leaders of the Lithuanian Communist Party and headed the short-lived Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic and Lithuanian–Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Litbel) in 1918–19. After the failure of these republics, Mickevičius left for Soviet Russia, where he continued to lead Lithuanian communist and work for the Communist International (Comintern).

Mickevičius was born in 1880 in the village of Wyłkowyszki, Wyłkowyszki district, to a Lithuanian family of wealthy farmers. Suvalkija was then part of Congress Poland, a client state of the Russian Empire. Following the January Uprising of 1863, the tsarist government imposed Lithuanian press ban which outlawed materials printed in the Lithuanian language. Vincas's father Simonas and elder brother Juozas were Lithuanian patriots. His uncle Antanas Mickevičius was daraktorius, a founder of and a teacher at underground Lithuanian schools. Vincas Mickevičius was early exposed to old illegal issues of Auszra monthly magazine hidden at their home.