The Image of Political Community in Lithuania: the Salience of Nationality as a Criterion of Membership
The Image of Political Community in Lithuania: the Salience of Nationality as a Criterion of Membership

Summary/Abstract: In the early beginning of democratisation processes, the three Baltic States — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - had to made a choice about the kind of democracy: "an inclusionary liberal democracy based on citizenship for almost all permanent residents or an exclusionary "ethnic democracy" only for 1940 descendants". If the choice in Latvia and Estonia was in favour of an exclusionary ethnic democracy, Lithuania has adopted an inclusionary politics towards citizenship. In some countries nationality indeed plays an important role as a criterion of inclusion/exclusion from political community. If one bases upon the analysis of Citizenship laws, one can legitimately argue that this is not the case in Lithuania. Such an argument today has become a stereotype, which this paper aims to challenge.

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