The social, political, and economic changes that took place in the 1990s in
Lithuania have influenced the strategies of all ethnic groups in the public
sphere. These strategies include adaptations to new requirements of citizenship,
the need for civic loyalty and knowledge of the state language, and participation
in newly formed bodies in the private and non-governmental sector. Individuals
actively embraced the changes, adopted a passive posture, or avoided
adaptation by emigrating or living in closed communities. The issues of
statehood and independence have had an impact on the relatively young
history of Lithuania’s democracy. Like most countries of Eastern Europe, the
ethnic understanding of a nation has deep roots, whereas the civic understanding
of the concept is relatively rare or of recent origin. The Soviet period spawned
a process of labour migration, especially for specialists and qualified workers,
from Russia. During the early years of independence, therefore, there was a
tendency for people with higher qualifications to emigrate from Lithuania as
the ideology of cultural nationalism took place.