Soviet nostalgia or longing for industrial modernity?
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For a long time, the prevailing view in Lithuania was that a portion of the electorate harboured nostalgia for the Soviet era,consequently, these people were considered, if not pro-Russian, then at least not sufficiently critical of Moscow.
For a long time, the prevailing view in Lithuania was that a portion of the electorate harboured nostalgia for the Soviet era, since supporters of the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats viewed the Soviet occupation of the past unequivocally negatively, while supporters of the Lithuanian left were less critical, as they saw positive aspects in that period as well; consequently, these people were considered, if not pro-Russian, then at least not sufficiently critical of Moscow.
However, Ainė Ramonaitė, a professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University, argues that the less critical attitude of some Lithuanian residents toward the Soviet past may be linked not so much to sympathy for the Soviet system as to nostalgia for the industrial past.
Such trends are also observed in some other Western societies, where social resentment and nostalgia are evident in deindustrialized regions. Politically, this manifests itself in voting for more radical parties, which channel the anger of disaffected segments of society, while offering no solutions.
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