Emmanuel todd's theory of family tradition systems: the case of lithuania

Family is one of the smallest fragments of society, only second to the individual. Different societies have different means of organizing their families. However, if one wants to conduct a research on different hypotheses that cover diverse families from the entire world, there has to be a theory, one that is able to encompass all of the different families into one framework, allowing them to be comparative with one another, that is, to have a theory on family systems. E. Todd and G. Therborn have provided us with such theories. G.Therborn’s model proved to be unreliable, characterized by loose and abstract categories, unlike E.Todd’s theory. However, Todd’s theory is not without its critics or its own issues, one of which is a lack of research on certain regions and areas, including Lithuania. Thus, this paper revolves around the matter of supplementing his theory with the example of Lithuania. The aim and objective of this paper – to uncover what family system characterized the Lithuanian families ideally according to E. Todd’s theory and use the case of A. Smetona regime to examine its effects on politics. This research is aided by the works of several Lithuanian ethnologists, ethnographers and other academics. The effects on politics will be examined by employing the works of Lithuanian and foreign historians, academics and specialists. The case-study method will be applied to achieve aims and objectives set in this paper. That is why this research paper is divided into two parts. In the first part we examine the publications of ethnologists and ethnographers, it becomes obvious that predecessor of the modern society is the XV-XIX century Lithuanian peasant. The village is where the Lithuanian family system has formed and is characterized by an authoritarian relationship and the principle of equality. These attributes fit the exogamous communitarian family system. Multi-generation households prevailed in the countryside, they are defined by several generations living under one roof, that manifests into an authoritarian relationship. Although under the customary law, the farm was passed onto a male heir, his brothers and their families remained to live under the same roof and had to be sustained by the one who inherited the farm. This is what distinguishes the principle of equality from the principle of inequality. The father (or the one who’s de facto head of the family) had a broad authority in the matters of family decisions and was the sole manager of the farm and its finances. With the rise of modernization, family systems began to disintegrate, releasing certain virtues into the broader society. This influence can even be observed in contemporary politics. The exogamous communitarian family system erodes to a propensity for authoritarianism and egalitarianism, such systems reject individualism. A.Mamahoud has systematically digested E. Todd’s theory on politics and proposed a simplified model that shows the different tendencies of different family systems in politics, view on ideologies. A.Mamahoud’s model points that an exogenous communitarian family model will drift towards fascism, once nationalism has a foothold in national politics. Roger Griffins formulates, that fascism is a stream of various similar ideologies, all trying to imitate the political thought and practices of B. Mussolini’s Italy. A. Smetona tried to reflect on these ideals and incorporate them into his own political practice. The “tautininkai” party dominated government sought after the idea of an organic state, it was reflected in society in the form of corporatism. Italy had the same aim as Lithuania, this fits E.Todd’s presumption well. However, A.Smetona pursued a more moderate approach, this might be a consequence of the centuries long influence from Poland’s absolute nuclear family