Lithuania is one of the few states in the world whose security and defence strategy assigns an important role to civilian resistance (civilian defence) in addition to the usual military defence. This paper explores the historical circumstances and theoretical presuppositions that have influenced the focussing of Lithuania’s political elite on this non- traditional form of defence. First, there is a short survey of the development of the theory of civilian defence and an overview of the way some of its elements have been applied in Lithuania’s movement for liberation in 1990-91. Next, there is an analysis of the way civilian resistance and civilian defence are conceived in the documents defining Lithuania’s security and defence policies.

Finally, an attempt is made at identifying the role and the prospects of civilian resistance within contemporary security and defence system of Lithuania; the conclusion made is that under conditions of Euro-Atlantic integration and globalization, civilian resistance, as a way of defending civil rights, remains a viable option of response to any kind of threat.