What Can We Learn from Lord Acton’s Criticism of Mill’s Concept of Nationality?

The author discusses John Stuart Mill’s and Lord Acton’s conflicting concepts of nationality. The article continues by introducing contemporary approaches to the Mill – Acton debate by Will Kymlicka and Elie Kedourie. The author opts for Kymlicka’s criticism of Mill’s liberal nationalism and rejects Kedourie’s argument that Mill and Acton share the same concept of nationality. In the third part, the author discusses the implications of the Mill – Acton debate in light of the processes of Croatia’s joining of the EU.