Swedes and Sweden before and after 1809

[Björn Sonesson]

Hi, I would like to get attetion the the fact that it´s now 200 years since the modern Sweden was born. The first important steps. Tke king was expelled in a revolt 1809 and new more democratic laws was created in 1810. Sweden lost Finland, the smaller eastern part of Västerbotten east of Torne river (Norrbotten was not created yet) and Åland in the peace Treaty in 1809 with Russia and the old believing of itself to be a superpower and retake earlier lost parts of Finland vanished (which had been in mind by leading Swedish ruiling classes even after Russia defeated Sweden of Poltava in 1709 and in 100 years). Our nationalism now is a lowlouded nationalism, except when we go in sport events. There dan you see people be non-swedish (osvenska) in behaviour. Shouting, big gestures etc.  
 
From about 1810-ies the goverments policies is the be neutral, prefering peace. only exception are the early years of Karl Johan as Crown Prince, the conflict about Åland with the new indenpendant state of Finland and some affairs with Nazi Germany during second world war.  
 
German troups were allowed to used swedish railways to transport from Finland och Norway to Germany or vice versa. The train with iron from the mines of Norrbotten to the occupied harbour of Narvik in Norway was also a well of irrition from the allies. Sweden was badly armed in 1939. Luckily our leader prime minister Per Albin Hansson lied about it and the germans believed the lie? Probably they did. I think Germany had invaded Sweden if they had known the truth. By one occasion in 1940-ies several thousands of German was in occupied Elverum in eastern Norway. The attention was that they should go into Sweden and occupy it. It was stopped in a late moment when much of the perparations was finished. The town of Elverum is not far from the northern part of province Dalarna. We also know today the truth that official neutral Sweden was in a near military cowork with U.S.A. American spy technology was in some of the planes that the Sovietunion was shooting down in the 1950-ies. (The Catalina affair). Only a few in the govermant with Tage Erlander and a few military few that military secret. So now we better understand the accusions Soviet did against Sweden in those days for not being neutral! There was a true behainds these accusions!  
 
The Swedish nationalism occurs from the loss ot Finland, the eastern half of the riket. Finland had same laws like Sweden. The part that was left was called Lillsverige (Small Sweden) in 1810-ies in contrast to the big Sweden-Finland Sweden. The overseas provinces in Baltic and in Germany was never a part of Sweden in juris but belonged to the Swedish crown, the King and the flag det svenska väldet (weald). The poetes did writings about Sweden in the new modern way, the romantic way. The writer's visons was that the People should create a new nation, so 19th Century was very etnocentric. The sami people and other minorities was not included, they was excluded. The sami didn´t get good teaching posibilites until about 1950. Teaching in sami languages and about their history have actually not been a reality until recently!  
 
In the end of 20th Century it seems that people in general is to have a more openminded view than my grandparents generation had. One million of nine million Swedish citizen is born abroad. Many of them from countries outside Sweden. We can now have a more wide definition of what Swede is if we want. Sadly a small minority had strong difficulties with the new multicultural Sweden and go into groups that is neonazi.  
 
We also lost our last province of significance, Svenska Pommern in 1810-ies. As owner of this part, Sweden was represented in The holy Roman Reich with possibilty to speak in their parliament. Sometimes Sweden was forched to see that one roll out people of Pommern to warduty against Sweden because of this situation! But before 1810-ies the the influence of Romantism in Germany came mostly from Pommern to Sweden. Important culturally for Sweden of course.  
 
The question of Åland (Ålandsfrågan) was peacefully regulated in nationernas förbund (union of states) about 1919. It is still a good example for other nations to solve, compromise in conflicts.  
 
The depth of compromising is very Swedish I think. Because of the less populated country of Sweden and building of easily movable timber cabins, the farmers could moved if the landlords was bad. But the upper classes in Sweden was both smaller in number of per centage of the population and poorer than in the Eurpean continent (that my pict, correct?). The main part of north and inner parts of middle Sweden had free farmers, that only needed to pay taxes to the goverment and the fee the the church and local govermant. The basic, the agriculture was very low developed still in beginning ot 19th Century. The feudalism with dependent farmers under landlords forbidden to move, was never strong in old Sweden. (In Skåne was it much different, but it belonged to Denmark until 1658.) That reasons impact so different classes were forched to compromies. Another piece is that the Swedish states during most of the goverments from Gustav I Eriksson (Vasa) to to death of Karl (Charles) XII had a repressive controlling function. You had to obey the king, but king had in exchange to promise the farmers certain things. The free farmers was in our old parlaliment, the king could not ask about new taxes without asking the parlaliment. The entusiasm about oyr king today I do believe has connection from this old time! Therefore we have only a few revolutions and revolts (mostly in the 15th Century).  
 
The poor Sweden in 1809 is now one of the riches countries in 2009. That is an amazing revolution in the silence. We have been good to make deals between laboreers and employers for decenniums nows. A few backlashes happened even here in Sweden. 1909 was a strike that ended bad the the workers (1909 års storstrejk) and 1931 was hungry workers in demonstation killed by military (skotten i Ådalen).  
 
You are welcome to get your rewieved of what I just written down here. Critics, happy comments, facts etc.  
 
With regards, Björn Sonesson

[Björn Sonesson]

Hi again.  
 
Even the revolts of 1809 ended with compromises. Among those who didnt want the King Gustaf Adolf IV left on the throne were morate forches who prefer a conservative way of liberation with reforms in small step for the country and without threating the ruling classes. Their model won. Now with a vanishing king, they now could extend their activities that formerly had been impossible because of the king (=so called dictatorship of Gustaf III and IV Gustavianska enväldet was abolished). There was people who wanted a new king but more modern laws. There were also republicans already in late 18th Century in Sweden, but they were few. The two latter groups didn´t won. They still managed to conpromised in some way and unlike other countries no bloodshed happened in this revolt, neither 1809 and 1810!  
 
The peubles killing of Axel von Fersen during his leading of the dead Crownprince Karl August in Stockholm 1810/1811 is another story. They thought he murdered the candidate. The police did nothing, but after this the secret sevice used torture in contrary to the fact the torture had been abolished. The people in Stockholm was chocked by the vast numbers of torture cases and the brutality in the tortures.  
 
The common people was more positive to old dictatorship. Many nobles, high miniters and some other influental citizens hated it. People liked it because the king took power from the nobles and used for example some of that to benefit common people to advance socially. They could go up from farmer to secretary or from secretary in next the generation to be noble and get a title. See the noble family of Wachtmeister for example. They have a simple origin not so far away like Bonde or Natt och Dag-famlies.  
 
But before 14th Centuries there are very few or none nobel family which had noble family ancestors living in Sweden. In 1280 some of the mightest big farmer was knighted by the king (Alsnö stadga). Their knighthood was depended of good harvesting to afford horses with knights for the royal duty in war and garnisions. First after about 1620 the nobles became a special class or institution, mnaifested with the institute Riddarhuset, frälse was then called adel instead. Other old frälse which did not quoted for the Riddarhus was excluded and loosed their rang in the society. Often because their properties had been lost or poorer so they didn´t fit any more.  
 
Ståndscirkulation can also mean It could go bad too, to be back socially for instances losing your duty because of greed, criminal activities OR other reasons etc and be forched to return whence you came from (ståndscirkulation up- and downwards).  
 
By the way the nearest Sweden comes to dictatorship is when Karl XI and Karl XII ruled Sweden (karolinska enväldet). But remember, locally we did have local representatives in the countries. Only in the towns and cities, the state had a reprentant checking etc what the magistrate was doing. Democraty was therefore a bit better by farmers than by merchants. But in the courts all met the crowns representative.  
 
This control from the state was abolished by a univeral unique operation by the parlaliment new laws in 1860-ies when the old parishes was reformed and divided into churchparishes and borgerliga worldly counties. Stil today, Sweden (and maybe Finland) is the only countres in the world with such independent countries.  
 
In all other countries and nations the state goverment has more regulations to act and do with the local representatives, Somalia and other stateless nations uncounted. Already in Denmark and Norway. we do have states with stronger possibilites to determinate what the counties has to do in different questions.  
 
But the last 30 years, the parlaliment of Sweden had let the govermant take a stronger control of the counties, despite of what the Countylaws (Kommunlagen etc) says. The parlaliment are weaker today I think. Less power even if it still decides to law. It´s my feeling. Any about it comments?
 
With all good wishes, from Björn