Riding the Wave

Riding the Wave

Author: Torkil Lauesen

Publisher: Kersplebedeb

Published: 2021-06

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 9781989701126

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"In general, the Scandinavian countries did not have the necessary military power and administrative capacity to establish and operate their own colonies. They had to ride the wave of the great colonial powers in order to enjoy the benefits offered by imperialism. There was no difference, however, between the Scandinavian countries and the great colonial powers regarding their attitude towards colonialism. European colonialism can be seen as a unified whole in which large and small countries played different roles. Some managed territories and opened up markets, others provided capital, built infrastructure, or transported goods to and from the colonies. The Scandinavian countries earned large sums by navigating in the wake of the major colonial powers." -- from Riding the Wave The Scandinavian countries, particularly Sweden, are capitalist welfare states which provide high standards of living and social security for their nation's citizens. Sweden is regarded as progressive; some even consider it to be half way on the road towards socialism. It is often evoked as a showcase of "capitalism with a human face," when it is not being described as outright "socialist." These are the accomplishments of the Social Democratic Party, supported by the strong trade union movement. However, such claims only make sense if one takes imperialism out of the equation. Torkil Lauesen's Riding the Wave tells another story, about how Sweden rides on the wave of colonialism and imperialism, how it was integrated as a core-state in global capitalism, and how the Swedish "people's home" has been paid for by value transfer from global production chains stretching throughout the Global South. This is also the story of Social Democracy and how the struggle in the Second International between two lines -- one reformist, nationalist, and pro-imperialist, the other internationalist and anti-imperialist -- remains relevant to this day. Lauesen recounts Sweden's failure to establish colonial territories of its own, leading it to find its place as a junior partner first to Germany and then to the United States. Sweden's complicity in settler colonialism and the slave trade is examined, as is its intervention in Finland's Civil War, its profitable trade relations with the Third Reich, support for Belgian colonialism and genocide in the Congo, involvement in exploitative mining operations in Liberia, the rise and decline of the Social Democrats, and much more. An overview is also provided of specific Swedish corporations, from the Kreuger Group to IKEA and H&M, as well as the historically important Swedish arms industry and Swedish imperialism in the Baltic region. All of these are examined within the context of capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism, with particular attention paid to the crisis of neoliberalism and the rise of China. Lauesen insists that in order to understand the history, nature, and prospects of Sweden we must adopt a global perspective.


Sweden

Sweden

Author: Charles Phillips

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 9781426303890

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An overview of the history and culture of Sweden.


Sweden in the Eighteenth-Century World

Sweden in the Eighteenth-Century World

Author: Göran Rydén

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-03-09

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13: 1317047400

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Eighteenth-century Sweden was deeply involved in the process of globalisation: ships leaving Sweden’s central ports exported bar iron that would drive the Industrial Revolution, whilst arriving ships would bring not only exotic goods and commodities to Swedish consumers, but also new ideas and cultural practices with them. At the same time, Sweden was an agricultural country to a large extent governed by self-subsistence, and - for most - wealth was created within this structure. This volume brings together a group of scholars from a range of disciplinary backgrounds who seek to present a more nuanced and elaborated picture of the Swedish cosmopolitan eighteenth century. Together they paint a picture of Sweden that is more like the one eighteenth-century intellectuals imagined, and help to situate Sweden in histories of cosmopolitanism of the wider world.


Sweden, Japan, and the Long Second World War

Sweden, Japan, and the Long Second World War

Author: Pascal Lottaz

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-07-13

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1000402290

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We thank Ekman & Co AB and Gadelius Holding Ltd for their kind and generous support, making this research available online for free. Lottaz and Ottosson explore the intricate relationship between neutral Sweden and Imperial Japan during the latter’s 15 years of warfare in Asia and in the Pacific. While Sweden’s relationship with European Axis powers took place under the premise of existential security concerns, the case of Japan was altogether different. Japan never was a threat to Sweden, militarily or economically. Nevertheless, Stockholm maintained a close relationship with Tokyo until Japan’s surrender in 1945. This book explores the reasons for that and therefore provides a study on the rationale and the value of neutrality in the Long Second World War. Sweden, Japan, and the Long Second World War is a valuable resource for scholars of the Second World War and of the history of neutrality.


200 Years of Peace

200 Years of Peace

Author: Nevra Biltekin

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2022-07-18

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 9781800735897

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Since 1814 Sweden has avoided involvement in armed conflicts and carried out policies of non-alignment in peacetime and neutrality during war. Even though the Swedish government often describes Sweden as a ‘nation of peace’, in 2004 the 200-year anniversary of that peace passed by with barely any attention. Despite its extraordinary longevity, research about the Swedish experience of enduring peace is underdeveloped. 200 Years of Peace places this long period of peace in broader academic and public discussions surrounding claimed Swedish exceptionality as it is represented in the nation’s social policies, expansive welfare state, eugenics, gender equality programs, and peace.


Sweden After Nazism

Sweden After Nazism

Author: Johan Östling

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 9781785331428

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Sweden after Nazism -- Sweden after Nazism - Politics and Culture in the Wake of the Second World War -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Prologue -- 1 - Nazism and the Twentieth Century -- 2 - The Experience of Nazism -- 3 - Nazism as Stigma -- 4 - The Ideas of 1945 -- 5 - German Autumn -- 6 - The Lessons of Nazism -- Index


Sweden - The Untold Story

Sweden - The Untold Story

Author: Claudia Wallin

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2018-10-03

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 9781724866011

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Sweden has long been viewed as a beacon for democratic government and progressive social policies. In this witty and insightful book, journalist and writer Claudia Wallin takes a fascinating look at the Swedish model of government, its commitment to transparency and openness, and its deep-seated aversion to politicians, judges and public servants enjoying any special privileges or advantages. Welcome to the Swedish reality of members of Parliament commuting by bus, living in studio apartments in the capital and working from 10-square-metre offices. No one in public life earns an obscene multiple-digit salary. At the local level, Swedish councillors are not even paid, nor do they have the right to an office - they work from home. Cabinet ministers do not live in luxury either: elected by the Financial Times as the best European Finance Minister of 2011, Anders Borg lived in a 25-square-metre state-owned apartment in Stockholm during the week. Politicians who dare pay for a taxi ride with taxpayers' money, instead of riding the train, end up on news headlines. And in some cases, are forced to step down. Without official cars or private drivers, Swedish politicians travel in crowded buses and trains, just like the citizens they represent. Without any right to parliamentary immunity, they can be tried like any other citizen. With no private secretaries at the door or private bathrooms and breakfast bars, their bare-bones parliamentary offices are spartan and tiny like a public clerk's office. Claudia Wallin also focuses on how the triple pillars of the Swedish system - transparency (Sweden has the world's oldest transparency law), social equality and a well-educated population - combine to create a high degree of social trust. In virtually every area of public life, incidences of corruption or profiting from public office are relatively rare and, when transgressions occur, politicians and officials are swiftly brought to account, aided by an ever-vigilant media. Not even celebrities are immune. Under suspicion of tax fraud, the legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman was once arrested inside a theatre and taken to a police station. In little over 100 years, Sweden has transformed itself from an impoverished, agricultural society into one of the wealthiest, most socially just and least corrupt countries in the world, where nobody is above anybody else. The Swedish experience demonstrates perhaps more than any other how change is possible. Sweden - The Untold Story is a best-seller in Brazil, where it was originally published.


Almost Perfekt

Almost Perfekt

Author: David Crouch

Publisher: Kings Road Publishing

Published: 2018-08-23

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 1788701550

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'Engaging' Money Week 'A sharp-eyed account of what makes Sweden modern, resilient and rather different' Professor Jonas Hinnfors SWEDEN A country that defies the laws of economic gravity. A land with high wages, strong unions and generous welfare. A dream location for business and a bastion of social responsibility, coming out on top for childcare, equality and quality of life. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM IT? Having lived in Sweden for six years, journalist David Crouch has a unique perspective as an outsider looking in on one of the world's most successful yet divided countries. Based on more than 70 interviews with leading figures in Swedish industry and politics, Almost Perfekt is a journey through Swedish society and what sets it apart from the world today. Why is Sweden so good for businesses like IKEA, Spotify and Skype? How will the country become zero carbon by 2045? And what can we learn about immigration from its ambitious policies? With political and economic upheaval threatening to pull Europe apart, discover the truth of how Sweden really works. 'If you want to know how Sweden works, this is the book for you' Andrew Brown, Guardian journalist and author 'A great guide to the much-cited but little examined Swedish model and the challenges it now faces' Richard Milne, Financial Times


The History of Sweden

The History of Sweden

Author: Byron J. Nordstrom

Publisher: Greenwood

Published: 2002-06-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0313312583

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A history of Sweden, showing how a monarchical state transformed itself into an egalitarian, democratic system.