Nazism in Sweden.

[von Adler]

This is not a timeline, nor a question, just some information for those that seem to lump Sweden into the axis camp in their TLs.

The great depression hit Sweden pretty badly, but not as bad as many other nations. The social democrats and the agrarians formed an alliance 1933 and initiated limited Keynesian policies, which turned the situation around, and limited the ability of nazis and communists to gain popularity. Also, the government also banned uniforms for any non-state entity in 1933, reducing the popularity of the

There were three nazi parties in Sweden. Note that these three had a history of mergers and splintering, and hated each other with intense passion. Gunnar Sträng, later social democratic minister of finance, encountered a rowdy bunch of drunk nazis at a hotel making death lists for when they had taken over, and noted that prominent jews, communists and social democrats (including the social democratic Prime Minister Per-Albin Hansson) appeared AFTER the leaders of the other two nazi parties on the list.

Svenska Nationalsocialistiska Partiet (SNSP) - Swedish National Socialist Party, under Birger Furugård. Aftet the election in September 1936 Furugård gave up, attempted to dissolve the party and told the members (which peaked at ~10 000) to join Lindholm's party.

Nationalsocialistiska Arbetarpartiet (NSAP) - National Socialist Worker's Party, under Sven-Olof Lindholm. Lindholm had joined Furugård 1930, but in january 1933, he left with his followers. The two parties then feuded openly for the rest of their existence. The party focused more on the anti-capitalist parts of national socialism and changed its name to Svensk Socialistsisk Samling (SSS) - Swedish Socialist Unity in October 1938. The party took a suprisingly anti-German stance after the invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940.

Nationalsocialistiska blocket (NSB) - National Socialist Bloc, under Colonel Martin Ekström. The party attempted an electional alliance with SNSP in the election of September 1936.

There's also two other parties which drifted towards nazism right before and during the war.

Sveriges Nationella Förbund - Sweden's National Union, under Per Engdahl, a splinter from Allmänna Valförbundet - Common Election Union, the coservative party. From 1935, the party started to move towards fascism and anti-semitism and 1938 they assumed a very nazi-like party program. The party splintered in 1941 and both splinters more or less died out.

Socialistiska Partiet - Socialist Party, under Nils Flyg. The party started out as a communist party splintering from the social democrats and then from the communists. Sometime between 1939 and 1941, the party started accepting German money and moved towards nazism.

Any real support the Germans had among the Swedes pretty much died out as they invaded Denmark and Norway. In the election of September 1940 no nazi parties dared put forth any candidacy.

Elections
Note that at least 4% was required to enter the parliament.

1932
Svenska Nationalsocialistiska Partiet, 15 170 votes, 0,6%.

Total 15 170 votes, 0,6%.

1936
Sveriges nationella förbund (although more conservative than fascist or nazi at this time), 26 750 votes, 0,9%.
Nationalsocialistiska arbetarepartiet, 17 483 votes, 0,6%.
Svenska nationalsocialistiska partiet/Nationalsocialistiska blocket, 3 025 votes, 0,1%.

Total 20 508 votes, 0,7% (47 258 votes, 1,6% if you include Sveriges nationella förbund).

1940
Socialistiska partiet (still more communist than nazist), 18 430 votes, 0,6%.

Total 0 votes, 0,0% (18 430 votes, 0,6% if you include Socialistiska partiet).

1944
Socialistiska partiet, 5 279 votes, 0,4%
Svensk socialistisk samling, 4 204 votes, 0,1%
Sveriges nationella förbund, 3 819 votes, 0,1%

Total 13 302 votes, 0,4%

 

[stjernkjempe]

I totally agree whit your political description Von Adler but I disagree about the short remark about Sweden being hit hard by the great depression. GDP total fell 31 (-1%) and 32 (-3%) but rose in 33 (3%) and 34 (8%) to level out around 4% annually until 1939 and the War.

"Both the labor market and domestic demand was stimulated in particular during the 1930s when the household forming age group of 25-30 years increased.

The augmented labor supply would have increased unemployment had it not been combined with the richer supply of capital and innovative industrial development that met elastic demand both domestically and in Europe.

Thus, a richer supply of both capital and labor stimulated the domestic market in a period when international market integration deteriorated." Lennart Schön, Lund University (Sweden – Economic Growth and Structural Change, 1800-2000)


Or in non economists words: Unemployment were thanks to a population driven internal demand increase. New technology and production methods make for some transition unemployment but a growing economy and the young population and the access to cheaper industrial goods (like machine parts etc) made investments in Sweden cheaper and drew the growth rate higher.

The great depression hit Sweden hard in exports as it drops drastically (from 25% of GDP to 15% of GDP) in the same time as imports fell slower (from 20% of GDP to 15% of GDP) and there is a structural unemployment in the same time as there is real GDP/worker growth (productivity growth) that is not showing in the total GDP and the GDP/capita as much as there is higher unemployment especially temporary around 31 and 32 when the export industry shuts down.

 

[von Adler]

Yes, Sweden got away much easier than many other countries, but the unemployment was still high, AK-work, Ådalen and strikes were still hotbeds for radicalisation.