Swedes: nationality (Swedish; people of Sweden)

GEOGRAPHY

Sweden is situated on the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula; Norway lies to the north and west and Finland to the northeast. The Skagerrak, Kattegat, and Oresund Straits are to the southwest, and the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia lie to the east. The Gotland and Oland islands in the Baltic Sea also belong to Sweden. There are 24 provinces in the nation’s 173,665 square miles. The mountainous region in northern Sweden (Norrland) occupies two-thirds of the country; lowlands make up the south (Svealand and Gotaland). East of the mountains lies a long plateau that ends at the coastal plain along the Gulf of Bothnia. The plains of Skane are found in the southeast. More than half of the country’s terrain is covered in forests, and less than 10 percent of the land is used for agriculture. The Kjolen Mountains are in the northwestern part of Sweden, forming part of the boundary with Norway. Mount Kebnekaise (6,926 feet) is the highest point. Principal rivers include the Umealven, Angermanalven, Dalalven, Tornealven, and Trysilelya. The two largest lakes, Lake Vanern and Lake Vattern, are found in the south central lowlands. Smaland highlands are south of the central lowlands.

INCEPTION AS A NATION

Within the eastern Scandinavian peninsula the SVEAR occupied northern Svealand while the Goths lived in southern Gothia. Tribal conflict prevented a unified state and led to migration of Vikings until the 12th century c. e. From 1150 to 1160, Erik IX Jedvardsson strengthened and expanded Sweden, notably crusading against pagan Finland.

The 13th and 14th centuries were marked by feudalism until a growing aristocracy removed Albert of Mecklenburg from the throne in 1389. The Danish queen Margaret I united Denmark, Norway, and Sweden into the Union of Kalmar in 1397. A rebellion for Swedish autonomy succeeded in 1523; Gustav I Vasa was declared king and Sweden pulled out of the union, gaining independence as a hereditary monarchy.

Sweden expanded throughout the 16th century, notably gaining Estonia and Livonia after the Livonian War (1557-82). War with Russia in 1617 gave Sweden East Karelia and Ingria, and war with Poland in 1648 gave Sweden part of Pomerania, the island of Rugen, Wismar, the sees of Bremen and Verden, and other German territories. Sweden lost its power and territory, including Livonia and Estonia, to Russia in the early 18th century.

The beginning of the 19th century was marked by a new constitution, Riksdag, that held until 1975. A treaty signed with Russia in 1809 ceded most of Finland and the Aland Islands to Russia. The congress of Vienna, marking Napoleon I Bonaparte’s defeat, recognized the official union of Norway with Sweden, the latter having the upper hand. Norway became independent of Sweden in 1905.

CULTURAL IDENTITY

Swedes see themselves as having a certain set of social characteristics that make them different from other peoples. In the past Swedes observed a certain formality of behavior in social relations. Like Germans they had two forms of the word you—Ni for strangers or for people to whom one owed respect, such as elders or superiors, and du for intimates, relatives, and friends. They now use du almost exclusively as egalitarianism has been on the rise. Their egalitarianism, however, does not mean that disrespect for others is acceptable or that relations with others are entirely casual, but that all should receive equally respectful treatment. An example of respectful treatment of others that Swedes cite is not being late for appointments, because lateness is a form of disrespect. Also it is expected that people will make formal arrangements for visiting rather than arriving at a Swedish home unannounced;

Swedes plant crops on a farm near Jonkoping, Sweden, in the early 20th century. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [LC-USZ62-99699])

SWEDES: NATIONALITY nation:

Sweden (Sverige); Kingdom of Sweden (Konungariket Sverige)

Derivation of name:

Meaning "Svea people"; derived from Svithjoth, an Old Norse name; thjoth is a Germanic root meaning "people"

Government:

Constitutional monarchy

Capital:

Stockholm

Language:

Official language is Swedish; English, Finnish, and Saami (Finnic dialect) are also spoken; about 65 percent of Swedes speak Schwyzerdutsch (a Germanic dialect).

Religion:

About 68 percent of the population are Evangelical Lutheran; minorities include Roman Catholics, Muslims, and Orthodox Christians; about 18 percent of Swedes do not adhere to a religion.

Earlier inhabitants:

Tribal Germanics (Svear; Dani; Goths; etc.); Vikings

Demographics:

Sweden’s population consists of Swedes, Saami, Finns, Tornedalians, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks, and Rroma.

This demonstrates both respect for others and a certain social reticence.

There is a strong tendency among Swedes to strive for sociocultural homogeneity. This arises from another typical Swedish characteristic: the desire to avoid conflict (despite their valuing the history of their ancestral Vikings). Heated discussions are rare, and Swedes tend to resort to rational persuasion rather than aggressiveness to make a point. They also seek consensus rather than zealously insisting on their fixed opinions. For this reason foreigners sometimes think Swedish people are cool and formal. But this tendency toward rationality and objectivity is a product of the barriers Swedes erect between public or professional life on the one hand and the private sphere of home and family on the other. Emotional expression is usually reserved for the latter. Emotions are considered one’s own affair and not important enough to warrant bothering other people.

The aversion to conflict leads many Swedes to avoid socializing with anyone other than like-minded people. Swedes and Nordic people in general rarely have allowed curiosity to outbalance this fear of the different (although this is changing). Many Swedes also do not believe themselves to be interesting enough to stimulate or entertain others in social situations and thus compensate for this with often bountiful food— the smorgasbord—and beverages (the latter often alcoholic), and perhaps special activities.

1864-68 Composer Franz Adolf Berwald is professor at Stockholm Academy and Stockholm Conservatory.

1873 Carl Fredrik Hill relocates to Paris to paint.

1879 Roda rummet (Red Room), novel by August Strindberg, brings author fame.

1882 Painters Carl Larsson and Karin Bergoo meet; they marry the next year.

1 888 Painter Ernst Josephson suffers mental breakdown, after which he experiments with new forms that later inspire modernists.

1897 Anders Leonhard Zorn paints Midsummer Dance with influence from French impressionists.

1900 Nobel foundation is established based on will of Alfred Bernhard Nobel; in 1901 Nobel Prize is instituted, international awards given by Swedish Academy for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and for peace; in 1968 Bank of Sweden institutes prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize.

1905 Norway becomes independent of Sweden.

1909 Novelist Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlof wins Nobel Prize in literature.

1910-39 Composer Hugo Alfen is musical director at University of Uppsala.

1914-18 During World War I Sweden remains neutral.

1916 Poet and novelist Carl Gustaf Verner Von Heidenstam wins Nobel Prize in literature.

1920-31 Sculptor Carl Miles is professor at Stockholm Art Academy.

1924 National Museum of Science and Technology is founded in Stockholm.

1931 Poet Erik Axel Karlfeldt wins Nobel Prize in literature.

1939-45 During World War II Sweden remains neutral.

1946 Sweden joins United Nations (UN).

1951 Poet and novelist Par Fabian Lagerkvist wins Nobel Prize in literature.

1959 Sweden is founding member of European Free Trade Association.

1970 Filmmaker Ingmar Bergman wins Irving Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by Academy of Motion Picture Arts.

1974  Novelist Eyvind Johnson and Harry Martinson share Nobel Prize in literature.

1975  New constitution reduces monarch's powers.

1995 Sweden joins European Union (EU).

Swedes (and for that matter other Scandinavians) self-deprecatingly point to what is called the “Jante Law” as embodying social relationships. A fictional “law code” invented by the 20th-century Norwegian/Danish author Aksel Sandemose that, although unwritten, governs attitudes in a small Danish town, the Jante Law is based on mistrust of strangers or of people deemed pretentious or snobbish. Some of its precepts are not to presume that you are important (or intelligent, or knowledgeable), not to presume that you are as good as we are, and not to presume that you are going to amount to anything. A related Swedish characteristic is the assumption that everything one says will be remembered forever.

Reticence about emotional expression and a preference for the rational carry into Swedish art and design as “Functionalism,” which inspired the works shown in the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930, conceived by the architect Gunnar Asplund and the writer Gregor Paulsson. Design, whether of architecture or furniture and household goods, should aim to achieve beauty only through elements that serve the function of the building or object, avoiding anything extraneous, such as elaborate decoration. Swedish concern for egalitarianism also played a role here: The idea was to make ordinary objects that were affordable by all as beautiful as objects of the wealthy. This stance was formulated in an 1899 essay by the feminist Ellen

SWISS: NATIONALITY nation:

Switzerland (French, Suisse; German, Schweiz; Italian, Svizzera;

Romansh, Helvetica); Swiss Confederation (Latin, Confoederatio Helvetica; German, Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft; French, Confederation Suisse; Italian, Confederazione Svizzera)

Derivation of name:

Possibly from Schweitz, a Germanic root meaning "swamp"

Government:

Federal republic

Capital:

Bern

Language:

Official languages of Switzerland are German, French, and Italian; about 65 percent of Swiss speak Schwyzerdutsch (German dialect); Romansh (Rhaeto-Romanic dialect) is semiofficial.

Religion:

About 45 percent of the population are Roman Catholic; about 40 percent are Protestant; religious minorities include Muslims, Orthodox Christians, and Jews; about 10 percent of Swiss do not adhere to a religion.

Earlier inhabitants:

Celts (Helvetii etc); Romans; Alamanni; Burgundii; Franks

Demographics:

About three-quarters of the population are German; about 18 percent are French; about 10 percent are Italian, and 1 percent are Romansch.

Keys entitled “Beauty for All,” in which she called for an equally high level of design for all people, not just the wealthy Swedes therefore embrace as fine art ordinary objects such as stoves with beautiful porcelain tiles, crystal glassware, and well-designed furniture. One of the most famous Swedish artists was Bruno Mathsson, a designer of chairs. It also seems typically Swedish that one of the greatest Swedish painters was Carl Larsson, whose work is largely a celebration of idyllic family life. Anders Leonhard Zorn is known for his depictions of peasant life.

Modernism in Sweden defined itself as the product of an “other” on the periphery opposed to the modernism of France, Germany, and Britain. Swedish artists sought solidarity with other cultures on the periphery. Crafts became an important expression of Swedish modernism, and Swedish craftspeople looked to African colleagues for inspiration.

A characteristic feature of the Swedish arts scene, a product of the penchant of Swedes for organizing themselves in groups rather than “going it alone” as rugged individualists, is the large number of art associations (about 1,800). Most of them are formed by art-loving employees at companies or institutions. The members of such an association may visit art galleries or museums together, and the associations sometimes acquire works of art directly from the artists to be used as prizes in lotteries. The musical equivalent are the great number of symphony orchestras supported in Sweden, including many amateur groups, and the popularity of choirs as a form of social activity. Many Swedes listen to and play traditional folk music, and nearly every Swedish community of any size has its “People’s Park,” an amusement park where musical performances take place all summer long. Swedes have embraced jazz, rock, and pop music, and the country has produced highly successful performers in all three genres.

Further Reading

Thomas Kingston Derry. A History of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1979).

Dennis E. Gould. Historical Dictionary of Sweden (London: Scarecrow, 1997).

Lars Magnusson. An Economic History of Sweden (London: Routledge, 2000).

Byron J. Nordstrom. The History of Sweden (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 2002).

-. Scandinavia since 1500 (Minneapolis:

University of Minnesota Press, 2000).

Byron J. Nordstrom, ed. Dictionary of Scandinavian History (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1986).

Franklin D. Scott. Sweden: The Nation’s History (Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 1988).