SWEDEN 



5649 



SWEDEN 



Government and History 



Army and Navy. Military service is com- 

 pulsory for all men from twenty to forty-two 

 years of age. The first nine years consist of 

 service in the regular army, the next four years 

 in the reserve troops and the last seven years 

 in the national militia, called the Landsturm. 

 The total strength of the army in peace is 

 about 670,000 men. 



Government. Sweden is a constitutional 

 monarchy. The constitution was adopted in 

 1809 and has been several times amended and 

 modified. The executive power is vested in the 

 king. He is assisted by an administrative coun- 



. SHRINKING SWEDEN 



This map shows how Sweden, once the first 

 military power in Europe, has lost territory from 

 time to time, until now it is completely overshad- 

 owed by its powerful neighbors to the east and 

 south, whose military activity for many years 

 has been a source of anxiety to its people. 



(A) Present area of Sweden; (J5) Norway, 

 lost in 1905; (C) Finland, lost in 1809; (D) area 

 lost in 1721 ; (E) Western Pomerania, lost in 

 1814. 



cil of state. The right to make laws is vested 

 in the Diet, which consists of two chambers. 

 In the upper chamber there are 150 members, 

 elected for six years by the municipal and pro- 

 vincial representatives, or landsthing. They 

 must be property owners, or must have an an- 

 nual income of about $800. The second cham- 

 ber consists of 230 members, elected for three 

 years by universal manhood suffrage. The ad- 

 354 



ministration of justice is independent of the 

 government. It is controlled by the Chancellor 

 of Justice; he is appointed by the king and 

 represents the Crown; the Attorney-General, 

 who is appointed by the Diet, has general 

 supervision over all courts. 



Local Government. There is a high governor 

 at Stockholm and a prefect in each of the 

 twenty-four provinces. In all communes and 

 municipalities women taxpayers as well as the 

 men have the vote and are eligible to com- 

 munal office. The communal assemblies and 

 city councils decide all questions of local ad- 

 ministration. Religious affairs and elementary 

 education are controlled by parish assemblies. 

 Liquor traffic is rigidly controlled by the gov- 

 ernment. Spirits may be sold only by responsi- 

 ble societies, and the profits go to the munici- 

 pality. 



Early Growth of the Kingdom. Much of 

 Sweden's history before 1000 A. D. is legendary. 

 Christianity was introduced in the middle of 

 the ninth century, but was not fully established 

 until the eleventh century, during the reign of 

 Olaf, who defeated Norway and made Sweden 

 the mightiest kingdom in the north. During 

 the next 200 years Sweden's history is a story 

 of the warfare between the Swedes in the north- 

 era part of the country and the Goths in the 

 south, and between both of these peoples and 

 the Danes. About the middle of the twelfth 

 century the government and the Church were 

 organized, and under the kings Sverker, Eric 

 IV and Charles VII Sweden's political and eco- 

 nomic development began. 



In 1397, by the Union of Kalmar, Queen 

 Margaret of Denmark and Norway united 

 Sweden with the other two Scandinavian coun- 

 tries under its rule (see NORWAY, subtitle Gov- 

 ernment and History). The Swedes were res- 

 tive under the predominance of Denmark, ana 

 in 1523 they broke away from the Union and 

 elected Gustavus Vasa king of Sweden. During 

 the reign of this great sovereign, the Reforma- 

 tion spread to Sweden, and Lutheranism was 

 made the State religion. From this time devel- 

 opment was rapid, though prosperity was tem- 

 porarily disturbed by the religious struggles of 

 the succeeding reign. 



Sweden Becomes a Great Power in Europe. 

 Under Gustavus Adolphus (1611-1632), Sweden 

 became one of the greatest European military 

 powers and commercial countries. This king's 

 ambition for territorial expansion and his Prot- 



