Press Opinions
The proposition produced a heated debate, with strongly polarised opinions in the media – from outright rejection to unreserved support. The division largely followed the political spectrum, with conservative newspapers such as Nya Dagligt Allehanda, Svenska Dagbladet and Hallands Nyheter praising the proposition on the ground that it would lead to “disciplining and a spiritual uplift” of the youth, while the left generally was very critical of the motion. The Social Democratic newspaper Socialdemokraten endorsed the proposition on the ground of its potential effects on social integration. However, further to the left the opinion was overwhelmingly negative; the syndicalist newspaper Arbetaren stated that the proposition would lead to “the militarisation and barbarisation of the young souls”, and several others went as far as drawing parallels to Hitler-Jugend. Göteborgs-Tidningen expressed the concern that the aim was to create a Swedish Kraft Durch Freude phalanx and Eskilstuna-Kuriren claimed that the motion was dominated by “emotional thinking”, declaring that Sweden did not need a “Peter Albin-Jugend”.
Objections to the motion mainly concerned:
- The military orientation of the program, especially concerning younger students
- The state’s mandatory camps
- The alleged Nazi German model
- The proposed instructor training program
Read more about this topic: Swedish Compulsory National Service Act
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