Swedish Neutrality - World War I

World War I

Prussia's dominance had made the following forty years peaceful in the Baltic region, and by the outbreak of World War I neutrality seemed a natural state to many Swedes. Although feelings of cultural and scientific kinship with the German Empire were strong in Sweden, so were mercantile and personal ties with Britain and France. Opinion was split between Conservatives, with sympathies for Germany, and Liberals, with more mixed sympathies. Organized, but politically less influential, were the Social Democrats, who were in many cases antimilitarists and opposed to the war. The neutralist stance was reinforced when Denmark and Norway remained neutral. Voices for neutrality dominated the public debate, but Queen Victoria and some conservatives were strong advocates for entrance in the war on the German side, and the government's policy had a clearly pro-German bias.

In 1916, the pro-German policy was abandoned, having resulted in famine, rebellious opinions, and no tangible advantages. Once again, the conviction that strict neutrality was most suitable for Sweden dominated Swedish society. A new, less German-minded Conservative cabinet was appointed, and to calm the social unrest, democratic reforms were promptly initiated that cemented Sweden's neutralist policy and would soon lead to the political hegemony of Social Democrats lasting up to the 21st century.