Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
through to occupy Norway and selling iron ore to both warring sides certainly tarnished
Sweden's image, leading to a crisis of conscience at home and international criticism.
On the other hand, Sweden was a haven for refugees from Finland, Norway, Denmark
and the Baltic states; downed Allied air crew who escaped the Gestapo; and many thou-
sands of Jews who escaped persecution and death.
In 1979, hundreds of Swedes called in sick to work on account of 'being gay' to protest
homosexuality being treated as a medical disorder at the time.
Beyond the Wars
After WWII and throughout the 1950s and '60s, the Social Democrats continued with the
creation of
folkhemmet
(the welfare state). The idea of a socially conscious society with
financial security for all began with the coalition of 1936 between the Social Democrats
and the Farmers' Party and introduced unemployment benefits, child care, paid holidays
and much more. The standard of living for ordinary Swedes rose rapidly, with poverty vir-
tually eradicated.
Sweden began to take an active (peaceful) role in world affairs in the second half of the
20th century, offering asylum to those fleeing from political oppression worldwide. Prime
Minister Olof Palme (1927-86) was deeply involved in questions of democracy, disarma-
ment and third-world issues when he was assassinated on the streets of Stockholm in 1986.
In the last 30 years, Sweden has become an affluent country with a strong economy and
one of the most comprehensive welfare systems in the world. This is in spite of the fact
that it suffered greatly from economic recession and unemployment in the early '90s, and
that its export-led economy continues to be vulnerable to global economic depression. Ad-
ditionally, as cuts have had to be made to the welfare state over the last two decades, many
Swedes feel that the problem is compounded by the country's immigration policies. They
argue that the dramatic increase in population renders the existing welfare system unsus-
tainable.
Sweden opted to join the EU in 1995 by a very narrow margin and, while nonaligned
militarily, Sweden's troops continue to take part in numerous NATO peacekeeping mis-
sions.
Recently, Sweden has been embroiled in the extradition scandal involving WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange. Though wanted by the United States for making classified in-
