A history of Sweden, showing how a monarchical state transformed itself into an egalitarian, democratic system.

A comprehensive history of Sweden covering events from the Stone Age onwards.

“For those interested in the fighting on the Eastern Front in general . . . give[s] us some of the vast scale of the SS by the end of the war.” —HistoryOfWar.org Though Sweden was neutral during the Second World War, Swedish SS volunteers saw action on both the eastern front and NW Europe, and participated in some of the bloodiest clashes: the initial stages of Operation Barbarossa, the winter of 1941–42, the battles of Kursk, Arnhem, Normandy, Narva, the Warsaw uprising, the Cherkassy and Kurland pockets and, finally, the end in Berlin. There was never an official recruitment drive in Sweden, which is why only some 180–200 men enlisted. Those who wanted to recruit themselves often had to make their way to the occupied countries—a fact that makes those Swedes who joined the SS volunteers in the truest sense. This book lets us follow individuals such as Hans Lindén, who was the first named Swedish volunteer to fall in action aged barely nineteen years old; the unpopular Swedish SS officer Gunnar Eklöf; Elis Höglund, who after several years on the Eastern Front deserted and returned to Sweden; Gösta Borg, who volunteered for the SS a second time as he was denied the chance of becoming an officer in Sweden; and Karl-Axel Bodin, the only Swede to be included in the list of suspected criminals at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who joined the SD in March, 1945. The book includes over 150 photos and is thoroughly researched from primary sources, making it a valuable addition to the history of the SS, and the men who volunteered to serve in it.

This book represents the first recent attempt to provide a comprehensive treatment of Sweden's economic development since the middle of the 18th century. It traces the rapid industrialisation, the political currents and the social ambitions, that transformed Sweden from a backward agrarian economy into what is now regarded by many as a model welfar

With its midnight sun and Gulf Stream climate, Sweden is a land of contradictions. It is home to petroglyphs dating from 9000 BC, thriving high-tech industries, and the ubiquitous design chain Ikea. A comparatively peaceful and economically stable twentieth century secured its reputation as a great place to live, with a solid economy and generous welfare system. Emigration reversed itself -- now over ten percent of the country's nine million residents were born abroad. When Sweden entered the EU in 1995, and introduced the Euro in 2002, visiting became even easier. This short history is ideal for travellers, students, and those with an eye to the new Europe.