Sveriges moderna historia (Sweden’s modern history): our walkthrough of chapter 10 of UHR’s Sverige i fokus
Chapter 10 of the study material for the citizenship test (medborgarskapsprovet) is about Sweden’s modern history. We follow one thread through it: how ordinary people went from having little say and little to live on to the vote, agreements and welfare. All in our own words.
Sverige i fokus is published by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet, UHR) together with the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket). This page is Testappen’s own walkthrough and does not replace the material. Read the original at UHR: uhr.se/utbildningsmaterial.
Poverty and emigration
In the 1800s most Swedes lived in the countryside and made their living from farming. The population grew quickly, but there were not enough jobs. Between 1850 and 1920 more than a million Swedes left the country for a new life in the USA.
The larger industries, which later drew people to the towns, only got going around the middle of the 1800s. Among the first were sawmills and steelworks.
From few voters to democracy
For a long time it was money that decided who got a say. Only men with enough income or wealth had the vote (rösträtt) in riksdag elections, and women were left out entirely.
People then joined together in popular movements (folkrörelser), for example the labour movement, the women’s movement, the free churches and the temperance movement. Through these associations ordinary people could make demands together, including for the vote. In 1909 almost all men got the vote.
During the First World War (1914-1918) Sweden stayed neutral, that is, out of the war. Food still ran short, and unrest in the country grew. After long years of protest, universal suffrage was decided in 1918. In the 1921 election women could for the first time vote and be elected to the riksdag, which is why Sweden is usually counted as a democracy from that year.
Conflict, compromise and the people’s home
In 1928 the Social Democrat Per Albin Hansson described his idea of the people’s home (folkhemmet): a society where everyone should feel secure, as in a good home. But the same period was not safe for everyone. So-called race biology research singled out Jews, Roma, Sami and Tornedalians.
Conflicts in the labour market were harsh. In Ådalen in 1931 the military opened fire on demonstrating workers, and several died. Seven years later, in 1938, unions and employers agreed in Saltsjöbaden on how they would negotiate. That was the start of the Swedish model, in which the parties themselves set wages.
The Second World War
Sweden stayed out of the Second World War (1939-1945) too, but it was not easy to remain neutral. German soldiers, for example, were allowed to travel through the country. Towards the end of the war the diplomat Raoul Wallenberg saved Jews by giving them Swedish protective passports.
The record years and a new Sweden
After the Second World War came the record years (rekordåren), with strong growth, low unemployment and growing welfare. Many people came to Sweden to work at that time, among others from Finland, Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey.
In the 1960s many new homes were built through the Million Programme (miljonprogrammet), and more women began working outside the home. From the mid-1970s a crisis hit industry, and many jobs disappeared. Since the 1990s computers and the internet have changed both working life and everyday life.
Practise questions about chapter 10
The questions are written by us, except sample questions that UHR has published, which are marked with their source.
The questions are always in Swedish, exactly as in the real test. Only the text of this site is translated.
Vilket land var under nästan 700 år, fram till år 1809, en del av Sverige?
Correct answer:
Explanation: Finland was part of the Swedish realm for nearly 700 years, until 1809, when Sweden lost Finland to Russia after a war.
Source: Exempelfråga från UHR, uhr.se/medborgarskapsprovet (återgiven med källangivelse).
Ungefär hur många invånare hade Sverige när 1800-talet började?
Correct answer:
Explanation: During the 1800s the population doubled, so by the turn of the century in 1900 there were around 5 million Swedes. Read more in Sverige i fokus, ch. 10, p. 32.
Vilka industrier var de första större i Sverige, runt mitten av 1800-talet?
Correct answer:
Explanation: It was timber and steel that carried the first wave of industry: sawmills and steelworks drew people from the countryside into the towns. Factories for shoes and clothes came later. Read more in Sverige i fokus, ch. 10, p. 32.
Nykterhetsrörelsen var en av folkrörelserna. Vilket problem arbetade den mot?
Correct answer:
Explanation: Abuse of spirits was a large social problem in the 1800s, and the temperance movement worked to get people to stop drinking. Women's suffrage was driven above all by the women's movement instead. Read more in Sverige i fokus, ch. 10, p. 33.
Vilket år beslutade riksdagen om allmän rösträtt i Sverige?
Correct answer:
Explanation: In 1909 almost all men were given the vote, but not women. The decision on universal suffrage came in 1918, after years of protests and political unrest. Read more in Sverige i fokus, ch. 10, p. 33.
Sverige var neutralt under första världskriget. Hur påverkades landet ändå?
Correct answer:
Explanation: A country can stay out of the fighting and still be hit: food and other necessary goods ran out, and the discontent drove people out to demonstrate. Read more in Sverige i fokus, ch. 10, p. 34.
Sverige var neutralt under andra världskriget. Vad tillät ändå den svenska regeringen?
Correct answer:
Explanation: Neutrality was not absolute: allowing the German transports was a concession meant to reduce the risk of Sweden being drawn into the war. Nazi Germany occupied both Denmark and Norway, but never Sweden. Read more in Sverige i fokus, ch. 10, p. 35.
Socialdemokraterna hade regeringsmakten under lång tid. Vilken period gäller det?
Correct answer:
Explanation: After the Second World War voter support was so strong that the party most often held government power on its own for more than thirty years. Only in 1976 was a government formed without the Social Democrats, and since then social democratic and centre-right governments have alternated. Read more in Sverige i fokus, ch. 10, p. 36.
Vad innebar du-reformen, som kom under 1960-talet?
Correct answer:
Explanation: Dropping titles and the word ni was a change in language with a social meaning: it showed that society had become more equal. Read more in Sverige i fokus, ch. 10, p. 37.
Tidigt på 1960-talet kom en ny apparat till svenska hem. Den ändrade hur människor följde nyheter. Vilken apparat var det?
Correct answer:
Explanation: The television set arrived in homes at the start of the 1960s and changed how news and entertainment reached people. Computers and mobile phones came with the digital revolution three decades later. Read more in Sverige i fokus, ch. 10, p. 37.
Test yourself
Take our free mock test with questions from every chapter and see how well prepared you are for the citizenship test.
Want to practise with the full question bank? See prices