Abstract
With breakup of the Kalmar Union in the sixteenth century, Sweden and Denmark once again emerged as rival imperial powers of the region—each dominating its own northern empire. Sweden comprised Finland and reached into the Baltics. During the Second World War, Sweden vigorously maintained neutrality, even passively allowing the German army access through to Norway. Since then, xenophobic anti-elitists’ right-wing populist movements have existed in Sweden, many deeply rooted in neo-Nazi rhetoric.
Until the rise of the Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna, SD) in wake of the international financial crisis, right-wing nationalist populist parties had been marginalized on the fringe of Swedish politics. Indeed in the literature, Sweden had been classified as an exception in Europe, an empty spot on the map of right-wing nationalism, where these types of political parties were unsuccessful. Still, underneath the open model welfare society, xenophobic anti-elitists right-wing populist movements had always existed, many deeply rooted in neo-Nazi rhetoric.
First right-wing populist party to find success was the New Democrats in 1991. It proved however to only be a flash party, burning out after a short stint in Swedish politics.
The Sweden Democrats was the first to be able to persist over a prolonged period. Interestingly it found foothold by tapping into the social democratic heritage, claiming to be the true representatives of the People’s Home. They were however redefining the equalitarian and universal welfare state around only the native population, who they vowed to protect against foreign infiltration.
Even though its young leaders still had ties to Sweden’s neo-Nazi past, and even while bringing forward a much more chauvinistic nationalistic message than the populists in neighbouring countries, the new version of the Sweden Democrats was on the third wave of right-wing populism in Europe able to transform itself enough to emerge as a viable option to many disgruntled voters in Sweden.
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Bergmann, E. (2017). Sweden: Far Right Sentiments Simmering Underneath the Model Democratic Welfare Society. In: Nordic Nationalism and Right-Wing Populist Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56703-1_6
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