Children…

Peace in Europe, joy in Sweden
The news that Germany had surrendered on 7 May
1945 caused Swedes to gather in the streets to celebrate
the peace. The war in Europe had left a trail of
tens of millions dead in its wake, with many more civilian
casualties than soldiers. But while peace was being
celebrated, some Swedes asked: “Whose peace?” For
many, the war years had been good years.The coalition
government managed to keep Sweden out of the war,
and most people were satisfied with its policies. Moreover,
Sweden’s standard of living was better at the end
of the war than in September 1939. Tens of thousands
of refugees were offered protection and medical care,
while Sweden began contributing to and benefiting
from Europe’s political and financial recovery.
Those who regarded the war as an ideological struggle
were, however, tormented by the fact that economically,
Sweden had played a larger role as benefactor to
Nazi Germany, than as an active supporter of democracy
and freedom. Had Sweden contributed to Germany’s
defeat, or had Sweden’s “selfish realpolitik” played into
Hitler’s hands? Would Swedish democracy have had
a future if Nazi Germany had managed to stabilise its
control over Europe? These competing perceptions of
the war were already apparent when it ended, but with
blossoming Swedish prosperity and the on-set of the
Cold War, there was little scope for critical discussions
of Sweden’s role during the war. Questions about the
coalition government’s policy and society’s reaction to
genocide were postponed.
Celebrating peace on Kungsgatan
in central Stockholm,
7 May 1945.
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