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After the war, the Parliament passed a new constitution in 1809.
In this constitution the power was divided between the king, the parliament and
the courts. This constitution did not change until 1974.
In 1818 the first Bernadotte became King of Sweden. Jean Baptiste
Bernadotte, one of Napoleon's field marshals, was chosen to succeed king Karl
XIII. As crown prince he waged war against Napoleon, with the support of
Russia. This led to an attack on Denmark which was forced to give up Norway to
Sweden. This was the beginning of the union between Norway and Sweden, which
lasted from 1814 to 1905.
In 1812 Sweden made an agreement with Russia that enabled the
country to attack Denmark in order to conquer Norway. In 1813 Sweden joined the
Napoleonic War and, later that year, Sweden attacked Denmark. Denmark was
forced to leave Norway. The problem, however, was that the Norwegians did not
want a union with Sweden, they wanted to be independent and have their own king
and constitution. Norway was declared independent in may 1814. This caused a
Swedish military intervention, and the Norwegians were forced to submit. They
had to accept a union with Sweden but were allowed to keep their own
constitution. The union lasted until 1905.
Reformation towards democratization
During the 19th century a number of liberal reforms took place. In
1842, the Elementary Education Act gain legal force. A liberal opposition
demanded that the parliament of the Four Estates of the realm should be
abolished. In 1865 the Four Estates were replaced with a two-chamber
parliament. Also, during the 19th century a limited freedom of religion was
allowed and the women's rights were improved. For instance, women were allowed
to graduate from upper secondary school in 1870.
The right to vote
The parliamentary system began to take form in 1865 when the Four
Estates of the Realm was abolished and replaced with the two-chamber
parliament. The right to vote was restricted, being based on privileges. Only
powerful groups in society had the right to vote. In 1907 another reform was
passed that meant universal suffrage. But there were still restrictions for
some, depending on their social status. In 1907 the second chamber election was
won by the Social Democrats. They wanted to speed up the democratization
process. The Social Democrats and the Liberals, who agreed on this matter,
finally formed a government and started the reform work. In the elections of
1921 the new reformed constitution allowed men and women to vote in free
elections for the first time.
The constitution of 1809 was replaced in 1974 when a one-chamber
parliament was introduced. It was a modern constitution where, for instance,
the role of the monarch was made constitutional.
Popular movements
During the 19th century, the increasing literacy level and better
communication made people with common interests to come together and form
organizations. The great popular movement during the 19th century was the
revivalist movement.
Close to the revivalist movement was the temperance movement.
This was a reaction to the uncontrolled drinking during periods of the 19th
century. For example, sometimes workers got part of their wages in alcohol. The
popular movements made quite an impact on Swedish society. It increased the
standard of education and gave large groups experience in meetings and
negotiations, which was valuable training in democracy.
This is of course the short short version. For a more detailed
look at Swedish system of government, check out
this link, or any of the ones listed below.
750 years of Stockholm
history | The Vikings | The
Birth of the Swedish Nation-State | The Great
Power Period 1625-1718 | Sweden in the 18th and 19th
Centuries | Sweden in the 20th century
Books about Swedish political history
There are several books available that describes Swedish history
in a parliamentary perspective; The history of Scandinavia by Derry or
Scandinavia Since 1500 by Byron J Nordstrom.
For details and more look here on Google Print. |
