From the Viking Age to the modern welfare state
Prepare for the Swedish citizenship civic test with practice questions and explanations about Sweden's history.
Start practicingThe Viking Age
The Viking Age lasted approximately 800–1050 AD. Swedish Vikings moved mainly east – along the rivers through Russia to Constantinople and Baghdad. They were primarily traders.
Great Power Era
During the great power era in the 17th century, Sweden dominated northern Europe militarily and politically. Under Gustav II Adolf, Sweden participated in the Thirty Years' War and controlled large parts of the Baltic coast.
The war against Russia 1808–1809
Sweden lost Finland to Russia in the war of 1808–1809. Finland had then been part of Sweden for approximately 700 years. Sweden received a new constitution in 1809 that limited the king's power.
1814–1905
Sweden and Norway were in union 1814–1905. The union was dissolved peacefully in 1905 when Norway chose to become an independent state with a new king.
About 1 million
Approximately one million Swedish emigrants, mainly from Småland and southern Sweden, traveled to America 1850–1930. Most settled in states like Minnesota and Illinois.
1921
In 1921, the first parliamentary election was held with universal and equal suffrage – that is, also for women. It was a historic breakthrough for democracy.
1909
In 1909, almost all Swedish men were given the right to vote in the parliamentary elections. Prior to this, the right to vote was limited based on income and wealth.
People's home
Per Albin Hansson (Social Democrats) coined the term "people's home" in 1928 – the vision of a society where everyone, regardless of class or background, has equal dignity and security.
A basic agreement between LO and SAF on labor market relations
The Saltsjöbadsavtalet 1938 is a basic agreement between LO (trade unions) and SAF (employers). It laid the foundation for the Swedish model: cooperation and negotiation instead of conflicts.
Officially neutral
Sweden was officially neutral during World War II 1939–1945. However, neutrality was controversial – Sweden allowed German troop transports on Swedish railways.
Issued Swedish protection passports to tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews
Raoul Wallenberg issued Swedish protection passports to tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews in 1944, saving them from deportation to concentration camps. He disappeared in Soviet captivity in 1945.
A Swedish rescue operation by the Red Cross that freed about 15,000 prisoners from concentration camps in 1945
The white buses were a humanitarian effort in 1945 led by Folke Bernadotte for the Swedish Red Cross. They rescued an estimated 15,000 prisoners (many of whom were Scandinavians) from German concentration camps.
To build one million homes to solve the housing shortage
The million program 1965–1975 aimed to build one million new homes in ten years to solve the acute housing shortage that arose when Sweden rapidly urbanized after the war.
February 28, 1986
Olof Palme was murdered on 28 February 1986 on a street in Stockholm. It is one of Sweden's most noticed crimes. The Attorney General closed the investigation in 2020 without a conviction.
About 20 percent
Today, approximately 20% of Sweden's population is foreign-born. Sweden has received large groups of immigrants and refugees since the 1950s.