Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin

Gives the reader a fresh and authoritative view of wartime Sweden, from the nation's dealings with Nazi Germany to everyday life and social change. More controversially, Gilmour assesses key decisions by the Swedish leadership and tackles post-war questions about Swedish actions in the era of the Holocaust -- Professor Krister Wahlback, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs It is so rare to have a scholar so competent in the source material of Sweden during the Second World War ...no book in English has managed to give such a comprehensive picture. -- Jonas Frykman, Professor of European Ethnology, Lund University Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin (2010) is the first modern book in English to cover just about all major aspects of Sweden during WWII. It should become required reading for all students of 20th century Scandinavian history. -- Lars Gyllenhaal, Swedish Military History Commission Gilmour has the ability of bringing together various aspects of history, in particular its political, military and diplomatic dimensions, which makes his book useful also for Swedish-speaking readers. Remarkably, there is at the moment no equivalent introduction available in Swedish. -- Johan Ostling, Department of History, Lund University Unlike Boethius, Gilmour has built an argument from the sources rather than an emotional approach towards Swedish conduct. -- Major Claes Henrikson, Militar Historia Gives the reader a fresh and authoritative view of wartime Sweden, from the nation's dealings with Nazi Germany to everyday life and social change. More controversially, Gilmour assesses key decisions by the Swedish leadership and tackles post-war questions about Swedish actions in the era of the Holocaust It is so rare to have a scholar so competent in the source material of Sweden during the Second World War ...no book in English has managed to give such a comprehensive picture. Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin (2010) is the first modern book in English to cover just about all major aspects of Sweden during WWII. It should become required reading for all students of 20th century Scandinavian history. Gilmour has the ability of bringing together various aspects of history, in particular its political, military and diplomatic dimensions, which makes his book useful also for Swedish-speaking readers. Remarkably, there is at the moment no equivalent introduction available in Swedish. Unlike Boethius, Gilmour has built an argument from the sources rather than an emotional approach towards Swedish conduct.

John Gilmour teaches modern Scandinavian history and specialises in Scandinavia and the Second World War. From an initial research interest in the British wartime relationship with Sweden, he has broadened his scope to cover events in the occupied countries of Norway and Denmark; the German co-belligerent of Finland; and the committed neutral, Sweden.

List of Figures; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part One: 1 Shades of Neutrality? Political Challenges and Social Changes 1900-1939; 2 Wartime Power and Personalities; 3 Isolation, 1939-1941; 4 Towards the Turning Point, July 1941-July 1943; 5 Eastern Approaches and Western Reproaches: Finland's Continuation War and the Collapse of Germany, June 1941-May 1945; 6 Trading with Germany and the Allies - Blackmail and Brinksmanship; Part Two: 7 Security, Subversion, Spies and Sabotage; 8 The Battle for Sweden's Mind - Propaganda and Censorship; 9 Race, Rejection, Reception, Rescue, and Redemption - Swedish Humanitarian Endeavours; 10 Military Matters; 11 The Front at Home - Beredskapstiden; 12 Looking Back in Anger? The Assault on 'Small-State Realism'; Abbreviations and Glossary; Reference Sources and Bibliography; Index