This book deals with six critical junctions in early modern Sweden between 1538 and 1810. It highlights intense periods of change when a prevailing system of government was challenged and replaced by something radically different – a new political regime. Drawing on both history and the social sciences, this book presents a novel interpretation of Sweden’s early modern political history. Sweden’s conflict-ridden history is highly relevant as an example to understand the process of state fo...

This book examines Nordic cities from 1850 and their transformation from traditional, oligarchic towns to modern, inclusive welfare cities.In the contemporary world, the role of cities as hotbeds for progressive change has become increasingly topical. Historical studies on how Nordic cities addressed social and environmental questions a hundred years ago and how they eventually created new and inclusive policies for the future is a useful contribution to the current debate. The con...

The formation of states in early modern Europe has long been an important topic for historical analysis. Traditionally, the political and military struggles of kings and rulers were the favoured object of study for academic historians. This book highlights new historical research from Europe’s northern frontier, bringing ‘the people’ back into the discussion of state politics, presenting alternative views of political and social relations in the Nordic countries before industrialisation. T...

Den mänskliga historien är till stor del en historia om organisering. Så länge det funnits skriftliga källor kan man se hur människor samarbetat för att kunna utnyttja små resurser på effektivast möjliga sätt. Hierarkiska organisationer har haft en slående betydelse genom tiderna, från kyrka och stat till företag och fackförbund. Men det finns fler former av organisation: marknadsrelationer som formas av balansen mellan tillgång och efterfrågan, eller mer jämställda nätverksrelationer som ...

The Baltic Sea is more than an inland sea – it is a historic geopolitical stage. From maritime travel in the Viking era toa NATO-dominated region, this brackish inland sea has been a lifeline for people and countries in northern Europe. The Baltic Sea has served as a hub for economic and political relations – with the dominance of the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages, the Great Power Battles between Sweden, Poland-Lithuania and Russia, and the dramatic shifts in the aftermath of the Nap...