Causes of the Swedish emigration

During the 19th –century many hundreds of thousands, even million, of people emigrated from Sweden. On a small population this left memorable signs as a huge proportion of the Swedish inhabitants left. Then you may wonder what they were fleeing from. Well, it was many facts that contributed to the exodus. Here I will present the most significant of these.

An overpopulated countryside

In 1808 Sweden was home to about two and a half million inhabitants, but its population increased rapidly. By the year 1900, it had increased to five million inhabitants. In some regions the population tripled. For these people the nation's primitive agricultural way of life was very important, as Sweden only had a few industries. Sweden was largely an underdeveloped nation. Consequently, four out of five Swedes lived in rural areas by 1900. The increasing growth of the population made forced citizens to use all land that was available. To be able to feed the population the forests were cleared. This deforestation gave the Swedes the needed (yet poor) soil needed to cultivate crops. In addition, wood was used for many of their basic needs. In 1833, in preindustrial Sweden, the birth rate was high and many people were poor. The Swedish bishop and poet Esaias Tegnér explained the population growth with these words: peace, vaccination, and potatoes. Sweden had enjoyed peace for several years and vaccination made it possible to avoid diseases. Finally, the potato crop fed the Swedish population. The Swedes, like the Irish, had become dependent on the crop due to the poor soils. The Cathedral Chapter of Växjö characterises the problems of the population growth in the following statement: “The land is filled with dugouts inhabited by people with no other capital than their hands.” 16 Largely, the Swedes used the strength of their hands in agriculture to feed the population. By 1870, 72 percent of the Swedish population was involved in agriculture, even though farming was only partially modernised. Even so, it was still the “mother trade” of Sweden. As a result, the whole country was affected by changes in agriculture matters. The nation was “balanced on a sharp edge between wellbeing and starvation.” 16 When extreme weather conditions hit in the late 1860s, Sweden had to endure the failure of its crops. From 1867 on, the population had to fight hardships they never would've imagined. 1867 became a year with much rain and many rotted crops. The following year was very dry. As a result, farmers had to combat burned fields. But the worst year was yet to come. 1869 became a year of diseases and unbelievable miseries. During these years the country suffered from famine, which in return resulted in the first mass emigration to America. As many as sixty thousand people left Sweden during the first years of starvation. However, emigration was to continue up to the beginning of World War I.

The shift reforms

The homesteads in Sweden were divided into smaller and smaller pieces due to large families and divided inheritance. This meant that the number of farms and the families that had to be fed increased. Sweden was also a country characterised by divisions of income. The richest were those who owned big estates. However, even if one owned just a small farm, they were still much better off than crofters or dugout settlers. If these people were fortunate, they had just enough land to feed themselves. Some land had been jointly owned by the villages. This had made it possible for the landless to survive. But with the shift reforms these areas disappeared. The poorest became poorer and the areas where the division of homesteads had reached its highest degree also became the areas of highest emigration.

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References
13 Maldwyn A. Jones "Chapter 6 - The Way West" Destination America . UK, Thames Television Limited 1976. p. 122,125,141

14 Ulf Beijbom "A Review of the Swedish Emigration to America" 1996 <http://www.americanwest.com/swedemigr/pages/emigra.htm> (1999-03-25)

15 Maldwyn A. Jones "Chapter 7 - Myth of the 'Melting Pot'" Destination America . UK, Thames Television Limited 1976. p. 146

16 "The emigration from Sweden to America" The Swedish Emigrant Institute 1999-01-29 < www.svenskaemigrantinstitutet.g.se/eng-1,html.htm> (1999-03-25)

17 "Historisk bakgrund" Kristina från Duvemåla 1999 <www.duvemala.com/pages/sw_bakgrund_hi.html> (1999-03-25)



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