Nordic Neutrality and Soviet Encounters: Swedish Historiography of Russia, 1905–1960

Abstract

Sweden’s tradition of neutrality has long shaped its engagement with neighboring Russia and, later, the Soviet Union. This article analyzes Swedish historiography of Russian and Soviet history between 1905 and 1960, focusing on academic works, diplomatic records, and public debates. By examining publications from Swedish universities and intellectual circles, the study highlights how Russia was represented within a Nordic framework of neutrality, security, and cultural distance.
The findings indicate that Swedish historians approached Russian history with ambivalence. On the one hand, Russia was portrayed as a powerful neighbor with significant cultural influence; on the other, it was depicted as a political and ideological threat. The Russian Revolution of 1917 intensified these contradictions, prompting a wave of scholarly and journalistic accounts that framed Soviet Russia as both a social experiment and a geopolitical challenge. During World War II and the early Cold War, Swedish interpretations increasingly emphasized the geopolitical dimension, portraying the Soviet Union as a critical factor in regional security.
The article argues that Swedish historiography of Russia cannot be understood solely as an academic field but must be seen as part of the broader discourse on Nordic neutrality. Historians and intellectuals used Russia as a reference point for articulating Swedish national identity, balancing admiration for Russian cultural achievements with skepticism about its political system. By situating Swedish perspectives within the transnational circulation of knowledge about Russia, this study contributes to both Nordic historiography and global debates on neutrality and historical memory.