Renowned World Correspondent Ulf Nilson, one of Sweden's most well-known journalists, journeys through he histories of his two countries: his native Sweden and America, where he lived for twenty years. In this extensively researched book, Nilson explores the dynamics of his second home country, America - which will ultimately lead itself to victory over difficulties and hardships; it offers a dissident's view of Sweden, a compelling, sometimes chilling look at where his native homeland is heading.
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62 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The State and the Capital working hand in hand towards the same goal,
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This review is from: What Happened to Sweden? - While America became the only Superpower. (Paperback)
Close to midnight on February 28 1986 Olof Palme the radical social democratic prime minister of Sweden was assassinated. I was sleeping in a tent with my platoon north of the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden at the time. My parents, my family and my relatives were for the most part staunch Palme supporters, so this came as a shock to them and to me. The next morning a few of my army friends came up to me and said something like "Isn't it great to have that ba*st*rd gone!" I wondered why they would think like this, and they replied "Thomas admit that Sweden's foreign policy will inevitably be a lot more decent after this". I had not thought much about foreign policy at the time so I said nothing. I should say that even though I now agree that Olof Palme's foreign policy was a disaster, I respect his memory, and I do not agree with how these young guys expressed themselves. I am mentioning this anecdote because the foreign policy of Olof Palme is harshly criticized in Ulf Nilson's book.
This book gives a brief summary of the history of Sweden with the focus being on its interaction with the United States. The book compares the two countries. Ulf Nilson summarizes Sweden with these three words; Security, Uniformity, Equality He summarizes the Unites States with these three words; Freedom, Work, Opportunity. I should add that most of the content of this book are well known facts and most of it was not news to me. However, the Wallenberg foundation and the Social Democratic Eugenics program were things I did not know much about. The sentiments expressed in the book are also not uncommon among Swedish emigrants to the United States and more conservative Swedes. However, the book is controversial in Sweden. The book also discusses the following differences; * Sweden is anti-religious while the U.S. is welcoming of religion, * Sweden has a big welfare system while the U.S. is more Capitalistic. * Sweden is small and not very influential, while the Unites States is a reluctant super power * Swedes are encouraged to think uniformly and dissent is not often appreciated while the United States is a very open society. It should be noted that the fact that the U.S. is a super power places it in a predicament in which it is often more or less forced to act. Since Sweden is not very influential this is a difficult reality to grasp from a Swedish perspective. These differences in themselves will cause some ill feelings in Sweden towards the United States. This was especially noticeable in the 50's, 60's, and 70's and again today. Ulf Nilson is critical of the Social Democrats, Swedish foreign policy, Olof Palme, and the welfare system that the Social Democrats built. He is also critical of the Swedish immigration policy that he believes is bad for the country. He describes actions that the Social Democrats took in the past to build the Swedish Welfare system which may not have been so great. * The forced sterilization of women who were at risk of becoming a burden to the welfare system. Thousands of primarily women were sterilized against their will every year up until the 1950's to ensure that there would not be too many dependent on welfare. To be selected for this procedure not only meant that you could not have children but it was also hurtful to be considered "not fit". This policy resulted in many tears. This was not a racist or anti-Semitic policy. It was targeted towards anyone who might not have productive offspring of any race or creed. * Swedish politicians (Social Democrats) considered both the allies and the Germans to be war mongers and stayed neutral during World War II. During this time Sweden profited from doing extensive business with both Allies and the Nazis. * The behind the scenes deal with the Wallenberg's. A special foundation was created which enabled the Wallenberg's to take over the majority of the Swedish enterprise in exchange for their cooperation and assistance to the Social Democrats. The Social Democrats did not want a repeat of the economic failure and needed the skill and knowledge and capital the Wallenberg's could provide. In the long run this turned out to be good for Sweden, but it was secret, and is also a major reason why Socialism worked in this case. This is something to be aware of. As a side note, the other financial families mostly disappeared, and Wallenberg is not Jewish despite the name. * A central registry was created which contained extensive information on all Swedish residents (no exceptions). It is based on so called personal numbers, which is similar to Social Security numbers in the U.S. but a lot more than just a Social Security number, and mandatory. This is both good and bad. The registry makes welfare fraud and tax evasion harder, and paying taxes in Sweden is easy. Typically you just sign your name since all your incomes (salary, interest etc), and deductions, health status, etc, are known. There were other reasons for the success of the Swedish welfare system, like Swedes conform easily, are very homogenous, some luck, geography, the Marshall Plan, and the protection provided by the United States. Therefore Ulf Nilson does not believe that the Swedish welfare system is sustainable in the long run. However, what Ulf Nilson seem to criticize the most is the Swedish/Social Democratic foreign policy, especially that of Olof Palme. During most of the second half of the 20th century the Swedish foreign policy was basically "accept the protection of the Americans, but try to ruin everything that the Americans are trying to achieve, other than that we are completely neutral." Add to that, that Western Europeans were viewed as reactionary by the Social Democrats and Communists and that anyone participating in a war was viewed as a war monger independent of the side or the reason. It was a simplistic but logical stand point for a neutral socialist country which needed an excuse as to why they assisted both the Nazis and the Allies but did not take sides. The Swedish Social Democrats were socialists and clearly sympathetic with third world revolutionaries including communists. The Swedish left cheered for Vietcong, and Fidel Castro, and there were Social Democratic politicians who gave Pol Pot support while he slaughtered his own people. Olof Palme took this radical policy further than any prime minister before him had. If this review has made you think that Sweden is a one party state, I can add that, that is almost true. The Social Democrats has won almost every election, and when they didn't the alternative acted just like the Social Democrats. Until some years ago, when you joined the largest union (which you had to if you were a blue collar worker) you automatically became a member of the Social Democratic party. In Sweden you also vote for a party not a candidate, in fact you may not even know who your candidate is. It should also be noted that all TV and Radio used to be state controlled, and political indoctrination was a fact. When I was a kid it was essentially the communists who controlled the children's programming on channel 2 (there were two channels). As a personal note, I remember the following children's program that I watched as a kid. A boy refused to eat his pancake and while he sat and stared at it, it turned into a pancake land full of little dolls. Little Vilse was a nice good little doll, while the big potato grouch was a mean and selfish troll. At the end of the episodes it was explained the Little Vilse was Vietnam and the potato grouch was the United States. Then a group of happily dancing and singing children danced around a water table filled with American symbols slowly sinking into water. The Hoola Bandoola band provided the music. This indoctrination has had its consequences. I had some communist friends who justified the multi million mass killings that occurred in communist countries. They were after all counter revolutionaries or backward religious people. Sweden is also unique in that religious belief has been almost entirely eradicated. On a personal note, I think indoctrination still lingers among the Swedish population. It is not often that you see a book written by a well known Swede criticizing the Social Democrats and the Wallenberg's and Swedish foreign policy as harshly as this book. However, it is not an Anti-Swedish book and it is not a Pro-American book either, it is more of an Anti-Social Democrat book with a wakeup call for fellow Swedes who don't get it. In general I think Swedes need to be more understanding of the differences between the United States and Sweden and should perhaps not be so quick to assume that typically Swedish thinking is always correct. Ulf Nilsson is a well known Swedish journalist that has covered international events during his long career. He also says good things about Ronald Reagan, and he clearly likes the United States, even though he also criticizes the United States. He has now left Sweden. I am a Swede who has left for America my self and I have to say that I agree with almost all his opinions and observations. I admit that I like the United States better than Sweden at this point. Moving from Sweden and than coming back a second time with wife and kid was a big eye opener for me. That does not mean that Sweden is not a great country. The Swedish welfare system has many good points to it as well, and the Social Democrats have become more realistic. There are also many beautiful places to visit in Sweden.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a bad introduction to Swedish politics,
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This review is from: What Happened to Sweden? - While America became the only Superpower. (Paperback)
My wife is Swedish, and I bought this book so that I might learn something about Sweden (and because I thought she might like it too). We both read it, and it's a mixed bag. The book is short but reads like a school textbook/CNN teleprompter sometimes and is quite biased (anti-Social Democrats). Still I like a lot of what it says and if you take the editorial sections with a grain of salt it is a more honest depiction of the Swedish socio-political evolution than you'll ever see again from a Swedish source.
My wife was insulted by some of the statements early in the book because they took a brutally honest view of the national heroes of early Swedish history instead of venerating them as saints. The author goes on to chronicle the journey of Sweden into socialism and the massive government machine that evolved to serve itself. Fascinating stuff! I'm sad to say that the editing is truly horrible-- spelling errors and punctuation blunders abound (painfully at times). But if you can wade through that and the sometimes resoundingly pro-American rhetoric (obviously written before the U.S. economy sagged) then you'll find a unique perspective on Sweden that will tickle the brains of Swedes and non-Swedes alike.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweden and the US Compared,
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This review is from: What Happened to Sweden? - While America became the only Superpower. (Paperback)
Ulf Nilson's "What Happened to Sweden?" is one of the most informative books I've picked up in many years. Having been married to a Swede for over thirty years and spent considerable time there, a number of unspoken questions have developed regarding Swedish society and thought processes. While "What Happened to Sweden?" doesn't answer them all, it gives considerable insight into how the country developed, and why things are the way they are.
Only a Swede - one who loves his country, and has spent considerable time away from it - could have written this book. Highly opinionated but balanced, it presents a rare glimpse through exceptionally clear lenses of a land and its people. "What Happened..." is a quick read, but should keep both Swedes and non-Swedes thinking for quite a while. Good things sometimes come in small packages, and this one could have been a lot bigger. It's a long overdue breath of fresh air from the North.
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