Scandinavian Imperialism

Abstract

This article is about Scandinavia—mainly Sweden’s—integration into and role within global capitalism. I focus on Sweden because it is the most important in economic terms; and “the Swedish model” is the ideal type of capitalist welfare state and social democracy there is most advanced. It covers the period from colonialism to present-day global commodity chains. It also describes the impact of imperialism on the working class in this process. Finally, it takes up Scandinavia’s current role in the imperialist system. The Scandinavian country’s economic and political systems cannot be understood without this long and global perspective. The development of global capitalism has significantly influenced the national contradictions that have come to define the “Scandinavian model.”