Escalation of Swedish-Norwegian Conflict in 1895 According to the Documents of Russian Diplomats

The Swedish-Norwegian conflict, which resulted in the dissolution of the union in 1905, was accompanied by outbursts of tension in relations between political forces and the public of the two countries. In 1895, when the crisis reached its peak, rumours about the threat of a war between the “fraternal peoples” were circulating among the Swedish and Norwegian public. The purpose of this work is to analyze the reports of Russian representatives in the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway, to identify the events in 1895 that attracted the attention of diplomats and the degree to which their attitudes towards opposing political forces influenced the formation of the general picture in the Russian Foreign Ministry. The research is based on documents from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire. They contain a sufficient amount of information allowing one to identify the causes, course, stages, and evolution of the Swedish-Norwegian conflict as well as the driving forces behind it. The author concludes that, firstly, diplomatic reports suggest that Russian diplomacy took the threat of an armed clash between Sweden and Norway in 1895 quite seriously; secondly, the correspondence between the Russian ambassador and the Foreign Ministry contains a generally sober assessment of the political situation in Sweden and Norway The author concludes that, firstly, the threat of an armed conflict between Sweden and Norway in 1895 was taken quite seriously by Russian diplomacy, secondly, the correspondence between the Russian ambassador and the Foreign Ministry contains a generally sober assessment of the political situation in Sweden and Norway, and the actions of Norwegian radicals are openly condemned by the former on the pages of his reports; at the same the difficult situation in which the Swedish–Norwegian king Oscar II found himself aroused sympathy, and the monarch’s position in the conflict – respect.

Keywords

the Swedish-Norwegian Union, diplomatic correspondence, political parties, Swedish-Norwegian crisis of 1895, Oscar II

Received

19.05.2021

Publication date

11.10.2021

Number of characters

40295

Cite

GOST	Sadova L. Escalation of Swedish-Norwegian Conflict in 1895 According to the Documents of Russian Diplomats // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2021. – Issue 5 C. 165-178 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640015015-4-1 (circulation date: 19.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640015015-4
MLA	Sadova, Lyudmila "Escalation of Swedish-Norwegian Conflict in 1895 According to the Documents of Russian Diplomats." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 5 (2021):165-178. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640015015-4
APA	Sadova L. (2021). Escalation of Swedish-Norwegian Conflict in 1895 According to the Documents of Russian Diplomats. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (5), pp.165-178 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640015015-4

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 15, views: 508

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Priznanie Rossiej norvezhskogo nezavisimogo gosudarstva v 1905 g. (sbornik dokumentov) / red. V.V. Pokhlebkin. M., 1957

2. Roginskij V.V. Bor'ba za Skandinaviyu. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya na Severe Evropy v ehpokhu Napoleonovskikh vojn (1805–1815). M., 2012.

3. Sadova L.A. Politicheskaya zhizn' Norvegii i shvedsko-norvezhskij konflikt v doneseniyakh rossijskikh diplomatov v 1890-e gg. // Ehlektronnyj nauchno-obrazovatel'nyj zhurnal «Istoriya». 2017. T. 8. Vyp. 4 (58). URL: https://history.jes.su/s207987840001843-6-1/ (data obrascheniya: 15.04.2021).

4. Sadova L.A. Konsul'skij vopros» kak povod k rastorzheniyu shvedsko-norvezhskoj unii v 1905 g. // Skandinavskie chteniya 2005. SPb., 2005. C. 32–43.

5. Sblizhenie: Rossiya i Norvegiya v 1814–1917 gg. / otv. red. J.P. Nil'sen. M., 2017

6. «Staraya» Rossiya i «novaya» Norvegiya: Rossijsko-norvezhskie otnosheniya (1905–1917): sbornik dokumentov / sost. V.A. Karelin, J.P. Nil'sen, otv. red. A.A. Komarov. M., 2014.

7. Shilov S.P. Poslednie shagi rossijskoj diplomatii na puti priznaniya nezavisimosti Norvegii v 1905 g. // Gumanitarnye, sotsial'no-ehkonomicheskie i obschestvennye nauki. 2014. № 12–1. S. 372–386.

8. Agøy N.I. For konge og fedrelandet?: offiserer, politikk, unionsstrid og nasjonalisme 1890–1905. Oslo. Den norske historiske forening, 2001.

9. Andersen R. Opprustningen og unionsstrid: forsvarets betydning. 1892–1905. Oslo, 1998.

10. Bergsgård A. Fra 17 mai til 9 april. Norsk historie. 1814–1940. Oslo, 1958.

11. Dahl O. Høyre og regjeringskrisen i 1895 // Norsk Historisk Tidsskrift. Bd. 4. № 2. 1962. S. 242–254.

12. Derry T.K. A history of modern Norway. 1814–1972. Oxford, 1973.

13. Eike Ø. “Et uklart produkt af frykt og politisk intrige”. De unionelle forhandlinger 1895–98: hovedoppgave. Oslo, 2001.

14. Jensen M. Norges historie. Unionstiden 1814–1905. Oslo, 1971.

15. Kaartvedt A. Det norske storting gjennom 1500 år. Bd. 1–3. Oslo, 1964.

16. Lindgren E. R. Norway-Sweden: union, disunion and Scandinavian integration. Princeton, 1959.

17. Nerbøvik J. Norsk historie 1870–1905. Oslo, 1996.

18. Nilsson T. & Sørensen Ø. 1905. Nye perspektiver. Oslo, 2005.

19. Ottosen M.N. “Angreb kan tænkes rettet baade fra Land- og fra Søsiden” Militære tiltak og vurderinger i Trøndelag 1890–1905: masteroppgave. Oslo, 2005.

20. Sunnanå O. Johannes Steen. Statsminister og parlamentaris førar. Oslo, 1967.

21. Terjesen B. Vi skiltes i fred: oppløsningen av den norsk-svenske unionen i 1905. Oslo, 2001.

22. Vårt folks historie. Bd. 8. Oslo, 1963.