Making politics in the streets : political rituals and rhetoric in 1860s Sweden

Abstract

This thesis will study the ways in which rhetoric and rituals were politically employed in Sweden in the 1860s, in particular how rituals and language were used in the context of parliamentary reform and Scandinavian union from 1859 to 1865. Rhetoric and rituals becam e important tools in 1860s Sweden in order to express a need for constitutional reform and a broader union than that existing between Sweden and Norway. The debates on parliamentary reform and Scandinavian union both focused on the important question of defining a Swedish national identity, in order to convince public opinion about these projects. Therefore, the Swedish struggle for parliamentary reform and Scandinavian union looked for inspiration to the nationalist movements of the European continent. The nationalist movements in France, Italy, Poland, and Hungary became models for politicians wanting to define the need for parliamentary reform and Scandinavian union in the 1860s.