Swedish baron G.M. Sprengtporten in Russian service, 1786-1809

General of the Infantry Count G.M. Sprengtporten (1740-1819) is one of the less known historical figures of the last quarter of the 18th and of the early 19th century. As a Swedish citizen, he hatched plans to turn Finland into an independent state. In the mid-1780s he saw in Catherine II a potential ally who could implement his ideas. After accepting the invitation to enter Russian service, Sprengtporten did not blend either in the Highest Court or in the Russian army. Not having shown any significant military feats during the wars of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, he distinguished himself in the diplomatic and lawmaking field. An important event was his mission to Europe (1800-1801), which resulted in the return of more than six thousand Russian prisoners to Russia. The draft Regulations on the Establishment of the Main Administration in New Finland, developed by Sprengtporten with some changes made by Emperor Aleksander I, became the cornerstone of Finnish autonomy within the Russian Empire over the next century. Occupying for a short time the post of Governor General, he became a link between Finland and Russia. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the comprehensive presentation of the Russian service of G.M. Sprengtporten. The article is written on the basis of published sources and unpublished documents from some central archives, which are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.

How the coronavirus crisis affects citizen trust in government institutions and in unknown others – Evidence from “the Swedish Experiment”

We study how Swedish citizen updated their institutional and interpersonal trust as the corona crisis evolved from an initial phase to an acute phase in the spring of 2020. The study is based on a large web-survey panel with adult Swedes (n = 11,406) in which the same individuals were asked the same set of questions at two different time points during the coronavirus pandemic (t0 and t1). The sample was self-selected but diverse (a smaller subsample, n = 1,464, was pre-stratified to be representative of the Swedish population on key demographics). We find support for that the corona crisis led to higher levels of institutional and interpersonal trust. We find no support for a polarization effect, according to which low-trusting citizens responded more negatively to the deepening crisis than high trusting citizens did.

Gamma spectroscopy methodology for large amounts of environmental samples in Sweden 30 years after the Chernobyl accident

In a Swedish citizen science project, more than 200 elementary school classes participated in collecting fungi, soil samples, and droppings from deer and wild boar, from all over Sweden. The samples have been sent to a laboratory at Uppsala University where they are being analyzed through gamma spectroscopy with a shielded HPGe detector. The main objective is to scan the samples for 137Cs from the Chernobyl accident and compare the data with measurements from 1986, but uptake of naturally occuring radionuclides like 40K and radon daughters will also be determined. Together with the soil samples, transfer factors will be derived, and correlations for these factors will be sought for different species of fungi and soil types. The potential for correlating the results with different biological processes will also be investigated, in part through the collected animal droppings. This is a work in progress where the present status of the experimental setup and methodology are presented. Issues with the initial approach for corrections are discussed and preliminary results are presented.

Kriget med mig själv Om romer och tillhörighet i migrationens Sverige

At war with myself. On Roma and belonging in multi­ethnic Sweden is article deals with belonging in multi-ethnic Sweden, with a focus on the boundaries and meanings of belonging. e focus is on the situation of Roma in Sweden. e point of departure is the individual story of Ana, a young woman who has migrated to Sweden from Hungary. Ana’s story about her migration, her struggles to nd her way and become part of a Swedish societal community is illustrative in terms of (non)belonging, about not being recognized for who you are and not recognizing yourself. e story illustrates some of the inner and societal tensions appea- ring in an era of migration. In the article, Ana’s story is used to discuss a double paradox of citizenship in an era of migration: As a Swedish citizen, she formally belongs to the societal community. At the same time, she does not quite belong to the community, as she was born a ”foreigner” – a Roma. Firstly, Ana’s ways of dealing with the tensions caused by her di erent ”belongings” – as a Swede, Hungarian and Roma – are presented. Secondly, a brief historical exposé of the situation of Roma in Sweden is provided, illustrating a dark history of repression and exclusion. is dark history is related to Frantz Fanon’s thoughts about the colonial situation in Africa and the impli- cations of the colonial fantasies for the colonized ”black people”, which are then used as a point of departure to further analyse Ana’s contradictory story about (non)belonging to a Swedish socie- tal community. irdly, Ana’s story is related to the situation of Roma in today’s Europe, where Roma EU migrants such as berry-pickers and beggars have in recent years been the targets of discrimination and deportation. e article concludes with a discussion on the situation of Roma in the light of ongoing negotiations of belonging in contemporary Europe.

Foreign Reports about Stepan Razin’s Execution. New Documents from the Stockholm Archive

This paper analyzes reports written by foreign authors about the execution of Stepan Razin. The main focus is on two dispatches written by the Swedish citizen and merchant in Moscow, Christoff Koch, in May–June 1671 and sent to Narva, and from there, they were forwarded to the Swedish capital, among other places. They are now kept at the State Archives in Stockholm, and they have not been discussed previously in the scholarly literature. The paper contains the full translation into Russian of two long reports written by Koch about Razin’s capture, delivery to Moscow, interrogation, and execution, with our comments. Special attention is given to a unique colored drawing, showing the brothers, Stepan and Frol Razin, as well as the body parts of the executed Stepan. From the written documents it becomes clear that the drawing was sent from Moscow to the governor of Swedish Ingria in Narva, and then forwarded to Stockholm, together with the two Koch dispatches. The authors come to the conclusion that several copies must have been made and that they were intentionally distributed among foreigners in Moscow. Most probably only one copy has survived to our days, the one in Stockholm. Arguments are given for the hypothesis that one copy of the drawing ended up in England and served as the prototype for the well-known imprint of 1672, which shows the Razin brothers when they were being delivered to Moscow. In our study we also compare the information given by Koch with descriptions of Razin’s death that were published in West-European newspapers, pamphlets, and books during the 1670s. This comparison brings us to the conclusion that the information about the execution of the leader of the rebellion reached the European press from several witnesses to the events, and that, over time, the original information was filled out with invented details.

The dynamics of the winner–loser gap in satisfaction with democracy: Evidence from a Swedish citizen panel

Several studies have demonstrated a gap in support for the political system between electoral winners and losers. This research has generated a large stock of knowledge about the causes and effects of this winner–loser gap. However, we know little about the dynamics of the winner–loser gap over time. Drawing on a unique Swedish panel survey, this study investigates the stability of the winner–loser gap among Swedish voters over an electoral cycle of four years. The empirical analyses demonstrate a substantial consistency of the gap over time also when controlling for other determinants. The winner–loser gap thus seems to be a stable phenomenon rather than a short-lived election effect. The results are robust to different specifications and statistical techniques.

Lise Meitner, 1878-1968

Lise Meitner’s name has become widely known for her part in the discovery of nuclear fission, which made atomic power possible, as well as atomic weapons. But among physicists she had been known for many years as one of the early pioneers in the study of radioactivity. Einstein nicknamed her ‘the German Madame Curie’; but though most of her work was done in Berlin she came from Austria and retained her nationality through her life, even after she became a Swedish citizen about eight years before her death. She was born on 7 November 1878 in Vienna where she spent the first third of her life, a town to which she always remained very attached. Another third she worked in Germany. When Austria was occupied by the Nazis she found refuge in Sweden where she stayed for over 20 years. It was only at the age of 81 that she gave up scientific research and retired to England to live out the rest of her days in Cambridge, close to her eldest nephew (the author of this memoir). Her father was Dr Philipp Meitner, a respected lawyer and keen chess player. She was the third among eight children; thus she was used both to being ruled by her two older sisters and ruling over the younger children. Although her parents came from Jewish stock, her father was a freethinker, and the Jewish religion played no role in her education. Indeed, all the children were baptized, and Lise Meitner grew up as a protestant; in later years her views were very tolerant though she would not accept complete atheism.