Arnold Kłonczyński
Archiwista Polski, Nr 1 (102), Tom 27 (2023), pp. 126-131
https://doi.org/10.4467/14259893ARPL.23.011.19781Arnold Kłonczyński
Studia Historica Gedanensia, Vol. 14 (2023), 2023, pp. 341-355
https://doi.org/10.4467/23916001HG.23.020.18821Polish emigrant communities scattered around the world have been usually dominated by men. The Polish diaspora in Sweden was exceptional, for in the years 1945–1989 the majority was made up of women. In 1945, they constituted 90% of the community. The next four waves of emigration resulted in an influx of women who tried to define their role in a new reality of emigration. The high number of women in the Polish immigrant community continued and in 1980 they constituted 62% of this community. The clash with new economic conditions, sometimes social declassing, resulted in the redefinition of female‑ness, a reconstruction of the way of evaluating one’s role in the family and the émigré community, expressed in specific attitudes towards the challenges that each day brought.
The aim of the article is to attempt to answer the question as to how the representatives of the various Polish waves of emigration to Sweden related to the characteristics that were supposed to be exhibited by Polish women in emigration and the tasks that resulted from the values adopted and cultivated. Drawing on an analysis of memoirs, journalistic materials published in the émigré Polish press in Sweden, and archival documents, I note that Polish women living in exile in Sweden continued their education and quickly took up work, thanks to which they did not create closed environments. Even the women who came from concentration camps in 1945 and decided to live permanently in Sweden, had to cope quickly with war trauma. They got married, started families and, to a lesser extent, participated in the national life of the Polish diaspora. Those women who were wives of émigré activists or were strongly connected with the Polish government‑in‑exile undertook various actions related to preserving Polish culture, established schools for children, organized celebrations of various holidays, etc. Each representative of successive waves of emigration acted in a similar way. Often the need to build a material existence in a new country was more important than participation in the life of the Polish community, which in any case was not attractive to them. Family ties were most important, because they strengthened all family members during the difficult period of acclimatization in the new environment. They were involved in crisis situations, for example, by organizing charity aid in periods when strikes broke out in Poland. Polish women in exile were strongly influenced by their Swedish environment and, if possible, took up professional careers. They were
often more independent than women living in Poland. Polish women in exile in Sweden represented very different values. This was due to the reasons for emigration and the period in which they left for Sweden and started a new life there, but they often tried to cultivate patriotic values, which involved raising children in an atmosphere of Polish culture and tradition, and, through charity events, helping those who stayed in Poland and needed aid.
Arnold Kłonczyński
Studia Historica Gedanensia, Vol. 12 (2021)/2, 2021, pp. 367-382
https://doi.org/10.4467/23916001HG.21.019.15001Sweden, like many other countries, experienced the effects of the Spanish flu epidemic, which lasted from June 1918 to mid-1919. During this time, 37,000 inhabitants of Sweden died from this strain of influenza. The analysis undertaken relates to how the epidemic and its consequences were dealt with and what the development of the epidemic entailed for Swedish society. The main sources are statistical data showing both the scale of the incidence of this influenza variety and the demographic consequences. Daily press and memoirs were also used. The epidemic occurred in Sweden with varying intensity. It mainly affected people between 20 and 40 years of age. A significant number of victims were seen in the army, which posed a serious threat to state security. The Swedish authorities were not prepared to deal with an influenza epidemic. But they quickly managed to organise temporary care for flu patients. While fighting the epidemic, a number of reforms were introduced (reorganisation of the health service, a new tax system, changes to the welfare system), which led to the creation of the Swedish welfare state model in the following decade. The epidemic also had a trickle-down effect on the democratisation of public life.
Arnold Kłonczyński
Studia Historica Gedanensia, Volume 5 (2014), 2014, pp. 233-249
https://doi.org/10.4467/23916001HG.14.012.2677The purpose of this article is to trace the evolution of Swedish policy towards immigrants in the period of 1945 to 1994 – that is, from the end of the War, when a very large wave of refugees came to Sweden, until the country’s accession to the European Union – and the factors that determined the change in the approach of the Swedish authorities to this community. Shortly after the War, the Swedish authorities clearly differentiated their policy towards immigrants, which means they treated differently, e.g. Poles, Scandinavians and representatives of other Baltic nations. While in principle all the people coming from the Baltic countries received a residence permit in Sweden, the others received the right to reside only in individual cases. In the years 1948– 1971, the number of immigrants coming to Sweden was slowly growing. There were both political refugees, as well as economic immigrants. The gradual development of the Swedish economy deepened the demand for cheap labour. The basic document defining a new approach to the problems of immigrants was enacted in 1975. On the basis of the adopted bill, a number of areas of policy towards immigrants in Sweden was reformed. The evolution of policy towards immigrants has consistently sought to implement the concept of folkhemmet (the house of the people), which is the basis for the formation of the Swedish welfare state, and assumed to create conditions for a safe development of the society in general, which meant integration of the immigrants with other people in Sweden on such levels as social, economic, educational etc. The Swedish model of a multicultural society was built, implemented as a result of legal regulations introduced in the years 1964–1975 and it seemed the wisest choice. It assumed to build a multi‑ethnic society, respecting everyone’s roots and traditions, culture and language that the immigrants brought with them and providing the opportunity to cultivate these values in the country of residence. These rules have created the foundations of modern Swedish immigration policy.