The Religious Origins of Democratic Pluralism: Paul Peter Waldenström and the Politics of the Swedish Awakening 1868–1917

• Main Author: Safstrom, Mark Daniel
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2010
• Subjects: European history; Icelandic & Scandinavian literature; Social structure
• ISBN: 9781124490229; 1124490221

This study analyzes the political and social debates that facilitated the reform of Swedish society into a pluralist democracy in the late 19 th and early 20th centuries. The study addresses a traditional assumption that has been made about the three so called "folk movements" of the period (the religious awakening, the temperance movement, and the labor movement), namely the assumption that these movements were responsible for the rapid democratization that took place in Sweden. The study holds that this assumption is largely accurate with the qualification that the religious awakening was directly connected to the other two social movements, rather than having taken on a passive role in regard to politics, as has sometimes been asserted. The focus of this investigation is one of the foremost religious figures of the period, Paul Peter Waldenström (1838-1917). Through his frequent speaking tours in Scandinavia and North America, his prolific authorship, and a twenty-year career in the Swedish parliament, Waldenström was an active participant in contemporary discussions of Swedish society. This study presents the case that Waldenström's preference for pluralism and democracy was a natural outgrowth of the religious heritage that he represented, Lutheran Pietism. By following his interactions and discussions with leaders in the various churches, temperance societies and the political parties, this study traces key areas where overlap occurred between the three social movements. These movements did not exist in isolation, but involved many of the same people, which is demonstrated by Waldenström's connections to all three. While Swedish historiography has traditionally presented the religious awakening as providing a sort of "nursery school" for democracy in an abstract sense, this dissertation will attempt to focus on the direct involvement of this religious leader in the overall democratic discussion.