Sweden's 19th Century Emigration: Why a Quarter Left

Between 1840 and 1930, over a million Swedes left their homeland—roughly a quarter of the population. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the forces behind this mass exodus: agricultural consolidation pushing small farmers off the land, a population boom, religious persecution by the Lutheran state church, and the magnetic pull of free land in America. They follow the story of a family from Småland who walked to Göteborg, crossed the Atlantic in steerage, and settled in Minnesota. Along the way, they discuss the role of America letters, the growth of Swedish-American enclaves, and how this diaspora reshaped Sweden itself. The conversation also touches on the paradox of Sweden's neutrality during WWII and the limited but notable return migration. A portrait not of a nation in decline, but of a people making hard choices in the face of change.

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