Sweden in the World The World War, while it stimulated agricultural production and certain branches of mining, entailed great hardships on the majority of the people, and 'hunger' demonstrations became frequent, espe dally in the urban districts. Up to the later stages of the war the attitude of the Court (the Queen was formerly Princess Victoria of Baden), the military and official classes gener ally, was one of ((benevolent neutrality' toward the Central Powers, while that of the Socialists, although neutral, was more favorable to the Entente. The strict enforcement of the British blockade by the seizure of ((contraband' de signed to be sent through Sweden to Germany, and the detention of mails from the United States, caused intense irritation; and on the other hand, the German submarine campaigns, and the sinking of Swedish ships, raised con siderable feeling against Germany. Sweden's position as a neutral was seriously compro mised by the revelations made by the United States government in September 1917 that the Swedish Foreign Office was permitting German official messages from foreign countries to be sent as its own messages, these including mes sages from Count Luxburg, German Chargé d'Affaires at Buenos Aires. in reference to the sinking of ships of the Argentine Republic by submarines, the most extraordinary of which advised his government that Argentine vessels should not be sunk at all, or ((sunk without leaving any. trace' (spurlos versendt). These
revelations raised a storm of indignant protest in all Allied countries, and a breach of diplo matic relations between Germany and the Ar gentine was narrowly avoided. Two changes of government were made in Sweden in 1917, the return of the second of which, under the premiership of Mr. Eden, ensured a national policy more acceptable to the Entente nations. The attempt to hold an International Peace Conference, promoted by Socialist groups in, warring and neutral countries, was prevented by the refusal of the French, British and Italian governments to issue passports.
Guinchard, J., (Sweden : An Historical and Statistical Handbook) (official; Stockholm 1914) ; and British Foreign Office Reports : Bald, (Norway, Sweden and Denmark) (London 1912) ; Bain, a Political History of Denmark, Norway and Sweden) (Cambridge 1905) ; Barnes, Seen in Sweden) (London 1915) ; Drachmann and Westergaard, Development and Commercial Policy of the Three Scandi navian Countries) (ib. 1915) ; Kennedy, E. B., (Thirty Seasons in Scandinavia) (ib. 1903) ; Leach, H. G., of the Scandina vians' (ib. 1918) ; Stefansson, J., (Denmark and Sweden) of the Nations) ib. 1916).