Finland and Military Volunteers in the Swedish Fascist Imaginary, 1809–1944

Abstract This article explores the place of Finland and Swedish military volunteers 1918 civil war, 1939–44 Finno-Soviet wars, in fascist imaginary. The loss to Russia 1809 was heavily romanticized nationalist culture, shaped responses both conflicts, mediated through famous literary works which encouraged a sense shame betrayal. Through examination historical relationship between two countries, volunteer effort 1918, subsequent emergence fascism interwar period, it is shown that this imaginary Finnish–Swedish strongly fascism. traces key veterans various organizations, symbolic appropriation veterans. Rather than comparatively peaceful manifestation neutral Sweden, possessed militarized rooted violent proxy conflicts its former eastern borderlands – regard also showed substantial overlap with conservative nationalism.