Chapter 2: Iron and Blood



"Not by speeches and votes of the majority are the great questions of the time decided, but by iron and blood." - Otto von Bismarck

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On the morning of September 21, 1936, the tension in Sweden was palpable. While some on the left participated in victory parades in the largest cities, most Swedes were fearful to linger in the streets, going about their business quickly and speaking only in hushed voices. As revolutions toppled once-great nations all around the world, Sweden had cultivated a strong anti-syndicalist sentiment among both the conservatives and moderates. This view was bolstered by the outbreak of the Second Russian Civil War in August, which quickly escalated into a brutal and widely-publicized bloodbath between the Reds and the Whites.



Per Albin Hansson's gamble - to align his party with the most extreme elements of the left instead of trying to build a consensus-driven government to address Sweden's economic woes - was seen by many on the right as an unforgivable violation of Sweden's political norms and therefore meriting a response beyond that which was permitted by the rules of civil society. Shaken by the election results, the Swedish right placed their hope in one man: General Axel Rappe.



Rappe, a Swedish noble and general, was the first son of Axel Rappe (1838-1918), a well-respected military man who served as Sweden's Chief of the General Staff and later as Sweden's Minister of War. The younger Rappe, like his father, joined the military and quickly rose through the ranks by virtue of his noble birth and martial talent. In 1927, along with two other prominent right-wing military leaders, Helge Jung and Carl August Ehrensvärd, he published the first issue of the New Military Journal, a publication which supported the expansion of the Swedish military and an aggressive foreign policy.



In 1936, Axel Rappe was in command of the Götaland Artillery Regiment, which in spite of its name was a division-sized unit stationed outside of Göteborg. After becoming disillusioned with the Right Party due to its unwillingness to authorize decisive action against socialist agitators, Rappe began making plans with like-minded officers to take over the country and impose martial law in the event of a red victory. The electoral strength of the Revolutionary Committee was concentrated in Sweden's three largest cities: Stockholm, Malmö, and Göteborg. By using the military, which generally shared Rappe's political views, to take control of those three cities and quickly arrest leftist political leaders, Rappe and his co-conspirators could eliminate the socialists before they were able to form a government and claim legitimacy.



Immediately after he learned of the election results, Rappe left his unit in the command of a trusted officer and journeyed to Stockholm. While lacking an official military presence within the city proper, Rappe did have access to the local landstormen militia, which consisted of older reserve soldiers. Speed was essential to the plan, as even an hour's warning of an army marching on the city would give the Revolutionary Committee sufficient time to organize a defense, which would turn the attempted coup into a full-blown civil war.



In the early morning of September 26, hours before dawn, armed soldiers took to the streets of Stockholm. Martial law was declared and Rappe's landstormen quickly set up checkpoints and barricades throughout the city. Rappe's plan hinged on taking control of Galma stan, the capitol district of Stockholm, which included the Riksdag and Royal Palace. Rappe and a detachment of 500 landstormen marched across the Riksbrön bridge and stood before the Riksdag. A handful of Royal Guardsmen, courageous beyond measure as was befitting of Sweden's finest soldiers, blocked the southern end of the bridge. The burly captain of the guard approached Rappe. "What business do you have bringing an armed host to the center of Swedish government?"









The Riksbrön, which linked North Stockholm to the Riksdag



"Captain, are you loyal to your King and to your country?"



"Of course I am, you fool. I'm not the one marching on the Riksdag! I'll ask you again and if you value your life, you'll give me a straight answer: what business do you have here?"



Rappe was unfazed. "Clearly you haven't been informed of the situation. The Revolutionary Committee has made a threat on the King's life. Last night, I received reports that hundreds of factory workers intend to storm the palace at midday, overthrow the government, and declare a Syndicalist regime. With the government in turmoil, there is no one left to stop them save me and my men. In the name of Gustaf V and his kingdom, I order you to let me pass. Do not defy the orders of a general, captain. It will not end well for you."



The Captain of the Guard was familiar with Rappe's reputation. With a calm "Yes sir" he stepped out of the way and his men followed suit. Rappe then detached several squads to guard the other northern bridges before marching his men into Galma stan and occupying the rest of the island.



Northern Stockholm was easily subdued. The people had little interest in fighting the landstormen, and given the political climate many were pleased to see the army in control. Rappe faced only one obstacle to completely controlling the city: Södermalm.



Södermalm was a slum located directly south of Galma stan. Being home to the highest concentration of poor in the city, it was the epicenter of the Revolutionary Committee's power in Stockholm. Rappe lacked the men to directly march on the district. Instead, he ordered a hundred men to guard Slussen, a lock and road interchange that connected the two districts. Landstormen quickly moved to guard the other bridges into the district, and Rappe was forced to wait for reinforcements from the First Infantry Division to reinforce his meager army.









Slussen