Abstract
Mobile knowledge and transferable skills: The construction of Sveaborg Fortress by a skilled workforce in the 1750s.In the international debate about whether military investment can lead to economic growth, one of the key arguments has been the transfer of knowledge from the military to civil society. The construction of the sea fortress of Sveaborg (Suomenlinna) just off the coast of Helsinki in mid-eighteenth-century Finland provides a good example of this transfer. This huge military investment took place in peacetime and centred mainly on trade related to construction and shipbuilding, the very commerce that was also highly desirable for civil society. The army had to find its own construction solutions, most notably brickwork that used new techniques, and these innovations were later adopted by civilian entrepreneurs. The army also brought in skilled craftsmen to Helsinki, who, due to their limited number, also helped train soldiers in different skills. After working on Sveaborg, some of these craftsmen moved over to civilian employers or settled down in Helsinki as burghers. Similarly, demobilized soldiers returned home, taking their acquired skills with them. Between the army and civil society, therefore, there was a constant interaction and mutual exchange of knowledge and technology.
Highlights
whether military investment can lead to economic growth
of the key arguments has been the transfer of knowledge from the military
just off the coast of Helsinki in mid-eighteenth-century Finland provides a good example of this transfer
Summary
In the international debate about whether military investment can lead to economic growth, one of the key arguments has been the transfer of knowledge from the military to civil society. ”Då han blef ledig, lärde han oss så godt han kunde, men utom det at ärfarenheten har warit wår förnämste LäroMästare, har jag haft en Bonde från Roslagen, som lärt oss mycket.”[22] Ehrensvärd skrev också till Sverige för att begära underrättelser om ”de kål inrätningar som finnas i Norge och äro de fullkomligaste”.23 Vid fästningsbygget fick man snart igång en tillräcklig egen produktion, till exempel 1753 tillverkades nästan 30 000 tunnor träkol.[24] Fästningsbyggets kolare var nästan uteslutande soldater.
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