Swedish policy on Jewish immigration from Poland, 1968–1972

Abstract

ABSTRACTBetween 1968 and 1972, Sweden opened its borders to approximately 2700 Jewish refugees who were fleeing an antisemitic campaign in Poland. Stockholm presented the admission of these immigrants, together with its criticism of Warsaw’s actions, as an example of a proactive foreign policy, which had been launched in the second half of the 1960s. This immigration was also commensurate with Sweden’s benevolent policy towards Jewish émigrés in World War II. That said, this paper’s findings on this entire process indicate that this policy was not a foregone conclusion. As was the case two decades earlier, Stockholm veered from initial apathy to expansive generosity towards these refugees.