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Abstract: During the Cold War, the notion of total defence meant that the entire Swedish society was prepared for war. This required an organization where civil society leaders had a ‘shadow role’ as civil defence commanders in case of war. The concept of total defence also implied a uniformity of thought. For this reason, the Swedish supreme commander (ÖB) organized a yearly training course for senior officials in Swedish society. Once a year, civilian and military leaders met at the former boarding school Solbacka, south of Stockholm, to study, practice and simulate total defence measures relevant to their respective organizations. One could not apply to the training course at Solbacka, participants were hand pick by the Supreme Commander and among the participants were minsters, governors and even the crown prince of Sweden.

This presentation concerns the history of the course at Solbacka. The explicit aim of this course was to foster a spirit of total defence. This course could also be viewed as an instrument  for the escalating militarization of Swedish society during the Cold War. By establishing networks with Sweden's elite, the Supreme Commander could also sustain an ideology of preparedness.

Bio: Bergelin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of History, Uppsala University and a teacher of War Studies at the Swedish Defence University. He earned his PhD from Uppsala University in 2023. His research examines the interaction between military and civilian sectors in Sweden during the Cold War.