ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the trade policy strategies and the development of Swedish foreign trade and shipping during three major armed conflicts: the Napoleonic Wars 1803-15, the Crimean War 1853-56, and World War I 1914-18. It suggests that Sweden was able to take advantage of its neutral position during the three wars to increase trade and shipping and also suggests that trade policy was adjusted as a result of the circumstances of war and the encompassing neutrality. The chapter discusses short-term and long-term effects that the three wars may have had on Swedish trade and trade policy. Similar to developments during and after the Napoleonic Wars, wartime trade expansion during the Crimean War was followed by a short decline. The average import tariff decreased somewhat during the Napoleonic Wars, a result mainly of increasing import prices while specific tariffs were only partially changed during the war years.
