ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 looks at the role of the state and elite secret societies in Nordic conspiracy beliefs. Secret elites are central to conspiracy narratives. They have been perceived as pulling the strings behind critical incidents such as the murder of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986, the sinking of the ferry Estonia in 1994, and the Norwegian terrorist attacks of 2011. Some of the motifs of these narratives have historical continuity, harking back to the assassination of Swedish King Gustav III in 1792 – which was described as the work of the Knights Templars – or more recent examples such as the occupation of Denmark and Norway during the Second World War. In recent years, ‘deep state’ conspiracy theories – suggesting that secret networks within the state administration are manipulating political development beyond electoral control, pushing for a totalitarian control society – have been imported especially from the United States. These narratives can be seen as reactions to globalization and a general sense of loss of control.
