Danish-Swedish Relief and Social Reconstruction in Europe, 1944–1950
Danish-Swedish Relief and Social Reconstruction in Europe, 1944–1950
Name of applicant
Søren Werther Kjær Rasmussen
Title
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
The NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies
Amount
DKK 2,751,350
Year
2026
Type of grant
Internationalisation Fellowships
What?
This project explores Danish and Swedish reconstruction efforts in Europe 1944-1950, carried out through Samarbejdsudvalget for Internationalt Hjælpearbejde and Svenska Kommittén för Internationell Hjälpverksamhet. It offers the first comprehensive analysis of how these organisations coordinated social aid, including food relief, healthcare, and child welfare, across Europe.
Why?
Postwar reconstruction is often seen as driven mainly by US initiatives, overlooking important European programmes funded and organised within Europe. This project addresses that gap by analysing why and how Denmark and Sweden invested heavily in social aid, focusing on humanitarian ideals, welfare state ambitions, and the pursuit of international legitimacy and cooperation.
How?
The study combines transnational and social policy history with comparative case studies in the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, and Norway. It is based on extensive archival research in Denmark, Sweden, and other countries, using official documents, correspondence, and reports to reconstruct the actors, practices, and motivations behind the Danish and Swedish aid initiatives.