reflection Sweden then - China now

In 1900 four out of five inhabitants of Sweden lived in the countryside, and a predominant majority worked in the agricultural sector. The poorest families at the time were those who did not own any land and there were many of them. Far too many were threatened by starvation year in and year out. You could find fields owned and shared by a local community, by the 'people'. But laws changed, the land was needed for the big industrial revolution, and this community property ceased to exist. The poorest became still poorer. And there were many mouths to be fed.

It was under these bleak circumstances that the 'America fever' began to spread. America offered something at this time which was missing amongst the poorest of Sweden - the hope of something better.

At this time the American law stated that anyone who cultivated a tract of land had the right to mark its boundaries and, henceforth, automatic ownership would be established after five years. This meant a free country with cost-free, fertile land for anyone. It must have seemed like a dream for the poor Swedes. Like finding gold! (And yes, some of them did find that too...).

But they had to work hard over there. And as immigrants they were cheep labour. Swedish women were so common in American households that the words "the Swedish maid" became a familiar term for a housekeeper.

In the period between 1868 and 1910 over one million people emigrated from Sweden (out of a population that at the time was a little over five million). Not everyone went to America, but many did. And in the letters they sent home to Sweden they talked about their new "good" life (that I suspect wasn't all that great most of the times)and about buildings that were so high that one could barely see the tops of them!

Do you see the resemblance to today's China?

The land that is taken from the people.
The factories that are built.
Only difference is that when Sweden went through this phase, there were no foreigners gaining from their poverty in the way that we are gaining from the Chinese poverty today. There was not a whole world that wanted to take advantage of Sweden and the Swedes, like the world now wants to take advantage of China and the Chinese people.
And the industrialisation was done in a much slower pace as well as in a much smaller scale. The development in China is crazy and it's enormous.

Chinese people are, with the same desperation as the Swedes back in days I would think, trying to leave China. But they are not that welcome. Not even to HK, and HK is part of China for God's sake.

But they are welcome to the factories. To the grey, and in my eyes, awful industrial cities with millions and millions of people. They are very welcome there. And needed. Because the West and the rich need there goods.

They are often promised a new good life at the factories. And they come there with hopes for something better. For money. For a future. They end up working hard, very hard. And they are cheap labour.

You know what, I'm sure they write home, telling the parents not to worry, that their life is good and that the buildings are so high that you barely can see the tops of them!