Skogsbolagen och bygden : ekonomisk, social och politisk omvandling i Örnsköldsviksområdet 1860-1900

Sammanfattning: In this dissertation industrialization and its economic, social and political consequences in the district of Örnsköldsvik 1860—1900 are studied.Firstly, the dissertation elucidates the causes of the industrialization of the district, viz. European demand for sawmill products, local supply of raw materials and labour, the establishment of plants and changes in agriculture. By the time of the industrial break-through there was a distinctly functional division in the district with industrial manufacturing of sawn wood on the coast and production of raw materials in inland areas. In this way an industrial society was created. But the one-sided specialization in producing sawn wood created hardly any spin-offs either backward or forward in the chain of production.Secondly this division of functions influenced the social structure. By the time of the industrial break-through a growing number of people had become members of the working class. The supply of labour for the sawmill industry was very good. At the same time the population was growing rapidly so that the supply of labour was further increased. As a result of industrial activities the share of the male population between 15 and 50 years of age in agriculture decreased in coastal areas from 72 per cent in 1860 to 42 per cent in 1900. At the same time the working class increased from 13 to 49 per cent. In the raw materials area the symbiosis between agriculture and forestry delayed a similar development. Though 20 per cent were occupied in forestry in the early 1870s and increased to about 50 per cent in 1900 the male population in agriculture dropped from 90 to 63 per cent and the working class only increased from 5 to 25 per cent.Thirdly, the creation of a plutocratic voting system to the Local Council (Kommunalstämma) in 1862 gave sawmill companies opportunities to integrate the political system with their economic activities. These opportunities should not be overemphasized but company ambitions bear witness to their importance. By combining the company correspondence and reports of the proceedings at the Local Council it has been possible to follow the influence of different agents, when resolutions were passed in the Local Council. In this dissertation three phases can be seen and they concern mainly economic affairs. During the initial phase property-owners (peasants) had the deciding votes (fyrkar). In the 1870s a growing number of votes came into the hands of the companies. As the right to vote was so strongly connected with tax-paying the expenditure of the companies consequently increased. When the business cycle deteriorated in the late 1870s the companies started to appeal against the Local Council tax assessments. By doing so they brought down on themselves the dissatification of the peasants. This initiated the second phase characterized by confrontation. After some time the conflicts petered out. This third phase is not so easy to interpret. Company activities had grown to a such extent that for instance taxes can be considered as marginal. But still there were conflicts, in which old interest groups opposed each other, fighting for power. But at the turn of the century sawmill companies withdrew from the Local Council. The political picture changed. A growing working class demanded the right to vote. At the national level new political parties canalized the new opposition.The industrial break-through in the middle of the 19th century transformed the society of northern Sweden. And the development shows that this economic system was to survive for a surprisingly long time despite changes in society. It also shows how many ties there still are today between the forest industry and the society of northern Sweden.