The article shows that the coming of the railroad in the middle of the nineteenth century strengthened the nation state vis-à-vis local and parochial interests. The expanding railroad network enabled school inspectors to monitor Sweden’s schools more effectively. If the school inspectors could travel to remote schools by rail, a larger share of children attended permanent public schools and took classes in nation-building subjects such as geography and history.
Lindvall on how the railroad strengthened the nation state
Johannes Lindvall has, together with Kerstin Enflo and Alexandra L. Cermeño, published the article “Railroads and Reform: How Trains Strengthened the Nation State” in the journal British Journal of Political Science.