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This thesis aims to examine certain aspects of military development in Sweden in the late 19thcentury, a period when efforts were made in to improve overall military capability. Writings by Hugo Raab, an influential military officer who served as the first chief of the reformed Swedish general staff, was chosen to represent this development. By studying source material mainly omitted from previous research this thesis offers an original contribution to the established historiography on military development in Sweden. It does so by examining how Raab perceived developments in contemporary warfare and how his thinking was affected by Prussian influences.

The studied source material consists of lecture manuscripts composed by Raab in 1873 and utilized in his teaching at the Marieberg War Academy. These were examined through qualitative content analysis, which made it possible to direct attention to the relevant dimensions of the manuscripts. This method relies on its analytical categories, which in this thesis were based on the theory of revolutions in military affairs and previous research on late 19th century.

The results show that Raab observed several developments in contemporary warfare. These were mainly caused by new weaponry such as rifled, rapid-firing and breechloading rifles. Increased firepower affected several aspects of tactics applied on the battlefield. These findings challenge aspects of previous research on Raab’s military thinking insofar that they nuance understanding about his perception of the role of technology in military development. The findings also support other aspects of previous research, such as Raab’s view on the importance of introducing general conscription. Furthermore, this thesis establishes that Raab’s military thinking to some extent was influenced by Prussian examples. Even thoughthe results in this study indicates a general shift regarding military influences in Sweden, Raab does not indulge in romanticizing idolization of the Prussian military. His analysis remains critical and focused on aspects of military utility.

To further understand 19th century military development in Sweden, more research is needed on both theoretical and practical aspects of military development and how these were influenced by international examples. Raab proves a perfect case study in this regard.