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Abstract

This study explores the motivations behind Swedish volunteers’ participation in the 1864 Danish-German War, focusing on memoirs written by Swedish officers and medics. The research problem addresses the factors that led individuals to fight in a conflict rather unrelated to Sweden, aiming to understand the values, ideals, and political contexts influencing their decisions. The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare the motivations expressed in the memoirs of a selected group of officers and medics in order to explore the factors that influenced their justifications for participating in the war. The theoretical framework guiding this analysis is NirArielli’s model, which categorizes motivations into three key categories: "Agency," "Push and PullFactors," and "The Common Denominator." These categories help explain the ideological, personal, and existential factors that led individuals to volunteer.

In order to reveal the motivations, a qualitative text analysis was employed, using an author-oriented interpretive strategy, to address the research questions. The analysis focused on identifying text segments in which volunteers explicitly stated their reasons for participating in the war. These segments were then categorized based on Arielli’s framework, enabling a systematic comparison between officers and medics. The results show that both officers and medics were motivated by a combination of ideological and personal factors. Officers were mainly driven by career advancement, honor, and Scandinavian ideals, while medics emphasized humanitarian values and practical medical experience. Both groups shared a common existential desire for meaning and purpose, as highlighted by the "Common Denominator" category, which provided insights into deeper motivations. In conclusion, the study contributes to a broader understanding of Swedish voluntary participation in foreign conflicts by highlighting the diverse motivations of the volunteers who participated in the 1864 war. It also provides a foundation for future research on voluntary military participation in both historical and contemporary conflicts.