Logo: to the web site of the Swedish Defence University

This essay covers the motivation of the volunteers who participated in the Winter war 1939-1940, as part of the Swedish all-volunteer unit Svenska Frivilligkåren. The volunteer’s motivation has been analysed and understood by utilizing an analytical tool developed from Battistelli´s motivation-trichotomy and Arielli´s push/pull-perspective. The area of operation for Svenska Frivilligkåren is very similar to that of the Swedish Armed Forces today, and the Russian army is still the presumed enemy. Understanding the motivation of the volunteers of 1939, can create understanding as to how people are motivated to fight on the same soil today. 

Previous research on the matter of Svenska Frivilligkåren has not been able to fully uncover the volunteer’s motivation, but it indicates that the public discourse and national romantic ideas has played a key role. Furthermore, modern research points to the fact that our modern society has created a new sort of motivation, which stems from individualistic ideas, such as self-realization, meaningfulness or a view that war is an eventful experience – an adventure. 

The key finding of this essay is that evidence of such “new”, individualistic, motivation has been found. In contrast to the believes of the research field, volunteers was in fact motivated by views that war was an adventure, or a place for self-realization all the way back in the 1930s. Other findings conclude that the volunteers was motivated by defending Sweden in a sort of proxy-manner, helping the Finnish people and frustration with the Swedish government.