In Sweden, too, the rapid change of values and social structure was advanced as arguments for changing the legal rules for several social functions, which so far had been within the domain of the private masters.The legislative texts as well as the public debate showed great uncertainty about how to handle “the social question” and the inevitable fact that a steadily increasing number of individuals did not live in close physical connection to a legally-accepted master.166 It is true that the Swedish legislative history during the 19th century gradually implied liberalisation and the abolition of institutions connected with a society based on differentiation into estates and inequality between individuals. Sweden’s participation in the NapoleonicWars led to the loss of Finland and a coup d’état in 1809.The king was removed and a new Instrument of Government introduced which tried to strike a balance between the extremes of the past - royal absolutism and parliamentary sovereignty. The Swedish “founding fathers” were well aware of the legal developments and regulations in the rest of theWestern world. Immediately after the palace revolution of 1809, the new government inspired by the French introduction of Les cinque Codes set about to reform the entire Code of 1734. For this purpose a legislative committee, which was appointed in 1811, in 1826 published a comprehensive draft of a Swedish Civil Code.The draft contained several new and controversial elements, such as the principle of equal marriage rights for men and women, equal rights for sons and daughters and the age of majority for unmarried women at 25 years of age. It was circulated for consideration to, among others, p a r t 1 i i , c h a p t e r 3 82 3. 7 swedi sh 19th century labour lawmaking in gene ral 3. 7. 1 change … 166 Petterson, L 1992, pp. 243-250; Nordin 1987 pp. 30-38, 416-428;Warburg 1905, 1, pp. 90-150; Strömholm1991, p. 25.
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