Sweden 1945 when Europe finally reached the end of the war

Watching a Swedish tv show and I'm a sucker for history and how things have been before my time. My grandmother was a toddler during world War 2 and so I try to imagine my great grandmother's life when they moved to Sweden from Finland at that time.

Something I envy from the 50's is the way people partied. Jazz parties and the way they danced, it was real move and grove there. The men actually danced and swung you around. It looks so incredibly fun!

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

HannibalAteMeOut · 22-25, F

My grandma says she's thankful she wasn't that old during that so she can't remember what the war was like but she still suffered a lot and tells me some shocking stories. Idk about there but over here those parties would be for the elites hahahah. But she says they would always find ways to be happy regardless, even without shoes or food or anything fancy.

Queendragonfly · 31-35, F

@HannibalAteMeOut Yes they were for the elites. The poor people had something called "sexan" sixth in Swedish. That was street performers playing with harmonicas, trumpets and Accordions and all the people danced along. That dance was still a whole other free dancing than what er have today.

Queendragonfly · 31-35, F

@HannibalAteMeOut I understand that your grandma didn't wanna remember.

HannibalAteMeOut · 22-25, F

@Queendragonfly ohh I love street performers, I can imagine the dancing was on another level!

Yeah her father and grandfather were executed publicly by the nazis when she was a child... then after WWII there was a civil war here so it didn't get any better tbh.

basilfawlty89 · 31-35, M

@HannibalAteMeOut people forget how awful the Nazis were in Greece, especially on Crete.

HannibalAteMeOut · 22-25, F

@basilfawlty89 before them there was a great Jewish population especially in Thessaloniki, most of them got killed. But yeah they were executing people like crazy, in my village they made 14 people (including my great grandfathers) dig two mass graves for themselves and then executed them for being part of the resistance.