World History

For most people, the world is still local. A journey between two cities can take days, and news travels at the same pace as a horse or a sailing vessel. At the same time, Europe’s image of the world is changing dramatically.

Cartographers combine explorers’ accounts with older geographical sources. Seas are filled with ships and fantastical creatures, coastlines take on ever clearer forms, and the map becomes both science, artwork, and a symbol of a world that suddenly feels much larger.

At the turn of the century, the city fills with new sounds and movements. Electric trams pass horse-drawn carts, telephone lines are strung between buildings, and electric light begins to illuminate streets and shop windows after nightfall.

It is still a world without radio, television, or air travel, but much of modern everyday life has begun to take shape. Photographers document squares, traffic, people, and buildings just as the old city transitions into the new.

After the First World War, there is a strong desire to look ahead. Cars become more common on the city streets, cinemas fill up in the evenings, and radio begins to bring music, sports, and news directly into people's homes.

Photography becomes faster and more everyday. Sports stars, advertising, travel, and city life are documented in a new way. Modern mass culture takes shape — and people in different places increasingly begin to see, hear, and talk about the same things.

Despite the Depression, the modernization of everyday life continues. Cars, radio, film, and advertising become ever more present, and consumer goods begin to be marketed in a way that feels surprisingly modern.

At the same time, political unease grows. Authoritarian movements gain power in several European countries, and news images of demonstrations, military parades, and conflicts become part of everyday life. Toward the end of the decade, another major war feels increasingly difficult to avoid.

During the 1960s, the future feels close at hand. Television gathers families around the same programs, pop music creates a new youth culture, and the car makes town and countryside more connected than ever before.

At the same time, Sweden changes rapidly. Old city blocks are demolished, new traffic routes are built, and the economic growth of the record years creates a society that becomes more modern, more mobile, and more international. Even the aesthetics of everyday life — clothing, advertising, and design — change noticeably.

The everyday life of the 1970s is full of bold expression. Advertising, album covers, public information, and political messages appear on posters, in newspapers, and throughout the urban environment. Graphic design becomes bolder, and public space more visual.

At the same time, the world we ourselves remember begins to take shape. Television, music, and popular culture create shared references, and many of the decade's images therefore still feel familiar. What was once contemporary communication has today become cultural history.