Peace: 1908

1) Arnoldson, Klas Pontus (1844-1916), a Swedish journalist and politician, was a dedicated pacifist and antimilitarist who campaigned strongly for Scandinavian unity. In 1908, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace for founding the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society 25 years before. He shared the prize with Fredrik Bajer of Denmark.

In 1881, after 21 years working for the Swedish railways--first as a clerk and then as a stationmaster and inspector--Arnoldson was elected to the Riksdag, Sweden's parliament. As a politician, he campaigned for the extension of religious freedom and for the guaranteed neutrality of Sweden. In 1883, he helped to found the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society and became the society's secretary. He worked for Nordiska Dagbladet--a north Scandinavian daily paper, and founded a new paper in 1883 called Tiden (Times). He left Tiden in 1886, and worked from 1892 to 1894 for the Nordsvenska Dagbladet.

In 1895, during the constitutional crisis that led to Norway's independence from Sweden, Arnoldson's sympathy for Norway and strong support for a peaceful solution attracted much controversy (Independence). His 1908 Nobel Peace Prize outraged many Swedes. Newspapers claimed that the award was a disgrace to the Swedish people, especially since Alfred Nobel himself had been Swedish.

In addition to his many newspaper articles, Arnoldson wrote several important works on peace and similar themes, including Pax Mundi (1890), a historical essay on international law, and Religion in the Light of Research (1891).

Arnoldson was born in Goteborg, Sweden.

2) Bajer, Fredrik pronounced BY uhr, (1837-1922), a Danish pacifist, helped to found the International Peace Bureau (IPB) in Berlin in 1891 and served as its president from its foundation until 1907. The aim of the IPB is to serve the cause of peace by encouraging international cooperation, and the prevention--or nonviolent resolution--of international disputes and conflicts. He received the 1908 Nobel Prize for peace for his work with the Peace Bureau, and shared the prize with Klas Arnoldson.

Bajer believed in neutrality as the best way of ensuring peace in the Scandinavian countries. In 1870, he established the Nordisk Fristats Samfund (Society of Nordic Free States) to promote Nordic unity and cooperation. In 1882, under the influence of the French pacifist Frederic Passy, Bajer helped to found the first Danish peace society, Foreningen til Danmarks Neutralisering (Society for the Promotion of Danish Neutrality). This later developed into the Danish Peace and League of Nations Society. Bajer was also a leading spokesman for women's rights and was among the founders of the Dansk Kvindesamfund (Danish Women's Association).

Bajer was born at Vester Egede, Denmark. In 1856, he enrolled for two years at a military school. In 1856, he joined the Dragoons, a mounted infantry unit, with whom he served until 1865. During this period, he took two years out from 1860 to 1862 to study at a second military school. In 1865, he was discharged from the army. Afterwards, he resumed his studies and learned French, Norwegian, and Swedish. He worked as a teacher and translator in Copenhagen. In 1872, he entered politics and was elected to the Folketing (Danish parliament), where he served for 23 years.