Courtyard Crisis

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The Courtyard Crisis (Swedish: Borggårdskrisen) was a significant event in Swedish 20th century history, marking the last time the Monarch of Sweden intervened directly in parliamentary politics.

In early 1914 tensions ran high in Sweden over the issue of defense spending, with World War I approaching in Europe. On February 6th 1914 Conservative opponents of the Liberal and Pacifist government of Karl Staaff summoned a 32,000-person demonstration of farmers demanding higher defense spending. The king Gustav V, who was in continual conflict with the government, declared to the crowd gathered in the courtyard of the Stockholm Palace that he shared their concerns.

When Staaff approached the king to remind him that parliamentary rule meant he should stay out of politics, Gustav V refused and said he would "not give up the right to communicate freely with the Swedish people". The government promptly resigned, and 136 Liberal members of both chambers of parliament issued a statement saying the system of government was in jeopardy, urging the Swedish people to defend its right to rule itself. Their opponents in the parliament (the Conservatives and the Farmers' party) in turn accused them of putting parliamentarism over national security, and called on the people to put every effort into solving the defense issue.

The king appointed a conservative government, but tensions continued in the debate on spending. The second chamber of parliament was dissolved and new elections called for. In June, the conflict abruptly ended with the breakout of war in Europe, which in effect decided the argument in favor of the conservatives; however, some reforms and budget amendments were implemented to appease the Liberals. In the end, only the Social Democrats voted against the defense program, although 24 Liberal parliamentarians discarded their votes in protest.