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348 A History of Sweden
composed of large, well-equipped, modern war vessels.
As a mark of the times an air fleet has also been pro-
vided. At the opening of the Great War Sweden’s de-
fenses were in a better condition than they had been
since the time of Charles XII. She was thus enabled
to maintain her neutrality, her independence, and her
culture.
The Right of Suffrage. The new organization of the
Riksdag, in 1866, had been hailed with delight. But
nothing human is perfect. Voices of discontent were
soon heard. Only a minority of the men in the king-
dom had a right to vote, such as had an annual income
of over eight hundred crowns. This money line of de-
marcation became more and more hateful. An ardent
struggle for universal manhood suffrage began. At the
suffrage meetings the poet Heidenstam’s "Citizens’
Song" was sung:
" J
Tis a shame, ’tis a blot on the national flag,
That citizens’ rights are called money."
When general military service was established it
was felt that the right of suffrage should also be made
general. At the Riksdag of 1909 general manhood
suffrage was enacted into law, and twelve years later,
1921, the same rights were extended to women. The
age limit for both men and women was fixed at twenty-
four years.
In each election district several members of the
Riksdag shall be chosen in such a way as to give pro-
portional representation to the various parties in the
district. The difference in the qualifications for mem-
bership in the two chambers has been greatly reduced
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