In most European states, it was the oppressed and dissatisfied groups who mobilised against the state. However, this was not the case in Scandinavia. Here, people mobilised with the state. Social movements and civil society were generally organised in the image of the state they hoped to access. Those who challenged the status quo pleaded for a compromise with the state, which in turn expanded the social and political space for oppositional currents. Despite taking place under strong state control, the state was forced to introduce political, social, and civic reforms that balanced opposing interests and identities, and integrated large parts of the population into governance and the exercise of power. It is within this historical context that the contributions to this Special Issue are set.