Tage Erlander

His Excellency[1]
Tage Erlander
Erlander in 1949
25th Prime Minister of Sweden
In office
11 October 1946 – 14 October 1969
MonarchsGustaf V
Gustaf VI Adolf
Preceded byPer Albin Hansson[a]
Succeeded byOlof Palme
Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office
11 October 1946 – 1 October 1969
Preceded byPer Albin Hansson
Succeeded byOlof Palme
Minister of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs
In office
31 July 1945 – 11 October 1946
Prime MinisterPer Albin Hansson
Preceded byGeorg Andrén
Succeeded byJosef Weijne
Personal details
Born
Tage Fritjof Erlander

(1901-06-13)13 June 1901
Ransäter, Sweden
Died21 June 1985(1985-06-21) (aged 84)
Huddinge, Sweden
Political partySocial Democrat
Height6 ft 4 in (1.92 m)[3][4][5] [b]
Spouse
​
(m. 1930)​
Children2, including Sven Erlander
Alma materLund University
AwardsIllis quorum
1984
Signature

Tage Fritjof Erlander (Swedish: [ˈtɑ̂ːgɛ ɛˈɭǎnːdɛr] ⓘ; 13 June 1901 – 21 June 1985) was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Sweden and leader of the Social Democratic Party from 1946 to 1969. Previously, he served as minister of education from 1945 to 1946, and was a member of the Riksdag from 1932 to 1973. During his premiership, Sweden developed into one of the world's most advanced welfare states, with the "Swedish Model" at the peak of its acclaim and notoriety.[8][9] His uninterrupted tenure of 23 years as head of the government is the longest ever in Sweden and in any modern Western democracy.[c]

Born to a poor family in Ransäter, Erlander later studied at Lund University. He was elected to Lund's municipal council in 1930, and in 1932 he was elected as a member of the Riksdag. Becoming a member of the World War II coalition government in 1944, Erlander rose unexpectedly to the leadership upon the death of Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson in October 1946, maintaining the position of the Social Democrats as the dominant party in the country. Known for his moderation, pragmatism and self-irony, Erlander often sought approval from the liberal-conservative opposition for his policies, de facto dropping all pretences of wide-scale nationalizations whilst introducing reforms such as universal health insurance, pension additions and a growing public sector, although stopping short of raising tax levels above the average OECD levels at the time. Until the 1960s, income taxes were lower in Sweden than in the United States.[11]

For most of his time in power, Erlander ran a minority government of the Social Democrats. From 1951 to 1957, he instead ran a coalition with the Farmers' League.[12][13] The Social Democrats held a majority of seats in the upper house for most of this time and this allowed Erlander to remain in power after the 1956 general election, when the right-wing parties won a majority. A snap election in 1958 then reversed this result.

In foreign policy, he initially sought an alliance of Nordic countries, but without success, instead maintaining strict neutrality while spending heavily on the military (but ultimately rejecting nuclear capability and signing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in 1968). Erlander's mandate coincided with the post–World War II economic expansion, in Sweden known as the record years, in which Sweden saw its economy grow to one of the ten strongest in the world, and subsequently joined the G10.[14]

In the 1968 general election, he won his seventh and most successful victory, with the Social Democrats winning an absolute majority of the popular vote and seats in the lower chamber. Erlander resigned the following year during a process of major constitutional reform, and was succeeded by his long-time protégé and friend Olof Palme. He continued to serve as a member of the Riksdag until he resigned in 1973. Afterwards, Erlander continued to speak on political matters and published his memoirs. He died in 1985. He was considered one of the most popular leaders in the world by the end of the 1960s,[8] and one of the most popular prime ministers in the history of Sweden.[15][16]

  1. ^ "Memoranda of Conversation with Prime Minister Tage Erlander of Sweden, Ambassador Erik Boheman of Sweden, George W. Perkins, and Andreas G. Ronhovde". Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. 14 April 1952. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  2. ^ Elgán & Scrobbie 2015, p. 282
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :height38 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Lundström, Erik. "Socialdemokrater vi minns!". www.s-info.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Tage F. Erlander Dies At 84; Swedish Leader For 2 Decades". The New York Times. 22 June 1985. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  7. ^ Dallek, Robert (1998). Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961–1973. Oxford University Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0195054651.; Caro, Robert (1982). The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power. New York: Knopf. p. 146. ISBN 978-0394499734.
  8. ^ a b "Tage Erlander, Former Swedish Premier, Dies". The Washington Post. 22 June 1985. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  9. ^ Ruin 1989, p. 4
  10. ^ "Urho Kekkonen (English edition)". Kansallisbiografia. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  11. ^ Cohn, Jonathan (23 May 2011). "More evidence from Europe, particularly Scandinavia, suggests that U.S. taxes can rise without hurting the economy". The New Republic. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  12. ^ Erixon, Dick (20 September 2006). "Swedish Prime Ministers in history". Web.comhem.se. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  13. ^ "Tage Erlander" (in Swedish). Nationalencyklopedin. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
  14. ^ Chand 2006, p. 153
  15. ^ Ruin 1989, p. 41
  16. ^ Ruin 1989, pp. 45–46


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