The Rise and Fall of Swedish Social Democracy

by Kjell Östberg

Long considered the paradigm of European social democracy, whatever happened to the Swedish Model?

For a young generation of socialists, the Swedish experience has been an obvious reference and inspiration. But what remains of the Swedish model today is, in fact, a failed project in decline. This book is the first comprehensive study of the rise and fall of one of the most influential political movements of our time.

Ostberg depicts the rise of one of the 20th century's best organized labor movements and Sweden's development from one of Europe's poorest countries to one of the richest and with the most extensive welfare. During the last 90 years, Sweden had a social democratic prime minister for 72 years, including a 44 year uninterrupted span. The Swedish model culminated in the 1970s. Under the pressure of wildcat strikes and new social movements, a highly competent Social Democratic government implemented unique social reforms mainly through a decommodified public sector. Many reforms had a distinct gender equality character. The Social Democratic-led trade union movement sought to take over control of Swedish companies through wage earners’ funds. Was Sweden on its way to becoming a socialist country?

Instead, Swedish Social Democracy quickly adapted to the economic and political conditions of the neoliberal counter-revolution. Today, large parts of the public sector have been privatized and social inequality has increased faster than in most other countries, despite social democratic governments in power. The Social Democratic party is being challenged by the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats as the largest labour party.

Kjell Ostbjerg discusses the strength and weakness of the reformist strategy, the importance of class organizations and social mobilization and the struggle for power in the workplace, the influence of the labor bureaucracy, the role of women in the creation of the Swedish welfare society and the dependence of Social Democracy on the development of international capitalism.

Genres: History, Politics, Sweden, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

Published April 23, 2024

Reviews

[Owen Hatherley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well argued, slightly leaden but broadly convincing brief history of the Swedish soc dems and how they went from every left-reformist favourite to the crush of Michael Gove. It can be dull but the heat turns up several notches on the seventies, and especially on the genuinely intriguing and tragic figure of Palme. There's an underpinning argument that things ascribed to the Party were not actually planned or intended by its leaders or even its rank and file, but came about through the actions of extra parliamentary groups close to them, from the temperance movement to liberal reformers to striking workers to the post-68 left, and that's probably true - but the fact, and it is a fact, that these needed a ruthlessly pragmatic, sometimes slightly cynical party concerned above all else with the exercise of power to actually implement their ideas is not really explored. Also like most left-of-socdem accounts it argues the party basically rode the tiger of postwar capitalism ('luck' is even mentioned, which always makes me very suspicious!), but I suspect they made their own weather economically rather more than this account credits. At the end I felt that what I'd really like was a reading list, but most of the references are in Swedish, which is fine; I suppose a book leaving you wanting more is a good thing.

[Jacob Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating history of one of the few ostensibly non-imperialist social democratic movements in the West. The book neatly illustrates the various trends within the movement and the different programs of "ministerial socialism", but its principle error is that it doesn't elaborate on the author's real criticism of the reformist strategy, outside of the book's conclusion. Why the Social Democrats so quickly endorsed the neoliberal turn, abandoned the quest for workplace democracy and couldn't move past bourgeois democracy are questions not answered as clear as they ought to be. Similarly the enigma of the radical Palme, both furious anti communist but dedicated anti-colonialist aligned with the MPLA in Angola, the Cuban Republic and the Black Panthers in the US but at the same time fully endorsed the neoliberal turn is not really explained, and remains confusing (but Palme may have just been confusing.)

[Jooseppi Räikkönen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very concise presentation of the history of Swedish social democracy. Östberg, previously a biographer of Palme and historian of the feminist "potato-protests" (among other things), reconstructs the history of Social Democracy in Sweden as a contested pendulum swing between bureaucratisation and popular movements. Especially interesting was the presentation of the 1930s-50s "social engineers" – the Myrdals most prominently – and their ambivalent record as a 20th century high modernist force par excellence.

Little new for me personally, but a very nice reference work. Will definitely come back to it and use it as a timeline.

[Ryan O'Malley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed history of the social democratic movement in Sweden

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and accessible history of the rise and current problems of the Social Democrats in Sweden. Ostberg traces the party's rise through the industrial working-class, its ascension into power, its construction of an enviable welfare state, its adaptation to a corporatist, growth-focused market economy (indeed, the party's belief that capitalist efficiency was essential to its goal of redistribution and shared prosperity), and its neoliberal turn.

Swede was viewed back in the 1970s as the "world's conscience" and the go-to example of a robust welfare state. Ostberg explains the political struggles behind both of those, and the labor actions that spurred parliamentarians to action. It is also fascinating to read about how Social Democrats had to navigate the messy world of parliamentary politics and coalition-building, as well as the ways in which issues divided them and their base (including nuclear power) and how they navigated internal divisions (over the role of women in the party, over the new issues raised by youth movements, environmentalists, etc.)

Unfortunately, the Social Democrats in Sweden have suffered from similar problems as the center-left in other Western countries. They embraced monetarist and neoliberal policies in response to the economic crises of the late 1970s/80s/90s and abandoned what remained of their more expansive vision for how the economy and society could be different. The industrial working class -- or even a broader definition of the working class -- is not as large as it used to be; the party is thus less rooted in a working-class politics for a simple numbers reason, but the weakening of the power of unions also means less ability to put mass pressure on the party. Similarly, the party has become professionalized, becoming more of a catch-all party than one rooted in a left, even a reformist left, vision.

One key point that Ostberg makes in his conclusion is that one of the critical failures of the Swedish Social Democrats was that they were never able to democratize the structures of the economy itself. You can address the externalities of capitalism through government and you can redistribute the gains capitalism produces, but you will always be constrained if a small group of corporate titans remain in control of capital and production. The SDP's big push to change that failed, and even smaller efforts to democratize the economy through worker ownership or co-determination have never gotten far.

There are bits and pieces of this that I was familiar with, but it was just very helpful to have the history laid out clearly as Ostberg does.

[Tom Booker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly illustrates how the Social Democrats became the biggest party in 2oth- and 21st-century Sweden through its connection with universal suffrage and the working class (and later middle class). In losing its base over time (the real basis of democracy), the party focused on parliamentary processes and reformism, therefore allowing large parts of the working class to support the xenophobic Sweden Democrats instead. Though it succeeded in bringing about many positive social changes, the book highlights the social movements that were key to bringing this about. Swedish socialist utopia is clearly shown to not have ever been a reality, and whether there really was any Social Democracy at all is questionable. The turn to neoliberalism was set from very early on in the party's history.

I think it's fair to deduce that the author is critical of the direction the party has gone in, though it's written in a rather balanced and restrained way. I think it might have been more entertaining and perhaps authentic if the author had more of a voice and was clear where he stood. For example, the conclusion does not include any proposals as to how Social Democracy can be recovered/improved, or reasonable left-wing alternatives to the Social Democracts.

[Matthew O'Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it is exactly what it says it is, a book about Swedish social democracy, its very boring. With the exception of the chapters about the 1960s and 1970s i found it difficult to get through.