Tage Erlander

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Tage Erlander
25th Prime Minister of Sweden
In office 11 October 1946 – 14 October 1969
Preceded by	Per Albin Hansson
Succeeded by	Olof Palme
Born	13 June 1901(1901-06-13) Ransäter, Värmland County, Sweden
Died	21 June 1985 (aged 84) Huddinge, Stockholm County, Sweden
Political party	Social Democrat
Spouse	Aina Erlander
Alma mater	Lund University
Religion	Lutheran/Church of Sweden
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Tage Fritiof Erlander (help·info) (13 June 1901 – 21 June 1985) was a Swedish politician. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Sweden from 1946 to 1969.

Erlander holds the record as the longest serving head of government of any democratic country^{[citation needed]}, as he held his post for twenty three years.

He was born in Ransäter, Värmland County as son of the school teacher Erik Gustaf Erlander (1859-1936). His mother was Alma Nilsson (1869-1961). As a student at Lund University he was heavily involved in student politics and met many radical students. He graduated in political science and economics in 1928. Erlander was a member of the editorial staff of the encyclopedia Svensk Upplagsbok from 1929 to 1938. In 1930 he married Aina Andersson, who became Aina Erlander.

Tage Erlander was elected to the municipal council in Lund in 1930, became a member of parliament in 1932, and was appointed a State Secretary in 1938. He became a member of the cabinet in 1944 as Minister without Portfolio, a post he held to the next year, when he became Minister for Education. When Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson suddenly died in 1946, Erlander was unexpectedly chosen as the successor and was also chosen as the leader of the party.

He formed a coalition with the Centre Party between 1951 and 1957 and the relation with their party leader, Gunnar Hedlund is known to have been good.

He coined the phrase "the strong society", describing a society with a growing public sector taking care of the growing demand on many services that an affluent society creates. The welfare state grew considerably during his years as prime minister, while nationalizations were rare.

He stepped down in 1969 and was succeeded by Olof Palme, who in many ways had been Erlander's student.

From 1972 to 1982 he published his memoirs in six volumes. He died on 21 June 1985 in Stockholm.

[edit] See also

• Bommersvik retirement villa

[edit] External links

• Review of Tage Erlander's Diaries, The self-effacing architect of the Swedish state by Patrick Salmon, in Axess magazine, 2003:02