Editing Per Albin Hansson

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{short description|Swedish politician, Prime Minister of Sweden, 1932–36 and 1936–46}}
{{Redirect|Per Hansson|the journalist|Per Hansson (journalist)|the sports shooter|Per Hansson (sport shooter)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Per Albin Hansson
| image               = Per Albin Hansson, statsminister, porträttbild 1935.jpg
| caption             = Hansson in 1937
| office              = [[Prime Minister of Sweden]]
| office3             = [[Minister for Defence (Sweden)|Minister for Defence]]{{efn|Minister for War between 10 March – 30 June 1920}}
| monarch             = [[Gustaf V of Sweden|Gustaf V]]
| monarch2            = Gustaf V
| primeminister3      = [[Hjalmar Branting]]
| primeminister4      = Hjalmar Branting
| primeminister5      = {{unbulleted list|Hjalmar Branting|[[Rickard Sandler]]}}
| term_start          = 28 September 1936
| term_start2         = 24 September 1932
| term_start3         = 10 March 1920
| term_start4         = 13 October 1921
| term_start5         = 18 October 1924
| term_end            = 6 October 1946
| term_end2           = 19 June 1936
| term_end3           = 27 October 1920
| term_end4           = 19 April 1923
| term_end5           = 7 June 1926
| predecessor         = [[Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp]]
| predecessor2        = [[Felix Hamrin]]
| predecessor3        = [[Erik Nilsson]]
| predecessor4        = [[Otto Lybeck]]
| predecessor5        = [[Carl Malmroth]]
| successor           = [[Tage Erlander]]
| successor2          = Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp
| successor3          = [[Carl Gustaf Hammarskjöld]]
| successor4          = Carl Malmroth
| successor5          = [[Gustav Rosén]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1885|10|28|df=yes}}
| birth_place         = [[Malmö]], Sweden
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1946|10|6|1885|10|28|df=yes}}
| death_place         = [[Stockholm]], Sweden
| party               = [[Swedish Social Democratic Party|Social Democrats]]
| spouse              = {{Marriage|Elisabeth Fryckberg|1918}}<br>{{Marriage|Sigrid Vestdahl|1926}}
| resting_place       = [[Norra begravningsplatsen]]
| signature           = Per Albin Hansson SPA (cropped) sign.jpg
| birth_name          = Per Albin Hansson
| honorific_prefix    = [[His Excellency]]
| cabinet             = {{ubl|[[:sv:Regeringen Hansson I|Hansson I cabinet]]}} [[Hansson II cabinet]]<br>[[Hansson III cabinet]]<br>[[Hansson IV cabinet]]
}}

'''Per Albin Hansson''' (28 October 1885 – 6 October 1946) was a Swedish politician, chairman of the [[Swedish Social Democratic Party|Social Democrats]] from 1925 and two-time [[Prime Minister of Sweden|Prime Minister]] in four [[Government of Sweden|governments]] between 1932 and 1946,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Sweden.html|title=Sweden|publisher=World Statesmen|language=sv|access-date=22 December 2014}}</ref> governing all that period save for a short-lived crisis in the summer of 1936, which he ended by forming a [[coalition government]] with his main adversary, [[Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp]]. He has been described as one of the fathers of modern Sweden.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Daunfeldt |first=Erik |date=2023-06-21 |title=SMEDJAN {{!}} Arvid Lindman: Sveriges sanna landsfader |url=https://timbro.se/smedjan/samhalle/arvid-lindman-sveriges-sanna-landsfader/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Timbro |language=sv-SE}}</ref>

==Political activity==
During [[World War II]], in which Sweden maintained a policy of neutrality, he presided over a [[National unity government|government of national unity]] that included all major parties in the [[Parliament of Sweden|Riksdag]] with the exception of the [[Vänsterpartiet|Communist Party]].<ref>Swedish Encyclopedia "Bonniers Lexikon", 1960s, known as "the Apple", vol 6:15, article "Hansson, Per Albin", column 837 "Han ombildade dec. 1939 regeringen till en även folkpartiet och högern ommfattande samlingsministär, som fungerade till juli 1945. Genom försiktig utrikespolitik sökte han bevara Sveriges neutralitet"</ref> Forging the Social Democratic grip on Swedish politics that would last throughout the century, Hansson left an astounding legacy on his party as well as creating the idea of Sweden to become "''[[Folkhemmet]]''", "The People's Home".<ref>Swedish Encyclopedia "Bonniers Lexikon", 1960s, known as "the Apple", vol 6:15, article "Hansson, Per Albin", column 836–837 "Partiets målsättning skulle enligt Hansson (1928) vara att göra Sverige till ett 'folkhem' ".</ref> This remained intact until the early 1990s, including a strict policy of neutrality, a wide-stretching [[welfare state]] through parliamentary legislation, and reformist [[social corporatism]] rather than Marxist [[Socialization (Marxism)|socialization]] of the [[means of production]]. Following the [[World War II|war]], Hansson formed a Social Democratic cabinet enjoying [[absolute majority]] in the Riksdag before succumbing to a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on his way home from work late at night on 6 October 1946.

During Hansson's fourteen years as Prime Minister of Sweden, a wide range of reforms were realised, such as income-tested child allowances for invalidity pensioners and widows, maternity allowances through voluntary sickness insurance, and a 1935 law that introduced state subsidies for the construction of apartment houses for families with three or more children, combined with housing allowances for families with more than two children living in these houses.<ref>Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II Volume 4 edited by Peter Flora</ref> Subsidised dental care was also established.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GLQ3AAAAIAAJ&q=sweden+dental+care+1938&pg=PA13 |title = Current Issues and Research in Macrosociology|isbn = 9004070524|last1 = Lenski|first1 = Gerhard Emmanuel|year = 1984| publisher=Brill Archive }}</ref> By 1953, dental clinics were open to the whole population, with children receiving free treatment and adults either paying a modest fee or (in the case of less well-off persons) free treatment as well.<ref>Freedom and welfare : social patterns in the northern countries of Europe edited by G.R. Nelson, Denmark, Assisted by A. Makinen-Ollinen, Finland, S. Thorbjornsson, Iceland, K. Salvesen, Norway, G. Tegner, Sweden, 1953, P.23-24 </ref> 

A bill that provided for "the establishment of a voluntary unemployment insurance scheme was passed into law and came into force on 1 January 1935." The Government also allocated funds for the improvement of rural housing.<ref>[http://www.ilo.org/public/libdoc/ilo/P/09614/09614(1934-1935).pdf THE I.L.O YEAR-BOOK 1934-35]</ref> An act of 26 June 1936 amended that of 1929 "so as to include all the diseases contained in the revised Convention, as well as those due to carbon monoxide, cyanogen and its compounds, chlorine, nitrous fumes, chromic acid and its compounds, and certain infectious diseases (hospital staffs, etc.)." A People's Travel Association was founded for workers and their families in March 1937. An act of 11 September 1936 "contains a new regulation of the right of association and collective bargaining. The act applies not only to workers in private undertakings but also to employees in the service of the State or the communes who have not the status of officials." On 1 November 1936 an act came into force "regulating hours of work on farms employing more than four workers, exclusive of cattle tenders. The maximum working day is 10 hours, and the net working week may vary from 46 to 56 hours in the course of the year."<ref>[http://www.ilo.org/public/libdoc/ilo/P/09614/09614%281936-1937%29.pdf THE I.L.O YEAR-BOOK 1936-37]</ref> According to one study, the years 1937 to 1939 became "a harvest season for a series of social reforms that previously for the most part were dreams for the future."  

Writing on these years, Hansson stated that "1937 loosened things up.  That is when a pension amendment indexed to the cost of living was enacted, child support, mothers’ assistance, maternity assistance, far-reaching improvements in preventative mother and child care, the housing loan fund. The regulation of farm labor was approved. 1938 gave us compulsory holidays, the national dental plan, and the Institute for Health Insurance. 1939 saw the regulation of working hours … [and] housing for pensioners was created for the aged."<ref>The Age of Social Democracy Norway and Sweden in the Twentieth Century By Francis Sejersted, 2021, P.121</ref>  

An act to provide for 12 days of annual holiday with pay for workers passed the Riksdag on 2 June 1938, while a Royal Notification of 2 December 1938 "deals with medical inspection of workers exposed to silicosis, referring to: examination on engagement and annually thereafter; practical methods to be followed; medical authorities entrusted with examination; recording of results on the health register, etc." The Workers' Protection Act of 1912 was "amended and extended to cover certain aspects of hygiene and protection for young persons even in the smaller undertakings, as well as medical examination for adults on engagement and periodically thereafter in the case of particularly unhealthy trades, notably those involving exposure to lead poisoning and to silicosis." Also, under legislation of ("act of 3 June 1938, notification of 17 June 1938") "compensation has been extended to cover forms of dermatitis due to the use of chlorinated derivatives of phenol for impregnating wood." A 1938 act amended the Workers' Protection Act, with an Institute of Social Hygiene set up; one of its duties being the study of maternity protection. An act of 1938 authorised "loans and grants for the erection of roomy accommodation for large families living in overcrowded buildings in rural districts." The 48-hour week "has been extended to cover the staff in lunatic asylums and the Government has fixed the increases in staff which this reform involves." The Holidays with Pay act, which was promulgated on 17 June 1938, "contains special provisions for home workers." This act "introduced a legal system of annual holidays with pay in the country. The act, which is of general application, grants one working day's holiday for every month of service after one year, provided that at least 180 days have been worked in the same undertaking and at least 16 days per month; the act may not be used to invalidate any more favourable conditions contained in collective agreements. For seamen in particular the payment during the holiday includes wages and an allowance for food. Changes in the ownership of the vessel and interruptions of service for which the seaman is not responsible do not affect the right to the holiday."<ref>[http://www.ilo.org/public/libdoc/ilo/P/09614/09614(1938-1939).pdf THE I.L.O YEAR-BOOK 1938-39]</ref> 

A new act fixed hours of work for employees in commerce. From 1 January 1939 the working hours for nursing and domestic staff were 48 in the week, and on 10 March 1939 "the Government presented a Bill to amend the act of 16 May 1930 on hours of work in bakeries. The proposed amendments would enable Sweden to ratify the international Convention on the subject. They suppressed the exemption of family undertakings from the scope of the act and the provisions under which the act applied only to the production of bread and pastry for sale. The Bill was passed by Parliament on 11 May 1939." Instructions concerning the inspectorates for electrical installations, explosives and ships were published on 30 June 1939 and other instructions on the inspection of lifts on 13 December 1939. Three Royal Notifications of 26 January 1940 "amended the existing regulations on the special inspection of the State railways, private railways and explosive substances." The war risks of seamen in the event of accidents were dealt with in an act of 11 June 1937, which provided "for a very considerable increase in the accident benefits normally due to seamen if the injury or death results from an act of war. In the event of total incapacity or death the individual is entitled to a lump sum which, in the case of officers, is generally equal to twelve months' salary, and in the case of all other ratings, 4,800 kr. For partial incapacity the sum is proportionately reduced." An act of 14 October 1939 provided that "no person may be discharged from employment on account of military or other service which he is required by law to perform. The parties may however agree to override this rule if the military service is to last more than three months." An act of 19 May 1939 prohibited employers "from discharging, owing to engagement or marriage, any wage earner with at least two years' continuous service in the undertaking. Any agreement to the contrary is null and void and an employer who contravenes this rule must pay damages. The act applies to undertakings employing at least three persons."<ref>[http://www.ilo.org/public/libdoc/ilo/P/09614/09614(1939-1940).pdf THE I.L.O YEAR-BOOK 1939-40]</ref>

==Early life and career==
{{More citations needed|date=December 2007}}
[[File:Per Albin Hanssons museum.jpg|thumb|left|The birthplace of Per Albin Hansson]]
Per Albin Hansson was born in [[Kulladal]], a neighborhood in [[Malmö]], [[Sweden]], on 28 October 1885.

One of the first professional politicians of Sweden, Hansson participated in the creation of the [[Swedish Social Democratic Youth]] in 1903 and presided over it as its chairman in 1908–09, a period in which [[universal suffrage]] and [[proportional representation]] was to be gradually enacted for all Swedish males by Conservative Prime Minister [[Arvid Lindman]], later a rival of Hansson. Influenced generally by [[Karl Kautsky]]'s views on socialism, Hansson succeeded [[Hjalmar Branting]] as editor of ''[[Social-Demokraten]]'' in 1917&nbsp;and was appointed his Minister of Defence in Sweden's [[Branting I Cabinet|first Social Democratic cabinet]] in 1920, following a Liberal-Social Democratic coalition enacting equal suffrage for men and women (in effect as of the 1921 election). Per Albin Hansson held this office in all of Branting's three cabinets between 1920 and 1925 (years which saw eight governments), performing numerous cut-backs on the military budget. Upon Branting's death in 1925, Hansson rose to be embraced as chairman of the party. His legitimacy remained under dispute, however, and only in 1927 did he become the head of the Riksdag faction, before having been confirmed undisputedly as Branting's successor in a 1928 congress.

Upon losing power to [[Carl Gustaf Ekman]]'s [[Prohibition|pro-prohibition]] Liberals in 1926, Hansson worked from the opposition bench and, although heading what was to remain the largest party of the Riksdag to date, faced a major setback upon cooperating with the Communists in the [[1928 Swedish general election|infamous election of 1928]]. Hansson's party did poorly as a result, and not until [[2010 Swedish general election|the 2010 election]] would the Social Democrats and the Communists (the latter changed its name, in 1995, to the Left Party) would the two parties run in tandem again.

In opposition to the Conservative – though equally pragmatic and staunchly anti-fascist – Lindman cabinet, Hansson pressed for the introduction of a [[welfare state]] rather than wide-scale [[nationalization]]s. He called his vision ''[[Folkhemmet]]'' ("the People's Home") in a Riksdag debate in 1928.

Following the fall of Ekman in 1932 due to a corruption scandal involving the recently deceased industrialist [[Ivar Kreuger]], the Social Democrats made gains, which altogether gave them 104 Riksdag seats and 41.7% of the popular vote. Though this left them short of a majority, they benefited from the inability of the Liberal parties (themselves unable to form a single faction until 1934), the Conservatives and the Agrarians to form a stable administration of their own. This inability gave Hansson his chance. He courted and eventually obtained support from the Farmers' League, through promising an agriculture policy favoring the interests of the League (''kohandeln''), although he stopped short of giving League parliamentarians any cabinet posts.

In June 1936, the combined efforts of the Liberals, the Conservatives and the Agrarians brought the Hansson-led government to an end and ensured Hansson's own resignation as prime minister. Following Hansson's departure, League chairman [[Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp]] was able to form a three-month "Vacation Cabinet". That lasted until the [[1936 Swedish general election|elections in September]], which saw a rise in support of the Social Democrats. This time Hansson invited certain League members into the cabinet, and Pehrsson-Brahmstorp therefore became Minister of Agriculture. The administration enjoyed a substantial parliamentary majority that lasted until 1939.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

==World War II==
Following the [[Invasion of Poland|German-Soviet invasion of Poland]] in 1939, Hansson declared strict [[neutral country|neutrality]] and called for the formation of a broad coalition government involving all major parties under his leadership, which was realized in December except only the [[Stalinism|pro-Stalin]] [[Left Party (Sweden)|Communist Party]] and its short-lived pro-German splinter faction, the [[Socialist Party of Sweden (1929)|Socialist Party]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ne.se/school/lang/socialistiska-partiet|title = Socialistiska partiet - Uppslagsverk - NE.se}}</ref> Alone in Europe save for Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Ireland and the Vatican, Sweden maintained neutrality throughout all [[World War II]], but like the mentioned countries, cooperated and traded with both sides. [[Winston Churchill]] claimed that Sweden during World War II ignored the greater moral issues and played both sides for profit, a criticism mimicked in criticism towards Sweden's policy towards the [[Operation Weserübung|German occupation of Denmark and Norway]] upheld partly by transportation reinforcement through Swedish territory, sanctioned by Hansson's cabinet.<ref name="ReferenceA">Winston Churchill – The Second World War. {{ISBN|978-0-7126-6702-9}}</ref>

The [[German invasion of the Soviet Union]] on 22 June 1941, [[Operation Barbarossa]] sparked an ultimatum known as the [[midsummer crisis|Midsommarkrisen]] by the government of [[Nazi Germany]] to Hansson's cabinet, demanding some military concessions, including [[transit of German troops through Scandinavia (WWII)|German troop transports]] on Swedish railways in order to support Germany's ally Finland. Political deliberations surrounding this ultimatum have been dubbed the "midsummer crisis", which ultimately, allegedly following King [[Gustav V]]'s decision to resign should the concessions not be made, fell out in favor of the Axis. The 83-year-old king formally (although having not directly intervened in the government's policies since 1914) had the powers to appoint his own cabinet, and his open intervention in the issue was seen as a threat to the stability of the government and, given the ongoing war, to the sovereignty of the nation.

Recent research by Carl-Gustaf Scott argues however that there never was a "crisis" and that "the crisis was created in historical hindsight in order to protect the political legacy of the [[Swedish Social Democratic Party|Social Democratic Party]] and its leader Per Albin Hansson."<ref>Carl-Gustaf Scott, "The Swedish Midsummer Crisis of 1941: The Crisis that Never Was" Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 37, No. 3, 371–394 (2002) ([http://jch.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/37/3/371 SAGE JOURNALS ONLINE])</ref>

To get the [[steel]] required by the German [[Ruhr]] and [[Upper Silesia]] industry, Germany was, in 1939–1940, dependent on shipments of Swedish [[iron ore]], since access to the supplies from the mines in France, the traditional supplier, were cut off until the invasion of France. In 1939–1940 the Allies tried various ways to stop the shipments of Swedish ore, for example by [[Plan R 4|mining Norwegian territorial waters]].

In effect, the main political priority was to avoid direct war engagement of Sweden during World War II. Following Germany's setbacks around 1942–43, Sweden was no longer seriously threatened by an invasion from [[Nazi Germany]] and subsequently rolled back most of its concessions.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

==Death and political legacy==
Following [[V-E Day|the surrender of Germany]], Hansson wanted to maintain a Social Democratic-led coalition government of all non-Communist parties. However, he failed to achieve this as a result of strong opposition within his own party which favoured a radical reformist agenda following the war. Hansson reluctantly agreed to a single-party government. He had abandoned his early revolutionary and strictly anti-militarist views in favor of [[social corporatism]], class collaboration and a reformist agenda involving few nationalizations but stable armed forces in order to secure neutrality.

In January 1946, Hansson's government controversially agreed to [[Swedish extradition of Baltic soldiers|extradite soldiers from the Baltic states]] that had been conscripted into the German armed forces and sought refuge in Sweden to the USSR, despite widespread protests and opposition from the Swedish public and the King. The government of Sweden formally apologized for this in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-08-17 |title=Worthwhile Swedish Apology |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/worthwhile-swedish-apology-jay-nordlinger/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=National Review |language=en-US}}</ref>

He died from a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] in [[Stockholm]] on 6 October 1946 while stepping off a tram at the Ålstens Gård station. He was succeeded as party chairman and prime minister by Minister of Education [[Tage Erlander]], who held both offices concurrently until 1969, completing most of Hansson's legacy. Per Albin Hansson, seen often as the most successful prime minister in Swedish history. He is interred in [[Norra Begravningsplatsen]] in Stockholm.{{fact|date=August 2022}}

<gallery>
Per Albin Hansson young.jpg|Per Albin Hansson in his youth
Peralbinhanssoncaricature-hp-1927.PNG|Communist caricature of Per Albin Hansson, portraying his transition from anti-militarist agitator to defense minister
The cabinet of Sweden 1939 and prime minister Hansson.jpg|The newly appointed Swedish cabinet, assembled outside the Royal Palace in Stockholm, 13 December 1939
</gallery>

==Private life==
Per Albin Hansson was married to Elisabeth Fryckberg between 1918–1926. Before marrying her, he lived with Sigrid Vestdahl and fathered one child by her in 1908. He continued his relationship with Vestdahl after his marriage to Fryckberg. He lived with and supported both families financially. This was most likely known to the press, but little was written about it. It appears both women were aware of the situation.<ref>[https://www.hemtrevligt.se/hemmetsjournal/artiklar/artiklar/20180724/en-landsfader-med-tva-familjer/ Karlsson, Hemmets Journal | Petter. "En landsfader med två familjer". Hemmets Journal. Published 2018.]</ref>

==In popular culture==
In the Swedish television movie ''Four Days that shook Sweden – The Midsummer Crisis 1941'' from 1988, he is played by Swedish character actor [[Ernst-Hugo Järegård]].{{fact|date=March 2024}} 

According to Daunfeldt, in Social democratic historiagraphy, Hansson is portrayed as the father of modern Sweden.<ref name=":0" />

==See also==
*[[Sweden during World War II]]
*[[Skåne Line]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
*{{cite book|first=Agne|last=Gustafsson|url=http://www.ne.se/school/lang/per-albin-hansson|title=Per Albin Hansson|publisher=Nationalencyklopedin}}

==External links==
*{{Commons-inline}}

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{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Sweden]]|before=[[Felix Hamrin]]|after=[[Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp|Axel Pehrsson (Bramstorp)]]|years=1932–1936}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Sweden]]|before=[[Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp|Axel Pehrsson (Bramstorp)]]|after=[[Tage Erlander]]|years=1936–1946}}
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{{succession box|title=Chairman of the <br />[[Social Democratic Workers' Party of Sweden|Swedish Social Democratic Party]]|before=[[Hjalmar Branting]]|after=[[Tage Erlander]]|years=1925–1946}}
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{{Prime Ministers of Sweden}}
{{First cabinet of Hjalmar Branting}}
{{Swedish Social Democratic Party}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansson, Per Albin}}
[[Category:Per Albin Hansson| ]]
[[Category:1885 births]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Malmö]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Sweden]]
[[Category:Ministers for defence of Sweden]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Swedish Social Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Swedish people of World War II]]
[[Category:World War II political leaders]]
[[Category:Members of the Andra kammaren]]
[[Category:Swedish democracy activists]]
[[Category:Swedish Lutherans]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive of the Labour and Socialist International]]
[[Category:Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen]]
[[Category:Great Depression in Sweden]]
[[Category:20th-century Lutherans]]
[[Category:Lund University alumni]]