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This article describes thehistory of Sweden from the late 1960s until 1991.
During the mid-1960s, Sweden experienced a surge ofleft-wing activism, culminating in events such as theBåstad riots and the occupation of the student union building atStockholm University. The Båstad riots occurred in May 1968 during aDavis Cup tennis match betweenSweden andRhodesia, where demonstrators protested against Rhodesia's participation due to itsapartheid policies. The protest escalated into the most violent confrontation between Swedish police and demonstrators during the 1960s, involving the use oftear gas andwater cannons.[1][2][3][4] Shortly thereafter, in May 1968, students at Stockholm University occupied the student union building to send a political message to the government, inspired by theMay 1968 protests in France.[5]
"Solidarity" and "awareness" became watchwords, initially in literary and student circles, then in thesocialist/syndicalist underground, and eventually permeating the media and government. By the early 1970s, underPrime Minister Olof Palme, Sweden vocally opposed oppression and war in countries such asSouth Africa andVietnam. In December 1972, Palme condemned theU.S. bombings of Hanoi, comparing them toNazi war crimes like thedestructions of Lidice andOradour, leading the U.S. to recall its ambassador.[6]
Sweden's support for theAfrican National Congress (ANC) and theVietnamese National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (FNL) extended beyond rhetoric, encompassing economic aid and diplomatic backing. AfterVietnam's reunification in 1975, Sweden assisted in constructing amodern pulp plant atBai Bang.[7][8][9][10][11]The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) provided substantial assistance over 25 years, with the total Swedish contribution amounting to SEK 2.8 billion.[12] Despite initial challenges and criticisms, the project ultimately succeeded, with the mill reaching its projected capacity in 1996 and becoming a cornerstone ofVietnam's paper industry.[9]
In 1973, Swedish journalistsJan Guillou andPeter Bratt uncovered the existence ofInformationsbyrån (IB), a clandestine intelligence agency operating without official status within theSwedish Armed Forces. Their investigation revealed that IB conducted surveillance on individuals deemed threats to national security, includingcommunists andleft-wing activists.[13] The exposé, published in the magazineFolket i Bild/Kulturfront, detailed IB's activities, including infiltration of leftist organizations and unauthorized surveillance. The revelations led to a significant political scandal in Sweden, known as the IB affair.[14][15][16][17]
Guillou and Bratt, along with their sourceHåkan Isacson, were arrested and convicted ofespionage. Their exposure of IB's operations highlighted issues of government transparency and the balance between national security and civil liberties in Sweden.[18][14][13]
In the1976 general election, a coalition of theCentre Party, thePeople's Party, and theModerate Party secured a majority in theRiksdag, ending 44 years of uninterruptedSocial Democratic rule.[19]Thorbjörn Fälldin, leader of the Centre Party, became prime minister, marking the first non-Social Democratic leadership since 1932.[20] Fälldin's tenure was marked by internal disagreements within the coalition, particularly over nuclear energy policy. These disputes led to the government's resignation in 1978. Fälldin returned as prime minister in 1979 after forming a new coalition.[19] The coalition faced challenges addressing economic recession and energy debates, leading to perceptions of ineffective governance. In the 1982 election, the Social Democrats, led byOlof Palme, regained power.[19]
During the early 1980s, Sweden experienced several incidents involving foreign submarines violating its territorial waters, believed to beSoviet.[21][22][23] The most notable was in October 1981, when the Soviet submarineU-137 ran aground near theKarlskrona naval base. Swedish authorities discovereduranium-238 on board, indicating the presence of nuclear weapons.[24]
On February 28, 1986, Prime Minister Palme was murdered as he was walking the streets of Stockholm with his wife. The crime came as a shock—indeed it is sometimes referred to as anational trauma, or an event by which Sweden "lost her innocence". The main suspectChrister Pettersson was convicted of the murder, but the conviction was reversed on appeal because the gun was never found. Pettersson died in 2004.
Palme was succeeded by his deputyIngvar Carlsson.
