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Anarchism in Sweden first grew out of the nascentsocial democratic movement during the later 19th century, with a specifically libertarian socialist tendency emerging from a split in the movement. As with the movements in Germany and the Netherlands, Swedish anarchism had a strongsyndicalist tendency,[1] which culminated in the establishment of theCentral Organisation of the Workers of Sweden (SAC) following an abortedgeneral strike. The modern movement emerged during the late 20th century, growing within a number of countercultural movements before the revival ofanarcho-syndicalism during the 1990s.[2]
Anarchism was reported to have been extant in Sweden byMikhail Bakunin as early as 1866.[3]
Anarchist ideas were prominent in theSwedish Social Democratic Party (SAP) from its founding in 1889 to the early 1900s, with a number of anarchists includingHinke Bergegren becoming leading members. After the exclusion of Bergegren and other anarchists from the SAP in 1908, the party's youth organization – theYoung Socialists (Swedish:Ungsocialisterna) – broke away to form a separateanti-parliamentary socialist party.[2]
Following the defeat of theGreat Strike of 1909, a number of Young Socialists participated in the foundation of ananarcho-syndicalist trade union, theSveriges Arbetares Centralorganisation (SAC).[4] DuringWorld War I, the SAC received support from the German syndicalistAugustin Souchy, while in theUnited States, the Swedish labor organizerJoe Hill was executed.[2] The rise of anarcho-syndicalism influenced the magazineBrand, which had been published since 1898, to turn towards anarchism during the 1910s, going on to become the oldest continuously published anarchist magazine in Sweden.[2][5]
The Swedish anarchist movement experienced a resurgence as a result of theprotests of 1968, although by this time the Young Socialist Party had ceased to exist. Further attempts to rekindle a national organisation were largely short-lived, with anarchist presence instead taking root in the risingcounterculture of the 1970s, particularly within thepunk subculture and nascentintentional communities. By the 1980s, Swedish anarchists had come under the influence of theGerman autonomist movement, with a number ofsquats being established throughout the country, and by the following decade,green anarchism was embraced by an increasing number of Swedish anarchists.[2]
Following therevolutions of 1989, Swedish interest in anarcho-syndicalism was revived. The SAC had continued its activities and grew to over 6,500 members, remaining active in labor organizing up until the modern day. In 1993, theSwedish Anarcho-syndicalist Youth Federation (SUF) was established as a youth organization in collaboration with the SAC.[2]
One of many minor anarchist groups are theFag Army, a left-wingqueer anarchist group, which launched its first action on August 18, 2014, when itpied theMinister for Health and Social Affairs,Christian Democrat leaderGöran Hägglund.[6]
