View source for Swedish Social Democratic Party

{{Short description|Political party}}
{{Redirect|Socialdemokraterna|the Finnish political party|Social Democratic Party of Finland|the party in Åland|Åland Social Democrats}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party
| native_name      = {{lang|sv|Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti|italics=no}}
| logo             = Swedish Social Democratic Worker's Party logo.svg
| logo_size        = 175
| colorcode        = {{Political party data|color}}
| abbreviation     = S<br>SAP
| chairperson      = [[Magdalena Andersson]]
| secretary_general = [[Tobias Baudin]]
| leader1_title    = [[Parliamentary group leader]]
| leader1_name     = [[Lena Hallengren]]
| foundation       = 23 April 1889<br>({{age in years and days|1889|04|23}})
| headquarters     = [[Sveavägen]] 68, [[Stockholm]]
| student_wing     = [[Social Democratic Students of Sweden]]
| youth_wing       = [[Swedish Social Democratic Youth League]]
| wing1_title      = Women's wing
| wing1            = [[Social Democratic Women in Sweden]]
| wing2_title      = Religious wing
| wing2            = [[Religious Social Democrats of Sweden]]
| wing3_title      = LGBT wing
| wing3            = LGBT Social Democrats of Sweden
| membership_year  = 2023
| membership       = {{decrease}} 78,257<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2024-10-13 |title=Medlemsras för Liberalerna – störst tapp bland riksdagspartierna |url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/medlemsras-for-liberalerna-storst-tapp-bland-riksdagspartierna |access-date=2024-10-13 |work=SVT Nyheter |language=sv}}</ref>
| ideology         = [[Social democracy]]
| position         = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lane|first1=Jan-Erik|last2=Ersson|first2=Svante|date=25 July 2008|chapter=The Nordic Countries: Compromise and Corporatism in the Welfare State|editor-link=Josep Colomer|editor-last=Colomer|editor-first=Josep M.|title=Comparative European Politics|edition=3rd|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=TZF8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA261 261]|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1-134-07354-2}}</ref>
| european         = [[Party of European Socialists]]
| international    = [[Progressive Alliance]]<ref name="PA">{{cite web|url=https://progressive-alliance.info/network/parties-and-organisations/|title=Parties & Organisations|publisher=Progressive Alliance|access-date=22 July 2019|archive-date=6 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306042542/https://progressive-alliance.info/network/parties-and-organisations/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| europarl         = [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats]]
| affiliation1_title = Nordic affiliation
| affiliation1     = [[SAMAK]]<br>[[The Social Democratic Group]]
| affiliation2_title = Trade union affiliation
| affiliation2     = [[Swedish Trade Union Confederation]]
| colours          = {{colour box|{{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}|border=darkgray}} Red
<!-- Values obtained from Wikidata; to edit, see https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105112 -->
| seats1_title     = [[Riksdag]]
| seats1           = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|ms-lower-house}}
| seats2_title     = [[European Parliament]]
| seats2           = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|EP}}
| seats3_title     = [[County councils of Sweden|County councils]]<ref name="mandat2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.val.se/valresultat/riksdag-region-och-kommun/2022/radata-och-statistik.html#mandatfordelning|language=sv|website=Valmyndigheten|title=Mandatfördelning|date=8 March 2024|access-date=2024-03-08|archive-date=11 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311071759/https://www.val.se/valresultat/riksdag-region-och-kommun/2022/radata-och-statistik.html#mandatfordelning|url-status=live}}</ref>
| seats3           = {{composition bar|576|1720|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| seats4_title     = [[Municipal council (Sweden)|Municipal councils]]<ref name="mandat2022" />
| seats4           = {{composition bar|3771|12614|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| website          = {{Political party data|website}}
| country          = Sweden
}}

The '''Swedish Social Democratic Party''', formally the '''Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitution |url=https://www.socialdemokraterna.se/download/18.12ce554f16be946d046409e1/1568881589710/constitution_2017.pdf |website=socialdemokraterna.se |access-date=8 October 2022 |archive-date=13 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113174816/https://www.socialdemokraterna.se/download/18.12ce554f16be946d046409e1/1568881589710/constitution_2017.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> ({{langx|sv|Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti}} {{IPA|sv|ˈsvæ̌rjɛs sʊsɪˈɑ̂ːldɛmʊˌkrɑːtɪska ˈârːbeːtarɛpaˌʈiː||Sv-Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti.ogg}}, '''S''' or '''SAP'''), usually referred to as '''The Social Democrats''' ({{langx|sv|link=no|Socialdemokraterna}} {{IPA|sv|sʊsɪˈɑ̂ːldɛmʊˌkrɑːtɛɳa||Sv-Socialdemokraterna.ogg}}), is a [[Social democracy|social democratic]]<ref name=":1">{{cite book|last1=Egle|first1=Christoph|last2=Henkes|first2=Christian|last3=Merkel|first3=Wolfgang|last4=Petring|first4=Alexander|year=2008|title=Social Democracy in Power: The Capacity to Reform|location=London|publisher=Taylor & Francis|pages=8–9|isbn=978-0415438209}}</ref> [[List of political parties in Sweden|political party in Sweden]]. The party is a member of the [[Progressive Alliance]] and the [[Party of European Socialists]].

Founded in 1889, the SAP is the country's oldest and currently largest party. From the mid-1930s to the 1980s, the Social Democratic Party won more than 40% of the vote. From 1932 to 1976, the SAP was continuously in government. From 1982 to 2022, the party was in government with the exception of the periods 1991–1994 and 2006–2014. Since 2022, the party has been out of government. It participates in elections as "The Workers' Party – The Social Democrats" ({{langx|sv|link=no|Arbetarepartiet – Socialdemokraterna}} {{IPA|sv|ˈârːbeːtarɛpaˌʈiːɛt sʊsɪˈɑ̂ːldɛmʊˌkrɑːtɛɳa||Sv-Arbetarepartiet – Socialdemokraterna.ogg}}). The first female PM in Swedish history, [[Magdalena Andersson]], is the current leader of the Social Democratic Party.

== History ==
Founded in 1889 as a member of the [[Second International]], a split occurred in 1917 when the left socialists split from the Social Democrats to form the Swedish Social Democratic Left Party (later the Communist Party of Sweden and now the [[Left Party (Sweden)|Left Party]]). The words of honour as recorded by the 2001 party programme are "freedom, equality, and [[solidarity]]". The party had influences from [[Marxism]] in its early days, but these were gradually removed in the years leading up to the split in 1917.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Engstörm |first1=Christer |title=Nationalencyklopedin |date=May 1995 |publisher=Bra Böcker |location=Höganäs |isbn=91-7024-621-1 |pages=544–545 |quote= Det tyska Gotha-programmet mes dess blandning av laselleanska och marxistiska element betraktades som partiets program, men efter hand tog man även intryck av andra länders arbetarrörelser}}</ref> Between 1923 and 1940, the party was a member of the [[Labour and Socialist International]].<ref>Kowalski, Werner (1985). [https://books.google.com/books?id=83QdPwAACAAJ ''Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923–1919'']. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften in German). p. 322.</ref>

Swedish social democracy rose due to the extension of suffrage to the working class and the organizing of trade unions and other civic associations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Boix |first1=Carles |last2=Magyar |first2=Zsuzsanna |date=2022 |title=The Rise of Swedish Social Democracy |journal=British Journal of Political Science |volume=53 |pages=281–296 |language=en |doi=10.1017/S0007123422000102 |s2cid=248275268 |issn=0007-1234|doi-access=free }}</ref> Unlike in many other European countries, the Swedish socialist left was able to form a stable majority coalition during the early 20th century.<ref name=":0">{{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/primacy-of-politics/swedish-exception/3D593CFFC7DAC0E54DCFA454D46C8F39|chapter=The Swedish Exception|last=Berman|first=Sheri|title=The Primacy of Politics|date=2006|pages=152–176|language=en|doi=10.1017/cbo9780511791109.007|isbn=9780511791109|access-date=2020-04-18|archive-date=8 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308211148/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/primacy-of-politics/swedish-exception/3D593CFFC7DAC0E54DCFA454D46C8F39|url-status=live}}</ref> Early on, in large part due to the leadership of [[Hjalmar Branting]], the Swedish socialists adopted a flexible and pragmatic understanding of Marxism.<ref name=":0"/> They were also willing to form cross-class coalitions with liberals and farmers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Esping-Andersen, Gosta.|title=The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism|date=29 May 2013 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-7456-6675-4|oclc=930601033}}</ref><ref name=":0"/> Political scientist [[Sheri Berman]] also credits the Swedish Social Democratic success during the interwar years to the party's adoption of [[Keynesian economics|Keynesianism]] during the [[Great Depression]] (which she contrasts with the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]]'s reluctance towards Keynesian policies during the same time and the German Social Democrats' subsequent decline).<ref name=":0"/>

In 2007, the Social Democrats elected [[Mona Sahlin]] as their first female party leader. On 7 December 2009, the Social Democrats launched a [[Political coalition|political and electoral coalition]] with the [[Green Party (Sweden)|Greens]] and the Left Party known as the [[Red-Greens (Sweden)|Red–Greens]]. The parties contested the [[2010 Swedish general election|2010 election]] on a joint manifesto, but lost the election to the incumbent [[centre-right]] coalition, [[Alliance (Sweden)|The Alliance]]. On 26 November 2010, the Red–Green alliance was dissolved.<ref>{{cite news|title=Det borde bara ha varit vi och S |first=Ewa |last=Stenberg |url=http://www.dn.se/nyheter/politik/det-borde-bara-ha-varit-vi-och-s- |newspaper=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |language=sv |date=26 November 2012 |access-date=21 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018135216/http://www.dn.se/nyheter/politik/det-borde-bara-ha-varit-vi-och-s- |archive-date=18 October 2012 }}</ref> The party is a member of the [[Progressive Alliance]], the [[Party of European Socialists]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pes.eu/en/about-pes/pes-members/parties|title=Parties|publisher=Party of European Socialists|access-date=13 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503194245/http://www.pes.eu/en/about-pes/pes-members/parties|archive-date=3 May 2013}}</ref> and [[SAMAK]]. The party was a member of the [[Socialist International]] until March 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vk.se/1953407/lofven-till-styrelsen-for-ny-organisation |title=Löfven till styrelsen för ny organisation &#124; Västerbottens-Kuriren |publisher=Vk.se |access-date=11 July 2018 |archive-date=10 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310162121/http://www.vk.se/1953407/lofven-till-styrelsen-for-ny-organisation |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.di.se/nyheter/s-nobbar-socialistinternationalen/ |title=S nobbar Socialistinternationalen |publisher=Di.se |date=27 February 2017 |access-date=11 July 2018 |archive-date=12 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712024558/https://www.di.se/nyheter/s-nobbar-socialistinternationalen/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Ideology, political impact and history ==
[[File:Hjalmar Branting by Goodwin.jpg|thumb|[[Hjalmar Branting]], the first elected SAP Prime Minister in 1920]]
The party's first chapter in its statutes says "the intention of the Swedish Social Democratic Labour Party is the struggle towards [[Democratic Socialism]]", i.e. a society with a democratic economy based on the socialist principle "[[From each according to his ability, to each according to his need]]".<ref>{{cite web |year=2017 |title=Stadgar Sveriges Socialdemokratiska Arbetareparti (Kapitel 1 Partiets ändamål) |url=https://www.socialdemokraterna.se/download/18.12ce554f16be946d046409e2/1568881589729/stadgar-antagna-2017.pdf |access-date=21 November 2020 |website=Socialdemokraterna}}</ref> Since the party held power of office for a majority of terms after its founding in 1889 through 2003, the [[ideology]] and policies of the SAP have had strong influence on Swedish politics.<ref>Samuelsson, Kurt. 1968. ''From Great Power to Welfare State: 300 Years of Swedish Social Development''. London: George Allen & Unwin.</ref> The Swedish social democratic ideology is partially an outgrowth of the strong and well-organized 1880s and 1890s working class emancipation, [[Temperance movement|temperance]] and religious ''folkrörelser'' (folk movements), by which [[peasant]] and workers' organizations penetrated state structures early on and paved the way for electoral politics. In this way, Swedish social democratic ideology is inflected by a [[socialism|socialist]] tradition foregrounding widespread and individual human development.<ref>Alapuro, Risto. 1999. "On the repertoires of collective action in France and the Nordic countries." TBD.</ref>

In 1967, Gunnar Adler-Karlsson confidently likened the social democratic project to the successful social democratic effort to divest the king of all power but formal grandeur: "Without dangerous and disruptive internal fights. ... After a few decades they [the capitalists] will then remain, perhaps formally as kings, but in reality as naked symbols of a passed and inferior development state."<ref>Adler-Karlsson, Gunnar. 1967. ''Functional Socialism''. Stockholm: Prisma, pp. 101–2. Cited on p. 196 in Berman, Sheri. 2006. ''The Primacy of Politics: Social Democracy and the Making of Europe's Twentieth Century''. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, MA.</ref>

The Social Democrats are strong supporters of [[egalitarianism]] and maintain a strong opposition to [[discrimination]] and [[racism]]. The party supports [[social welfare]] provision, paid for by [[progressive tax]]ation. The party also supports a [[Social corporatism|social corporatist]] economy involving the institutionalization of a social partnership system between capital and labour economic interest groups, with government oversight to resolve disputes between the two factions.<ref>Gerassimos Moschonas, Gregory Elliot (translator). ''In the Name of Social Democracy: The Great Transformation, 1945 to the Present''. London, United Kingdom; New York, United States: Verso, 2002. pp. 64–69.</ref> Concerning constitutional issues, the Social Democrats advocate the [[Republicanism in Sweden|abolition of monarchy]].<ref>ETT PROGRAM FÖR FÖRÄNDRING (2019) https://www.socialdemokraterna.se/download/18.12ce554f16be946d046409fd/1568881603569/ett-program-for-forandring.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718233816/https://www.socialdemokraterna.se/download/18.12ce554f16be946d046409fd/1568881603569/ett-program-for-forandring.pdf|date=18 July 2021}}</ref>

=== Liberalism ===
[[File:Olivecrona erlander 380.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister [[Tage Erlander]] at a TV debate in 1967]]
[[Liberalism]] has also strongly infused social democratic ideology. Liberalism has oriented social democratic goals to [[security]]. [[Tage Erlander]], prime minister from 1946 to 1969, described security as "too big a problem for the individual to solve with only his own power".<ref>Pp. 258–259 in Erlander, Tage. 1956 SAP Congress Protokoll, in Från Palm to Palme: Den Svenska Socialdemokratins Program. Stockholm: Raben and Sjögren. Cited in Berman 2006: 196. Abrahamson, Peter. "The Scandinavian model of welfare." TBD</ref> Up to the 1980s, when [[neoliberalism]] began to provide an alternative, aggressively pro-capitalist model for ensuring social quiescence, the SAP was able to secure capital's co-operation by convincing capital that it shared the goals of increasing [[economic growth]] and reducing social friction. For many Social Democrats, [[Marxism]] is loosely held to be valuable for its emphasis on changing the world for a more just, better future.<ref>Berman 2006: 153</ref> In 1889, [[Hjalmar Branting]], leader of the SAP from its founding to his death in 1925, asserted: "I believe that one benefits the workers so much more by forcing through reforms which alleviate and strengthen their position, than by saying that only a [[revolution]] can help them".<ref>In a letter to Axel Danielsson in jail (1889), reprinted on p. 189 in Från Palm to Palme: Den Svenska Socialdemokratins Program. Stockholm: Raben & Sjögren. Cited in Berman 2006:156.</ref>

Some observers have argued that this liberal aspect has hardened into increasingly neoliberal ideology and policies, gradually maximizing the latitude of powerful market actors.<ref>Korpi, Walter & Stern. 2004. "Women's employment in Sweden: Globalization, deindustrialization, and the labor market experiences of Swedish Women 1950–2000." Globalife Working Paper No. 51. Korpi, Walter and Joakim Palme. 2003. "New politics and class politics in the context of austerity and globalization: Welfare state regress in 18 countries 1975–1995." Stockholm: Stockholm University. Korpi, Walter. 2003. "Welfare state regress in Western Europe: Politics, Institutions, Globalization, and Europeanization." ''Annual Review of Sociology'' 29: 589–609. Korpi, Walter. 1996. "Eurosclerosis and the sclerosis of objectivity: On the role of velues among economic policy experts." ''Economic Journal'' 106: 1727–1746. Notermans, Ton. 1997. "Social democracy and external constraints", pp. 201–39 in ''Spaces of Globalization: Reasserting the Power of the Local'', edited by K.R. Cox. New York: The Guildord Press. Olsen, Gregg. 2002. ''The Politics of the Welfare State: Canada, Sweden, and the United States''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pred, Alan. 2000. ''Even in Sweden: Racisms, Racialized Spaces, and the Popular Geographical Imagination''. Berkeley: University of California Press. Ryner, Magnus. TBD. SAF. 1993. ''The Swedish Employers' Confederation: An Influential Voice in Public Affairs''. Stockholm: SAF. Stephens, John D. 1996. "The Scandinavian welfare states: Achievements, crisis, and prospects." pp. 32–65 in ''Welfare States in Transition: National Adaptations in Global Economies'', edited by Gosta Esping-Anderson. Wennerberg, Tor. 1995. "Undermining the welfare state in Sweden." ''ZMagazine'', June. Accessed at {{cite web |title=Undermining the Welfare State in Sweden |url=http://www.zmag.org/zmag/articles/june95wennerberg.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001191341/http://www.zmag.org/zmag/articles/june95wennerberg.htm |archive-date=1 October 2009 |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref> Certainly, [[Neoclassical economics|neoclassical]] economists have been firmly nudging the Social Democratic Party into capitulating to most of capital's traditional preferences and prerogatives which they term "modern [[industrial relations]]".<ref>Vartiainen, Juhana. 2001. "Understanding Swedish Social Democracy: Victims of Success?" pp. 21–52 in ''Social Democracy in Neoliberal Times'', edited by Andrew Glyn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref> Both socialist and liberal aspects of the party were influenced by the dual sympathies of early leader [[Hjalmar Branting]] and manifest in the party's first actions, namely reducing the work day to eight hours and establishing the franchise for working-class people.

While some commentators have seen the party lose focus with the rise of SAP neoliberal study groups, the Swedish Social Democratic Party has for many years appealed to Swedes as innovative, capable and worthy of running the state.<ref>Berman 2006: 153–154, 156</ref> The [[Social democracy|Social Democrats]] became one of the most successful political parties in the world, with some structural advantages in addition to their auspicious birth within vibrant ''[[Folkrörelserådet Hela Sverige ska leva|folkrörelser]]''. At the close of the [[19th century]], [[Liberals (Sweden)|liberals]] and [[Socialism|socialists]] had to band together to augment establishment [[democracy]] which was at that point embarrassingly behind in Sweden and they could point to formal democratic advances elsewhere to motivate political action.<ref>Berman 2006: 159</ref> In addition to being small, Sweden was a [[semi-peripheral]] country at the beginning of the 20th century, considered unimportant to competing global political factions, so it was permitted more independence while soon the existence of [[communist]] and [[capitalist]] [[superpower]]s allowed social democracy to flourish in the geo-political interstices.<ref>Berman 2006: 152</ref> The SAP has the resource of sharing ideas and experiences and working with its sister parties throughout the [[Nordic countries]]. Sweden could also borrow and innovate upon ideas from English-language economists which was an advantage for the Social Democrats in the [[Great Depression]], but more advantageous for the [[bourgeois]] parties in the 1980s and afterward.

=== Revisionism ===
[[File:Senator of Alexis Bjorkman of the Riksdag of Sweden LCCN2016860836 (cropped).tif|thumb|Alexis Bjorkman]]
Among the social movement tactics of the Swedish Social Democratic Party in the 20th century was its [[revisionism (Marxism)|redefinition]] of "[[socialization]]" from "[[common ownership]] of the [[means of production]]" to increasing "democratic influence over the economy".<ref>Berman 2006: 196</ref> Starting out in a socialist-liberal coalition fighting for the vote, the Swedish Social Democrats defined [[socialism]] as the development of democracy—political and economic.<ref>Berman 2006: 153, 155</ref> On that basis, they could form coalitions, innovate and govern where other European social democratic parties became crippled and crumbled under [[right-wing]] regimes. The Swedish Social Democrats could count the [[middle class]] among their solidaristic [[working class]] constituency by recognizing the middle class as "economically dependent", "working people", or among the "progressive citizens", rather than as sub-capitalists.<ref>Berman 2006: 157</ref> The Social Democratic congress of 1932 established that "[t]he party does not aim to support and help [one] working class at the expense of the others". In fact, with social democratic policies that refrained from supporting inefficient and low-profit businesses in favor of cultivating higher-quality working conditions as well as a strong commitment to [[public education]], the middle class in Sweden became so large that the capitalist class has remained concentrated.<ref>Stevenson, Paul. 1979. "Swedish Capitalism: An Essay Review." ''Crime, Law and Social Change'' 3(2).</ref> Not only did the SAP fuse the growing middle class into their constituency, they also ingeniously forged periodic coalitions with small-scale farmers (as members of the "exploited classes") to great strategic effect.<ref>Berman 2006: 158–159; 166–167</ref> The SAP version of socialist ideology allowed them to maintain a prescient view of the working class. The party's 1932 election manifesto asserted that "[the SAP] does not question whether those who have become capitalism's victims are industrial workers, farmers, agricultural laborers, forestry workers, store clerks, [[civil servants]] or [[intellectuals]]".<ref>Reprinted in Håkansson, edl, Svenska Valprogram, Vol. 2, and cited in Berman 2006: 173</ref>

While the SAP has worked more or less constructively with more [[Radicalization|radical]] [[left-wing]] parties in Sweden, the Social Democrats have borrowed from socialists some of their [[discourse]] and decreasingly the socialist understanding of the structurally compromised position of [[Labour (economics)|labor]] under capitalism. Even more creatively, the Social Democrats commandeered selected, transcendental images from such [[nationalists]] as [[Rudolf Kjellen]] in 1912, very effectively undercutting [[fascism]]'s appeal in Sweden.<ref>Berman 2006: 163–164; 170</ref> In this way, [[Per Albin Hansson]] declared that "there is no more patriotic party than the [SAP since] the most patriotic act is to create a land in which all feel at home", famously igniting Swedes' innermost longing for transcendence with the 1928 idea of the Folkhem, or the People's Home. The Social Democratic Party promoted [[Folkhemmet]] as a socialist home at a point in which the party turned its back on [[class struggle]] and the policy tool of [[nationalization]].<ref>Meidner, Rudolf. 1993. "Why did the Swedish model fail?" ''The Socialist Register'' 29: 211–228. https://socialistregister.com/index.php/srv/article/view/5630 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201020205/https://socialistregister.com/index.php/srv/article/view/5630|date=1 December 2023}}</ref> Hansson soothed that "[t]he expansion of the party to a people's party does not mean and must not mean a watering down of socialist demands".<ref>Hansson, Per Albin. "Folk och Klass": 80. Cited in Berman 2006: 166</ref> He further stated:

<blockquote>The basis of the home is community and togetherness. The good home does not recognize any privileged or neglected members, nor any favorite or stepchildren. In the good home there is [[Egalitarianism|equality]], consideration, co-operation, and helpfulness. Applied to the great people's and citizens' home this would mean the breaking down of all the social and economic barriers that now separate citizens into the privileged and the neglected, into the rulers and the dependents, into the rich and the poor, the propertied and the impoverished, the plunderers and the plundered. Swedish society is not yet the people's home. There is a formal equality, equality of political rights, but from a social perspective, the class society remains, and from an economic perspective the dictatorship of the few prevails.<ref>Berkling. Från Fram till Folkhemmet: 227–230; Tilton. ''The Political Theory of Swedish Social Democracy'': 126–127.</ref></blockquote>

=== Social democracy ===
The Social Democratic Party is generally recognized as the main architect of the [[progressive tax]]ation, [[fair trade]], low-unemployment, active labor market policies ([[ALMP]])-based Swedish [[welfare state]] that was developed in the years after [[World War II]]. Sweden emerged sound from the [[Great Depression]] with a brief, successful "[[Keynesianism]]-before [[John Maynard Keynes|Keynes]]" economic program advocated by [[Ernst Wigforss]], a prominent Social Democrat who educated himself in economics by studying the work of the British radical [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] economists. The social democratic labor market policies, or ALMPs, were developed in the 1940s and 1950s by LO ([[Landsorganisationen i Sverige]], the blue-collar union federation) economists [[Gösta Rehn]] and [[Rudolf Meidner]].<ref>Carroll, Eero. 2003. "International organisations and welfare states at odds? The case of Sweden." pp. 75–88 in ''The OECD and European Welfare States'', edited by Klaus Armingeon and Michelle Beyeler. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar; Esping-Anderson, Gösta. 1985. ''Politics Against Markets: The Social-Democratic Road to Power''. Princeton: Princeton University Press; Korpi, Walter. 1992. ''Halkar Sverige efter? Sveriges ekonomiska tillväxt 1820–1990 i jämförande belysning'', Stockholm: Carlssons; Olsen, Gregg M. 1999. "Half empty or half full? The Swedish welfare state in transition." ''Canadian Review of Sociology & Anthropology'', 36 (2): 241–268; Olsen, Gregg. 2002. ''The Politics of the Welfare State: Canada, Sweden, and the United States''. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Samuelsson, Kurt. 1968. ''From Great Power to Welfare State: 300 years of Swedish Social Development''. London: George Allen and Unwin.</ref> The [[Rehn-Meidner model]] featured the centralized system of wage bargaining that aimed to both set wages at a just level and promote business efficiency and productivity. With the pre-1983 cooperation of capital and labor federations that bargained independently of the state, the state determined that wages would be higher than the market would set in firms that were inefficient or uncompetitive and lower than the market would set in firms that were highly productive and competitive. Workers were compensated with state-sponsored retraining and relocating. At the same time, the state reformed wages to the goal of "equal pay for equal work", eliminated unemployment, also known as ("the [[reserve army of labor]]") as a disciplinary device and kept incomes consistently rising while taxing progressively and pooling social wealth to deliver services through local governments.<ref>{{cite book |last=Berman |first=Sheri |author-link=Sheri Berman |title=The Primacy of Politics: Social Democracy and the Making of Europe's Twentieth Century |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0521817998 |place=Cambridge, MA}}</ref> Social Democratic policy has traditionally emphasized a state spending structure, whereby [[public services]] are supplied via local government as opposed to emphasizing [[social insurance]] program transfers.<ref>Abrahamson, Peter. 1999. "The Scandinavian model of welfare." TBD</ref>

These social democratic policies have had international influence. The early Swedish [[Red-Greens (Sweden)|red–green]] coalition encouraged Nordic-networked socialists in the state of [[Minnesota]] to dedicate efforts to building a similarly potent labor-farmer alliance that put the socialists in the governorship, running statewide model innovative [[anti-racism]] programs in the early years of the 20th century and enabled federal forest managers in the state of Minnesota to practice a precocious ecological-socialism before U.S. [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] reformers appropriated the [[Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party]] infrastructure to the [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] Democratic Party in 1944.<ref>Delton, Jennifer A. 2002. ''Making Minnesota Liberal''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota; Hudson, Mark. 2007. ''The Slow Co-Production of Disaster: Wildfire, Timber Capital, and the United States Forest Service''. Eugene, OR: University of Oregon.</ref>

[[File:Olof Palme statsminister, tidigt 70-tal.jpg|thumb|Social Democratic leader and Prime Minister [[Olof Palme]] in the 1970s]]
[[File:SAP Logo, 1967-1987.svg|thumb|Logo of the party between 1967 and 1987]]
Under the Social Democrats' administration, Sweden retained [[Neutrality (philosophy)|neutrality]] as a foreign policy guideline during the wars of the 20th century, including the [[Cold War]]. Neutrality preserved the Swedish economy and boosted Sweden's economic competitiveness in the first half of the 20th century as other European countries' economies were devastated by war.<ref>Esping-Anderson, Gosta. 1985. ''Politics Against Markets: The Social-Democratic Road to Power''. Princeton: Princeton University Press; Samuelsson, Kurt. 1968. ''From Great Power to Welfare State: 300 Years of Swedish Social Development''. London: George Allen and Unwin.</ref> Under [[Olof Palme]]'s Social Democratic leadership, Sweden further aggravated the hostility of United States’ political [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatives]] when Palme openly denounced the American aggression in [[Vietnam]]. President [[Richard Nixon]] suspended diplomatic ties with the social democratic country, because of its denouncement of the war.<ref name="vietnam">{{cite web |last=Andersson |first=Stellan |title=Olof Palme och Vietnamfrågan 1965–1983 |url=https://olofpalme.arbark.se/ingangar/tema/vietnam/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225111718/https://olofpalme.arbark.se/ingangar/tema/vietnam/ |archive-date=25 February 2024 |access-date=27 February 2008 |publisher=olofpalme.org |language=sv}}</ref> In 2003, top-ranking Social Democratic Party politician [[Anna Lindh]]—who criticized the [[Iraq War|American-led invasion of Iraq]] as well as both [[Israel]]i and [[State of Palestine|Palestinian]] atrocities and who was the lead figure in promoting the [[European Union]] in Sweden—was publicly assassinated in [[Stockholm]]. As Lindh was to succeed [[Göran Persson]] in the party leadership, her death was deeply disruptive to the party as well as to the campaign to promote the adoption of the [[Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union|EMU]] (euro) in Sweden. The neutrality policy has changed with the contemporary ascendance of the [[centre-right]] coalition as Sweden had committed troops to support the United States and United Kingdom's previous interventions in [[Afghanistan]].

=== From Rehn–Meidner to neoliberalism ===
Because the [[Rehn–Meidner model]] allowed capitalists owning very productive and efficient firms to retain excess profits at the expense of the firms' workers, thus exacerbating inequality, workers in these companies began to ask for a share of the profits in the 1970s, just as women working in the state sector began to assert pressure for better wages. Meidner established a study committee that came up with a 1976 proposal that entailed transferring the excess profits into investment funds controlled by the workers in the firms, with the intention that the companies’ employment would increase and thus pay more workers higher wages, rather than increasing the wealth of the company owners and managers.<ref>{{citation |author=Michael Newman |title=Socialism: A Very Short Introduction |date=25 July 2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> Capitalists immediately distinguished this proposal as socialism, and launched an unprecedented opposition—including calling off the class compromise established in the 1938 [[Saltsjöbaden Agreement]].<ref>Berman 2006</ref>

The 1980s were a very turbulent time in Sweden that initiated the occasional decline of Social Democratic Party rule. In the 1980s, pillars of Swedish industry were massively restructured. Shipbuilding was discontinued, wood pulp was integrated into modernized paper production, the steel industry was concentrated and specialized and mechanical engineering was digitalized.<ref name="Krantz 2007">Krantz, Olle and Lennart Schön. 2007. ''Swedish Historical National Accounts, 1800–2000''. Lund: Almqvist & Wiksell International.</ref> In 1986, [[Olof Palme]], one of the Social Democratic Party's strongest champions of [[democracy]] and [[egalitarianism]], was [[Assassination of Olof Palme|assassinated]]. Swedish capital was increasingly moving Swedish investment into other European countries as the [[European Union]] coalesced and a [[hegemonic]] consensus was forming among the elite financial community while [[progressive taxation]] and pro-egalitarian redistribution became economic heresy.<ref name="Steinmo, Sven 2001">Steinmo, Sven. 2001. "Bucking the Trend? The Welfare State and Global Economy: The Swedish Case Up Close." University of Colorado, 18 December.</ref> A leading proponent of capital's cause at the time, Social Democrat Finance Minister [[Kjell-Olof Feldt]] reminisced in an interview: "The negative inheritance I received from my predecessor [[Gunnar Sträng]] (Minister of Finance, 1955–1976) was a strongly progressive tax system with high [[Marginal tax rates|marginal taxes]]. This was supposed to bring about a just and equal society. But I eventually came to the opinion that it simply didn't work out that way. Progressive taxes created instead a society of wranglers, cheaters, peculiar manipulations, false ambitions and new injustices. It took me at least a decade to get a part of the party to see this".<ref>Sjöberg, T. (1999). Intervjun: Kjell-Olof Feldt [Interview: Kjell-Olof Feldt]." ''Playboy Skandinavia'' (5): 37–44.</ref> With the capitalist confederation's defection from the 1938 [[Saltsjöbaden Agreement]] and Swedish capital investing in other European countries rather than Sweden as well as the global rise of [[neoliberal]] political-economic [[hegemony]], the Social Democratic Party backed away from the progressive Meidner reform.<ref>Berman 2006: 198</ref>

The economic crisis in the 1990s has been widely cited in the Anglo-American press as a social democratic failure, but it is important to note that not only did profit rates begin to fall worldwide after the 1960s,<ref>McNally, David. 1999. "Turbulence in the World Economy." ''Monthly Review'' 51(2). https://monthlyreview.org/1999/06/01/turbulence-in-the-world-economy/. Bowles, Samuel, David M. Gordon, and Thomas E. Weisskopf. 1989. "Business Ascendancy and Economic Impasse: A Structural Retrospective on Conservative Economics, 1979–87." ''Journal of Economic Perspectives'' 3(1): 107–134.</ref> this period also saw neoliberal ascendance in Social Democratic ideology and policies as well as the rise of bourgeois coalition rule in place of the Social Democrats. In the 1980s the Social Democratic party's neoliberal measures—such as depressing and [[deregulating]] the currency to prop up Swedish exports during the economic restructuring and transition, dropping of corporate taxation and taxation on high income-earners and switching from anti-unemployment policies to anti-inflationary policies—were exacerbated by the international [[recession]], unchecked [[currency speculation]] and by a [[Moderate Party]] government led by [[Carl Bildt]] (1991–1994), creating the fiscal crisis of the early 1990s.<ref>Englund, P. 1990. "Financial deregulation in Sweden." ''European Economic Review'' 34 (2–3): 385–393. Korpi TBD. Meidner, R. 1997. "The Swedish model in an era of mass unemployment." Economic and Industrial Democracy 18 (1): 87–97. Olsen, Gregg M. 1999. "Half empty or half full? The Swedish welfare state in transition." ''Canadian Review of Sociology & Anthropology'', 36 (2): 241–268.</ref> According to Cerra and Saxena (2005) almost all of the fall in the substantial GDP per capita lead over the OECD average that Sweden enjoyed through the 1960-1990 period can be attributed to the Swedish financial crisis, and there is no evidence for a substantial negative growth impact from egalitarian policies as in the 'Eurosclerosis' hypothesis.<ref>Cerra, Valerie, and Sweta C. Saxena. 2005. “Eurosclerosis or Financial Collapse: Why Did Swedish Incomes Fall Behind?” IMF working paper WP/05/29. IMF Working Papers. IMF. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=680924.</ref> The financial crisis can in turn be explained by policy errors.<ref>Drees, Burkhard, and Ceyla Pazarbasioglu. 1995. “The Nordic Banking Crises: Pitfalls in Financial Liberalization?” IMF working paper 883209. IMF Working Papers: IMF. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2016/12/30/The-Nordic-Banking-Crises-Pitfalls-in-Financial-Liberalization-1138 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712124949/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2016/12/30/The-Nordic-Banking-Crises-Pitfalls-in-Financial-Liberalization-1138|date=12 July 2022}}.</ref> For example, in the late 1980s high inflation interacted with the tax code to produce negative real interest rates and an investment boom. However, in 1990-1991 the highly trade exposed Swedish economy was impacted by the global downturn, but the commitment to the fixed exchange rate now required a rapid shift to high real interest rates in order to defend the peg, collapsing asset markets and fixed investment. The household savings rate rose appreciably, exacerbated by fears of welfare state retrenchment, worsening the fall in aggregate demand. Unemployment rose rapidly, and the banking sector went into crisis as the nonperforming rate rose sharply, prompting a large bailout program. According to Cerra and Saxena, the deep recession had large and permanent negative effects on the Swedish GDP, which is consistent with other research suggesting that a financial crisis can have extremely persistent effects.<ref>Valerie Cerra and Sweta Chaman Saxena, “Booms, Crises, and Recoveries: A New Paradigm of the Business Cycle and Its Policy Implications,” IMF working paper, IMF Working Papers (IMF, November 2017), https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2017/11/16/Booms-Crises-and-Recoveries-A-New-Paradigm-of-the-Business-Cycle-and-its-Policy-Implications-45368 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712124949/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2017/11/16/Booms-Crises-and-Recoveries-A-New-Paradigm-of-the-Business-Cycle-and-its-Policy-Implications-45368|date=12 July 2022}}.</ref><ref>Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff, “Recovery from Financial Crises: Evidence from 100 Episodes,” Working Paper (National Bureau of Economic Research, January 2014), https://doi.org/10.3386/w19823</ref><ref>Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff, “The Aftermath of Financial Crises,” Working Paper (National Bureau of Economic Research, January 2009), https://doi.org/10.3386/w14656</ref><ref>Valerie Cerra and Sweta Chaman Saxena, “Growth Dynamics: The Myth of Economic Recovery,” American Economic Review 98, no. 1 (2008): 439–57</ref><ref>Valerie Cerra and Sweta Chaman Saxena, “Did Output Recover from the Asian Crisis?,” IMF Staff Papers 52, no. 1 (2005): 1–23</ref><ref>A. Fatas, Ms Valerie Cerra, and Ms Sweta Chaman Saxena, “Hysteresis and Business Cycles,” IMF Working Papers, IMF Working Papers (International Monetary Fund, May 29, 2020), https://ideas.repec.org/p/imf/imfwpa/2020-073.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712124949/https://ideas.repec.org/p/imf/imfwpa/2020-073.html|date=12 July 2022}}</ref><ref>Antonio Fatas, “Do Business Cycles Cast Long Shadows? Short-Run Persistence and Economic Growth,” Journal of Economic Growth 5, no. 2 (June 1, 2000): 147–62, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009885203490</ref><ref>Òscar Jordà, Moritz HP Schularick, and Alan M. Taylor, “When Credit Bites Back: Leverage, Business Cycles, and Crises,” Working Paper (National Bureau of Economic Research, November 2011), https://doi.org/10.3386/w17621.</ref><ref>Jane Haltmaier, “Do Recessions Affect Potential Output?,” International Finance Discussion Papers (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), 2012), https://ideas.repec.org/p/fip/fedgif/1066.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712124950/https://ideas.repec.org/p/fip/fedgif/1066.html|date=12 July 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Goran persson swedish pm election rally 2006-sept-05 gothenburg closeup img3.jpg|thumb|[[Göran Persson]], a prolific Social Democratic leader, holding the office of Prime Minister for ten years]]
When the Social Democrats returned to power in 1994, they responded to the fiscal crisis<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070627060024/http://hdr.undp.org/docs/publications/ocational_papers/oc26c.htm (archive date: 27 June 2007) Between 1990 and 1994, per capita income declined by approximately 10%] hdr.undp (original URL: [http://hdr.undp.org/docs/publications/ocational_papers/oc26c.htm]) (access date: 5 July 2007) (dead URL)</ref> by stabilizing the currency—and by curtailing the [[welfare state]] and [[privatizing]] the public sector and goods as governments did in many countries influenced by conservative [[Milton Friedman]], the [[Chicago school of economics|Chicago School]] of political and economic thought and the global neoliberal movement. Social Democratic Party leaders—including [[Göran Persson]], [[Mona Sahlin]] and [[Anna Lindh]]—promoted European Union (EU) membership and the Swedish referendum passed by 52–48% in favor of joining the EU on 14 August 1994. Liberal leader [[Lars Leijonborg]] at his 2007 retirement could recall the 1990s as a golden age of liberalism in which the Social Democrats were under the expanding influence of the [[Liberals (Sweden)|Liberals]] and its partners in the centre-right political coalition. Leijonborg recounted neoliberal victories such as the growth of private schooling and the proliferation of private, for-profit radio and television.<ref>''The Local'', 13 June 2007. https://www.thelocal.se {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507165013/https://www.thelocal.se/|date=7 May 2019}}.</ref> It has been argued that the Swedish Social Democrats' [[Third Way]] pension reforms have been more successful than those enacted by the [[German Social Democrats]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Karen |title=Social Democratic Party Policies in Contemporary Europe |last2=Meyer |first2=Traute |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |isbn=9780415304252 |editor-last1=Bonoli |editor-first1=Giuliano |series=Routledge/ECPR Studies in European Political Science |location=Abingdon, England |pages=141–160 |chapter=The Third Way in Welfare State Reform? Social Democratic Pension Politics in Germany and Sweden |access-date=5 April 2020 |editor-last2=Powell |editor-first2=Martin |chapter-url=https://ecpr.eu/Filestore/PaperProposal/052ef629-9a3f-4f36-ae7d-70ec6f5b1bcf.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325162149/https://ecpr.eu/Filestore/PaperProposal/052ef629-9a3f-4f36-ae7d-70ec6f5b1bcf.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
In the 21st century, many of the aspects of the social democratic [[welfare state]] continued to function at a high level, due in no small part to the high rate of unionization in Sweden, the independence of unions in the wage-setting and the exemplary competency of the female [[public sector]] workforce as well as widespread public support for welfare.<ref>Olsen, 2002.</ref> The Social Democrats initiated studies on the effects of the neoliberal changes and the picture that emerged from those findings allowed the party to reduce many [[tax expenditures]], slightly increase taxes on high income-earners and significantly reduce taxes on food. The Social Democratic Finance Minister increased spending on child support and continued to pay down the acquired public debt.<ref>Steinmo, Sven. 2001. "Bucking the Trend? The Welfare State and Global Economy: The Swedish Case Up Close." University of Colorado, 18 December. Carroll, Eero. 2004. "International Organizations and Welfare States at Odds? The Case of Sweden." ''The OECD and European Welfare States''. Edited by Klaus Armingeon and Michelle Beyer. Northampton, MA: Edward Egar.</ref> By 1998, the Swedish macro-economy recovered from the 1980s industrial restructuring and the currency policy excesses.<ref name="Krantz 2007" /> At the turn of the 21st century, Sweden had a well-regarded, generally robust economy and the average quality of life after government transfers was very high, [[Economic inequality|inequality]] was low and the ([[Gini coefficient]] was .28) and [[social mobility]] was high (compared to the affluent Anglo-American and Central European countries).<ref name="Steinmo, Sven 2001" />

The Social Democratic Party pursues [[environmentalist]] and [[feminist]] policies which promote healthful and humane conditions. Feminist policies formed and implemented by the Social Democratic Party along with the [[Green Party (Sweden)|Green Party]] and the [[Left Party (Sweden)|Left Party]] (which made an arrangement with the Social Democrats to support the government while not forming a coalition), include paid maternity and paternity leave, high employment for women in the public sector, combining flexible work with living wages and benefits, providing public support for women in their traditional responsibilities for care giving and policies to stimulate women's political participation and leadership. Reviewing policies and institutional practices for their impact on women had become common in social democratic governance.<ref>Acker, Joan. Hobson, Barbara. Sainsbury, Diane. 1999. "Gender and the making of the Norwegian and Swedish welfare states." pp. 153–168 in ''Comparing Social Welfare Systems in Nordic Europe and France''. Nantes: Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Ange-Guepin. Älund, Aleksandra and Carl-Ulrik Schierup. 1991. Paradoxes of multiculturalism. Aldershot: Avebury.</ref>

The Social Democratic Party was defeated in 2006 by the [[centre-right]] [[Alliance for Sweden]] coalition. [[Mona Sahlin]] succeeded [[Göran Persson]] as party leader in 2007, becoming the party's first female party leader. Prior to the [[2010 Swedish general election]], the Social Democratic Party formed a cooperation with the Green Party and the Left Party culminating in the [[Red-Greens (Sweden)|Red–Green]] alliance. The cooperation was dissolved following another defeat in 2010, throwing the party in to its longest period in opposition since before 1936. Sahlin announced her resignation following the 2010 defeat and she was succeeded by [[Håkan Juholt]] in 2011. Initially, his leadership gave a rise in the opinion polls before being involved in [[Håkan Juholt#Political scandal and resignation|a scandal]] surrounding benefits from parliament which after a period culminated in his resignation. Sahlin and Juholt become the first SPA party leaders since [[Claes Tholin]], who was party leader 1896–1907, to not become [[Prime Minister of Sweden|Prime Ministers of Sweden]].

[[Stefan Löfven]], elected by the party council, succeeded Juholt as party leader. Löfven led the Social Democratic Party into the [[2014 European Parliament election in Sweden|2014 European Parliament election]] which resulted in the party's worst electoral results at national level since [[universal suffrage]] was introduced in 1921. He then led the party into the [[2014 Swedish general election]] which resulted in the party's second worst election result to the [[Riksdag]] since universal suffrage was introduced in 1921. With a [[hung parliament]], Löfven formed a [[minority government|minority]] [[coalition government]] with the Green Party. On 2 October 2014, the Riksdag approved Löfven to become the country's prime minister, and he took office on 3 October 2014 alongside his [[Löfven I Cabinet|Cabinet]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Larsson |first=Mats J. |date=2 October 2014 |title=Sverige har fått en ny statsminister |url=https://www.dn.se/nyheter/politik/sverige-har-fatt-en-ny-statsminister/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231010052632/https://www.dn.se/nyheter/politik/sverige-har-fatt-en-ny-statsminister/ |archive-date=10 October 2023 |access-date=2 October 2014 |work=[[Dagens Nyheter]]}}</ref> The Social Democratic Party and the Green Party voted in favour of Löfvén becoming Prime Minister while the Left Party, a close ally of the SAP, abstained. The oppositional Alliance-parties also abstained while the [[Sweden Democrats]] voted against.

In the [[2018 Swedish general election]], the Social Democrats' vote share fell to 28.3 percent, its lowest level of support since [[1911 Swedish general election|1911]]. Nevertheless, a Social Democrat and Green Party [[Löfven II Cabinet|coalition government]] was [[2018–2019 Swedish government formation|formed]] in January 2019. Relying on support of the Centre Party and Liberals, it was one of the weakest governments in Swedish history.<ref>{{cite news |last=Henley |first=Jon |date=18 January 2019 |title=Sweden gets new government four months after election |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/18/sweden-gets-new-government-more-than-four-months-after-election |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207173717/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/18/sweden-gets-new-government-more-than-four-months-after-election |archive-date=7 February 2019 |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref>

In August 2021, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven announced his resignation and finance minister [[Magdalena Andersson]] was elected as the new head of Sweden's ruling Social Democrats in November 2021.<ref>{{cite news |date=4 November 2021 |title=Sweden's Social Democrats elect Magdalena Andersson as leader |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211104-sweden-s-social-democrats-elect-magdalena-andersson-as-leader |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201221449/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211104-sweden-s-social-democrats-elect-magdalena-andersson-as-leader |archive-date=1 December 2021 |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=France 24}}</ref> On 30 November 2021, Magdalena Andersson became Sweden's first female prime minister. She formed a minority government made up of only her Social Democrats. Her plan for forming a new coalition government with the Green Party was unsuccessful because her budget proposal failed to pass.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Simon |last2=Pollard |first2=Niklas |date=29 November 2021 |title=Sweden's first female premier returns days after quitting |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swedish-parliament-elects-social-democrat-leader-new-pm-again-2021-11-29/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214180125/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swedish-parliament-elects-social-democrat-leader-new-pm-again-2021-11-29/ |archive-date=14 December 2021 |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=29 November 2021 |title=Magdalena Andersson: Sweden's first female PM returns after resignation |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59459733 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129132906/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59459733 |archive-date=29 November 2021 |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

On 18 October 2022, conservative leader [[Ulf Kristersson]] became the new prime minister to succeed Magdalena Andersson, meaning that the Social Democratic Party, although still Sweden's largest party, would be in the opposition.<ref>{{cite news |date=17 October 2022 |title=Sweden's Ulf Kristersson elected PM with support from far right |url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20221017-sweden-s-ulf-kristersson-elected-pm-with-support-from-far-right |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025130853/https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20221017-sweden-s-ulf-kristersson-elected-pm-with-support-from-far-right |archive-date=25 October 2022 |access-date=25 October 2022 |work=France 24 |language=en}}</ref>

On 12 June 2025, the Social Democratic Party adopted a new party program that established it as having an [[Anti-capitalism|anti-capitalist]] view of society.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-12 |title=Partiprogram och riktlinjer |url=https://www.socialdemokraterna.se/var-politik/partiprogram-och-riktlinjer |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=www.socialdemokraterna.se |page=10 |language=sv}}</ref> The program also said that it was a [[Democratic socialism|democratic socialist]] party.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-12 |title=Partiprogram och riktlinjer |url=https://www.socialdemokraterna.se/var-politik/partiprogram-och-riktlinjer |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=www.socialdemokraterna.se |pages=4, 6. |language=sv}}</ref>

== Election results ==
=== Riksdag ===
In the 1890s, the Social Democrats usually stood on the same ticket as the Liberals.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Election
! Leader
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/–
! Status
|-
! [[1896 Swedish general election|1896]]
| rowspan=4 | [[Claes Tholin]]
| 206
| 0.1 (#5)
| {{composition bar|1|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1899 Swedish general election|1899]]
| 313
| 0.2 (#5)
| {{composition bar|1|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{steady}}
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1902 Swedish general election|1902]]
| 6,321
| 3.5 (#3)
| {{composition bar|4|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 3
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1905 Swedish general election|1905]]
| 20,677
| 9.5 (#3)
| {{composition bar|13|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 9
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1908 Swedish general election|1908]]
| rowspan=10 | [[Hjalmar Branting]]
| 45,155
| 14.6 (#3)
| {{composition bar|34|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 21
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1911 Swedish general election|1911]]
| 172,196
| 28.5 (#3)
| {{composition bar|64|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 30
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[March 1914 Swedish general election|Mar 1914]]
| 228,712
| 30.1 (#3)
| {{composition bar|73|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 9
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[September 1914 Swedish general election|Sep 1914]]
| 266,133
| 36.4 (#2)
| {{composition bar|87|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 14
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1917 Swedish general election|1917]]
| 228,777
| 31.1 (#1)
| {{composition bar|86|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 1
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! [[1920 Swedish general election|1920]]
| 195,121
| 29.6 (#1)
| {{composition bar|75|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 11
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! rowspan=2  | [[1921 Swedish general election|1921]]
| rowspan=2  | 630,855
| rowspan=2  | 36.2 (#1)
| rowspan=2  | {{composition bar|93|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| rowspan=2  | {{increase}} 18
| {{yes2|Minority}} {{small|(1921–1923)}}
|-
| {{no2|Opposition}} {{small|(1923–1924)}}
|-
! rowspan=2  | [[1924 Swedish general election|1924]]
| rowspan=2  | 725,407
| rowspan=2  | 41.1 (#1)
| rowspan=2  | {{composition bar|104|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| rowspan=2  | {{increase}} 11
| {{yes2|Minority}} {{small|(1924–1926)}}
|-
| {{no2|Opposition}} {{small|(1926–1928)}}
|-
! [[1928 Swedish general election|1928]]
| rowspan=6 | [[Per Albin Hansson]]
| 873,931
| 37.0 (#1)
| {{composition bar|90|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 14
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! rowspan=2  | [[1932 Swedish general election|1932]]
| rowspan=2  | 1,040,689
| rowspan=2  | 41.7 (#1)
| rowspan=2  | {{composition bar|104|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| rowspan=2  | {{increase}} 14
| {{yes2|Minority}} {{small|(1932–1936)}}
|-
| {{no2|Opposition}} {{small|(1936)}}
|-
! [[1936 Swedish general election|1936]]
| 1,338,120
| 45.9 (#1)
| {{composition bar|112|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 9
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! [[1940 Swedish general election|1940]]
| 1,546,804
| 53.8 (#1)
| {{composition bar|134|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 22
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! [[1944 Swedish general election|1944]]
| 1,436,571
| 46.6 (#1)
| {{composition bar|115|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 19
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! [[1948 Swedish general election|1948]]
| rowspan=7 | [[Tage Erlander]]
| 1,789,459
| 46.1 (#1)
| {{composition bar|112|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 3
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1952 Swedish general election|1952]]
| 1,729,463
| 46.1 (#1)
| {{composition bar|110|230|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! [[1956 Swedish general election|1956]]
| 1,729,463
| 44.6 (#1)
| {{composition bar|106|231|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! [[1958 Swedish general election|1958]]
| 1,776,667
| 46.2 (#1)
| {{composition bar|111|231|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 5
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1960 Swedish general election|1960]]
| 2,033,016
| 47.8 (#1)
| {{composition bar|114|232|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 3
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1964 Swedish general election|1964]]
| 2,006,923
| 47.3 (#1)
| {{composition bar|113|233|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 1
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1968 Swedish general election|1968]]
| 2,420,242
| 50.1 (#1)
| {{composition bar|125|233|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 12
| {{yes2|Majority}}
|-
! [[1970 Swedish general election|1970]]
| rowspan=6 | [[Olof Palme]]
| 2,256,369
| 45.3 (#1)
| {{composition bar|163|350|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 38
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1973 Swedish general election|1973]]
| 2,247,727
| 43.6 (#1)
| {{composition bar|156|350|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 7
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1976 Swedish general election|1976]]
| 2,324,603
| 42.7 (#1)
| {{composition bar|152|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1979 Swedish general election|1979]]
| 2,356,234
| 43.2 (#1)
| {{composition bar|154|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 2
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1982 Swedish general election|1982]]
| 2,533,250
| 45.6 (#1)
| {{composition bar|166|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 12
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1985 Swedish general election|1985]]
| 2,487,551
| 44.7 (#1)
| {{composition bar|159|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 7
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1988 Swedish general election|1988]]
| rowspan=3 | [[Ingvar Carlsson]]
| 2,321,826
| 43.2 (#1)
| {{composition bar|156|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 3
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1991 Swedish general election|1991]]
| 2,062,761
| 37.7 (#1)
| {{composition bar|138|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 18
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1994 Swedish general election|1994]]
| 2,513,905
| 45.2 (#1)
| {{composition bar|161|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 23
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[1998 Swedish general election|1998]]
| rowspan=3 | [[Göran Persson]]
| 1,914,426
| 36.4 (#1)
| {{composition bar|131|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 30
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[2002 Swedish general election|2002]]
| 2,113,560
| 39.9 (#1)
| {{composition bar|144|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 13
| {{yes2|Minority}}
|-
! [[2006 Swedish general election|2006]]
| 1,942,625
| 35.0 (#1)
| {{composition bar|130|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 14
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2010 Swedish general election|2010]]
| [[Mona Sahlin]]
| 1,827,497
| 30.7 (#1)
| {{composition bar|112|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{decrease}} 18
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[2014 Swedish general election|2014]]
| rowspan=3 | [[Stefan Löfven]]
| 1,932,711
| 31.0 (#1)
| {{composition bar|113|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! rowspan=2  | [[2018 Swedish general election|2018]]
| rowspan=2  | 1,830,386
| rowspan=2  | 28.3 (#1)
| rowspan=2  | {{composition bar|100|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
| rowspan=2  | {{decrease}} 13
| {{yes2|Coalition}} {{small|(2018–2021)}}
|-
| {{yes2|Minority}} {{small|(2021–2022)}}
|-
! [[2022 Swedish general election|2022]]
| [[Magdalena Andersson]]
| 1,964,474
| 30.3 (#1)
| {{composition bar|107|349|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
|  {{increase}} 7
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|}

=== European Parliament ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Election
!List leader
!Votes
!%
!Seats
!+/−
!EP Group
|-
![[1995 European Parliament election in Sweden|1995]]
|[[Maj Britt Theorin]]
|752,817
|28.06 (#1)
|{{composition bar|7|22|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
|New
| rowspan="3" | [[Group of the Party of European Socialists|PES]]
|-
![[1999 European Parliament election in Sweden|1999]]
|[[Pierre Schori]]
|657,497
|25.99 (#1)
|{{composition bar|6|22|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
|{{decrease}} 1
|-
![[2004 European Parliament election in Sweden|2004]]
|[[Inger Segelström]]
|616,963
|24.56 (#1)
|{{composition bar|5|19|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
|{{decrease}} 1
|-
![[2009 European Parliament election in Sweden|2009]]
| rowspan="2" | [[Marita Ulvskog]]
|773,513
|24.41 (#1)
|{{composition bar|5|18|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}{{composition bar|6|20|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
|{{unbulleted list|{{steady}}|{{increase}} 1}}
| rowspan="4" | [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats|S&D]]
|-
![[2014 European Parliament election in Sweden|2014]]
|899,074
|24.19 (#1)
|{{composition bar|5|20|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
|{{decrease}} 1
|-
![[2019 European Parliament election in Sweden|2019]]
| rowspan="2" | [[Heléne Fritzon]]
|974,589
|23.48 (#1)
|{{composition bar|5|20|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
|{{steady}}
|-
![[2024 European Parliament election in Sweden|2024]]
|1,037,090
|24.77 (#1)
|{{composition bar|5|20|hex={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}}}
|{{steady}}
|}

<timeline>
ImageSize = width:1100 height:350
PlotArea = width:1000 height:250 left:25 bottom:60
AlignBars = justify
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:60
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:0
Colors =
  id:SB value:rgb(0.9294,0.1059,0.2039)
PlotData =
  bar:% color:SB width:22 mark:(line,white) align:center fontsize:S
  bar:1902 from:start till:3.5 text:3.5
  bar:1905 from:start till:9.5 text:9.5
  bar:1908 from:start till:14.6 text:14.6
  bar:1911 from:start till:28.5 text:28.5
  bar:1914 from:start till:30.1 text:30.1
  bar:1914-2 from:start till:36.4 text:36.4
  bar:1917 from:start till:39.2 text:39.2
  bar:1920 from:start till:36.1 text:36.1
  bar:1921 from:start till:39.4 text:39.4
  bar:1924 from:start till:41.1 text:41.1
  bar:1928 from:start till:37.0 text:37.0
  bar:1932 from:start till:41.1 text:41.1
  bar:1936 from:start till:45.9 text:45.9
  bar:1940 from:start till:53.8 text:53.8
  bar:1944 from:start till:46.6 text:46.6
  bar:1948 from:start till:46.1 text:46.1
  bar:1952 from:start till:46.0 text:46.0
  bar:1956 from:start till:44.6 text:44.6
  bar:1958 from:start till:46.2 text:46.2
  bar:1960 from:start till:47.8 text:47.8
  bar:1964 from:start till:47.3 text:47.3
  bar:1968 from:start till:50.1 text:50.1
  bar:1970 from:start till:45.3 text:45.3
  bar:1973 from:start till:43.6 text:43.6
  bar:1976 from:start till:42.7 text:42.7
  bar:1979 from:start till:43.2 text:43.2
  bar:1982 from:start till:45.6 text:45.6
  bar:1985 from:start till:44.7 text:44.7
  bar:1988 from:start till:43.2 text:43.2
  bar:1991 from:start till:37.7 text:37.7
  bar:1994 from:start till:45.2 text:45.2
  bar:1998 from:start till:36.4 text:36.4
  bar:2002 from:start till:39.9 text:39.9
  bar:2006 from:start till:34.9 text:34.9
  bar:2010 from:start till:30.7 text:30.7
  bar:2014 from:start till:31.0 text:31.0
  bar:2018 from:start till:28.3 text:28.3
  bar:2022 from:start till:30.3 text:30.3
</timeline>

===Statistical changes in voter base===
Based on the [[Sveriges Television]]'s [[exit poll]]s.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left;"
|-
||{{center|'''Socio-economic groups and gender of voters'''}}
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | '''''Percentage of which voting for the Social Democrats'''''
|-
!''Group/Gender''
! style="text-align:left; width:50px;" | 2002
! style="text-align:left; width:50px;" | 2006
! style="text-align:left; width:50px;" | 2010
! style="text-align:left; width:50px;" | 2014
! style="text-align:left; width:50px;" | 2018
! style="text-align:left; width:50px;" | 2022
|-
|Blue-collar workers || 50||45||41||39||34||32
|-
|White-collar workers||32||24||20||24||27||32
|-
|Businessmen and farmers ||18||13||16||15||13||19
|-
|Male||38||30||25||30||25||26
|-
|Female ||37||31||29||32||31||34
|-
|<small>Source:</small> || colspan="5" |<ref>[https://www.svt.se/datajournalistik/valu2022/valjargrupper/ "Väljargrupper." ''SVT Nyheter''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220912155727/https://www.svt.se/datajournalistik/valu2022/valjargrupper/ |date=12 September 2022 }} Retrieved 2022-09-21.</ref>
|}
{{clear}}

== Party organisation and voter base ==
SAP has been the largest party in the [[Riksdag]] since 1914. The member base is diverse, but it prominently features organized [[blue-collar worker]]s and [[public sector]] employees.{{citation needed|date=March 2007}} The party has a close, historical relationship with the [[Swedish Trade Union Confederation]] (LO). As a [[corporatist]] organ, it has also formed policy in compromise mediation with employers' associations (primarily the [[Confederation of Swedish Enterprise]] and its predecessors) as well as trade unions.

Organisations within the Swedish Social Democratic movement include:
* The [[Social Democratic Women in Sweden]] (''S-kvinnor'') organizes women.
* The [[Swedish Social Democratic Youth League]] organizes youth.
* The [[Social Democratic Students of Sweden]] organizes university students.
* The [[Religious Social Democrats of Sweden]] organizes all members with religious beliefs. 
* The LGBT Social Democrats of Sweden ({{langx|sv|link=no|HBT-Socialdemokraterna}} {{IPA|sv|hoːbeːˈteː sʊsɪˈɑ̂ːldɛmʊˌkrɑːtɛɳa||Sv-HBT-Socialdemokrater.ogg}}) organizes [[queer]] people.

The SAP had its golden age during the mid-1930s to mid-1980s when in half of all general elections it received between 44.6% and 46.2% (averaging 45.3%) of the votes, making it one of the most successful parties in the history of the [[liberal-democratic]] world.<ref>[[Göran Therborn]], "A Unique Chapter in the History of Democracy: The Swedish Social Democrats", in. K. Misgeld et al (eds.), ''Creating Social Democracy'', University Park Pa., Penn State University Press, 1996</ref>

In two of the general elections in [[1940 Swedish general election|1940]] and [[1968 Swedish general election|1968]], it got more than 50% of the votes, although both cases had special circumstances. In 1940, all established Swedish parties, except for the [[Left Party (Sweden)|Communist Party of Sweden]] (SKP), participated in a coalition government due to the pressures of the [[Second World War]], and it led to voters most likely wanting one party to be in majority to give a parliament that could not be [[Hung parliament|hung]]. In [[1944 Swedish general election|1944]], the tides of the war had turned and the [[Allies of World War II|Allied nations]] looked to win, giving voters more confidence in voting by preference and explaining the more normal electoral result of 46.6%. The previously excluded SKP also achieved a result of 10.3% in this election. In 1968, the established Communists, most likely due to bad press about the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] overtaking of [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|Czechoslovakia]] ([[Prague Spring]]), got a historically bad result of 3% of the votes while the SAP enjoyed 50.1% and an absolute majority in parliament. Only in a fairly brief period between the elections of 1973 to 1979 did the SAP get below the normal interval of 44.6% to 46.2%, instead scoring an average of 43.2%, losing in 1976 (the first time in 44 years) and again just barely in 1979. However, the Social Democrats won back power in 1982 with a normal result of 45.6%.

The voter base consists of a diverse swathe of people throughout Swedish society, although it is particularly strong amongst organised blue-collar workers.<ref>[http://www.svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=5667 Hur röstade LO-medlemmar?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805195259/http://www.svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=5667|date=5 August 2012}}, [http://www.svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=56752 Social bakgrund – sysselsättning relaterat till partiröst] SVT Valu (Parliamentary election [[exit poll]]) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930064729/http://www.svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=56752|date=30 September 2007}}</ref>

=== Decline since 2006 ===
In the [[2006 Swedish general election]], the SAP received the smallest share of votes (34.99%) ever in a [[Swedish general election]] with [[universal suffrage]], resulting in the loss of office to the opposition, the [[centre-right]] coalition [[Alliance (Sweden)|Alliance for Sweden]].<ref>[http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____32065.aspx Historisk statistik över valåren 1910–2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914072931/http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____32065.aspx|date=14 September 2010}}, from [[Statistics Sweden]], accessed 14 June 2007 {{in lang|sv}}</ref> Among the support that the SAP lost was the vote of pensioners (down 10% from [[2002 Swedish general election|2002]]) and blue-collar trade unionists (down 5%). The combined SAP and [[Left Party (Sweden)|Left Party]] vote of citizens with non-Nordic foreign backgrounds sank from 73% in 2002 to 48% in 2006. [[Stockholm County]] typically votes for the centre-right parties and only 23% of [[Stockholm City]] residents voted for the SAP in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eric Sundström: September 2006 |url=https://ericsundstrom.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013040352/http://ericsundstrom.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html |archive-date=13 October 2016 |access-date=1 January 2017 |work=ericsundstrom.blogspot.com}}</ref>

From 2006 to [[2014 Swedish general election|2014]], the SAP lost two consecutive terms to the centre-right Alliance due to the [[centrist]] [[Liberalism|liberal]] attitudes of then-[[Prime Minister of Sweden|Prime Minister]] [[Fredrik Reinfeldt]] attracting some of the SAP voters. In [[2010 Swedish general election|2010]], 2014 and 2018, the vote share of SAP dramatically declined, with some of these votes being lost to the [[right-wing populist]] party, [[Sweden Democrats]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kelly |first=Ben |date=8 September 2018 |title=Sweden Democrats: How a nationalist, anti-immigrant party took root in a liberal Nordic haven |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sweden-democrats-election-results-nationalist-populist-party-anti-immigrant-refugees-a8515576.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sweden-democrats-election-results-nationalist-populist-party-anti-immigrant-refugees-a8515576.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |work=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ahlander |first=Johan |date=7 February 2019 |title=Populist Sweden Democrats ditch 'Swexit' ahead of EU elections |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-sweden-politics-eu/populist-sweden-democrats-ditch-swexit-ahead-of-eu-elections-idUKKCN1PV28Q |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028210739/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-sweden-politics-eu/populist-sweden-democrats-ditch-swexit-ahead-of-eu-elections-idUKKCN1PV28Q |archive-date=28 October 2022 |access-date=7 May 2019 |publisher=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Orange |first=Richard |date=15 November 2018 |title=Swedish Moderate-led council to ban halal meat in deal with populists |url=https://www.thelocal.se/20181115/swedish-moderate-council-to-ban-halal-meat-in-deal-with-populists |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028210749/https://www.thelocal.se/20181115/swedish-moderate-council-to-ban-halal-meat-in-deal-with-populists/ |archive-date=28 October 2022 |access-date=7 May 2019 |publisher=[[The Local]]}}</ref>

In the [[2018 Swedish general election]], the Social Democrats' vote share fell to 28.3 percent, its lowest level of support since [[1908 Swedish general election|1908]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sweden Gives Final Election Tally Amid Political Uncertainty |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/sweden-gives-final-election-tally-amid-political-uncertainty/4573647.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025125309/https://www.voanews.com/a/sweden-gives-final-election-tally-amid-political-uncertainty/4573647.html |archive-date=25 October 2022 |access-date=25 October 2022 |work=VOA |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[2022 Swedish general election]], the Social Democrats remained Sweden's largest party, with 30.3% of the vote, however the [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Bloc (politics)|bloc]] won a slim majority in the parliament.<ref>{{cite news |date=14 September 2022 |title=Swedish PM resigns after conceding election defeat to rightwing bloc |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/14/swedish-pm-concedes-election-defeat-to-bloc-led-by-far-right-sweden-democrats |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026200625/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/14/swedish-pm-concedes-election-defeat-to-bloc-led-by-far-right-sweden-democrats |archive-date=26 October 2022 |access-date=25 October 2022 |work=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

== Party leaders ==
{|class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
!style="width:10%;"|Party leader
!colspan="2" style="width:20%;"|Period
!style="width:10%;"|Party secretary
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Claes Tholin]]
|{{center|1896}}
|{{center|1907}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Karl Magnus Ziesnitz]]<br>[[Carl Gustaf Wickman]]
|-
|colspan="2"|First party leader after collective leadership.
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Hjalmar Branting]]
|{{center|1907}}
|{{center|1925}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Carl Gustaf Wickman]]<br>[[Fredrik Ström]]<br>[[Gustav Möller]]
|-
|colspan="2"|[[Prime Minister of Sweden|Prime Minister]] (1920, 1921–1923 and 1924–1925). Died in office.
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Per Albin Hansson]]
|{{center|1925}}
|{{center|1946}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Gustav Möller]]<br>[[Torsten Nilsson]]<br>[[Sven Andersson (politician)|Sven Andersson]]
|-
|colspan="2"|Prime Minister (1932–1936 and 1936–1946). Died in office.
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Tage Erlander]]
|{{center|1946}}
|{{center|1969}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Sven Andersson (politician)|Sven Andersson]]<br>[[Sven Aspling]]<br>[[Sten Andersson]] 
|-
|colspan="2"|{{nowrap|Prime Minister (1946–1969). Longest-serving Prime Minister in Swedish history.}}
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Olof Palme]]
|{{center|1969}}
|{{center|1986}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Sten Andersson]]<br>[[Bo Toresson]] 
|-
|colspan="2"|Prime Minister (1969–1976 and 1982–1986). [[Assassination of Olof Palme|Assassinated]].
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Ingvar Carlsson]]
|{{center|1986}}
|{{center|1996}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Bo Toresson]]<br>[[Mona Sahlin]]<br>[[Leif Linde]] 
|-
|colspan="2"|Prime Minister (1986–1991 and 1994–1996).
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Göran Persson]]
|{{center|1996}}
|{{center|2007}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Ingela Thalén]]<br>[[Lars Stjernkvist]]<br>[[Marita Ulvskog]] 
|-
|colspan="2"|Prime Minister (1996–2006).
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Mona Sahlin]]
|{{center|2007}}
|{{center|2011}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Marita Ulvskog]]<br>[[Ibrahim Baylan]] 
|-
|colspan="2"|First female leader of the party.
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Håkan Juholt]]
|{{center|2011}}
|{{center|2012}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Carin Jämtin]]
|-
|colspan="2"|Resigned after a [[Håkan Juholt#Political scandal and resignation|scandal]].
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Stefan Löfven]]
|{{center|2012}}
|{{center|2021}}
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|{{nowrap|[[Carin Jämtin]]<br>[[Lena Rådström Baastad]]}}
|-
|colspan="2"|Prime Minister (2014–2021)
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Magdalena Andersson]]
|{{center|2021}}
| 
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|{{nowrap|[[Tobias Baudin]]}}
|-
|colspan="2"|Prime Minister (2021–2022)
|}

==Notable people==
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦---> 
{{expand section|date=January 2024}}
*[[Magdalena Andersson]] (1967-present), first female PM of Sweden, member of Social Democratic Party of Sweden.
*[[Hildur Humla]] (1889–1969), Swedish politician, member of Social Democratic Party of Sweden.<ref>Annika N Lindqvist (2018). ”Husmorssemester”. Historiskan.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Socialism|Sweden}}
{{div col}}
* [[Arbetarnas bildningsförbund]]
* ''[[Aktuellt i Politiken]]'' 
* [[Welfare in Sweden]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Literature ==
* {{cite book |first=Jenny |last=Andersson |title=Between growth and security: Swedish social democracy from a strong society to a third way |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2006}}
* {{cite book |first1=Karl Magnus |last1=Johansson |first2=Göran |last2=Von Sydow |title=Swedish social democracy and European integration: Enduring divisions|publisher=Routledge |year=2011 |pages=157–187}}
* Therborn, Göran & Kjellberg, Anders & Marklund, Staffan & Öhlund, Ulf (1978) [https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/2601317/3973040.pdf "Sweden Before and After Social Democracy: A First Overview"], ''Acta Sociologica 1978 – supplement'', pp.&nbsp;37–58.
* Therborn, Göran (1984) "The Coming of Swedish Social Democracy", in E. Collotti (ed.) ''Il movimiento operaio tra le due guerre'', Milano: ''Annali della Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli'' 1983/84, pp.&nbsp;527–593.
* {{cite book |first=Kjell |last=Östberg |title=Swedish Social Democracy After the Cold War: Whatever Happened to the Movement?|publisher=Athabasca University Press |year=2012 |pages=205–234}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Socialdemokraterna}}
*[https://www.socialdemokraterna.se/vart-parti/other-languages Socialdemokraterna] {{in lang|en}}
* [[United States Department of State]] – [https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/sweden/ Sweden]
* [https://www.arbark.se/en/??t=1&language=Eng/ Swedish Labor Movement's Archives and Library (Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek)]

{{Party of European Socialists}}
{{Swedish political parties}}
{{Swedish Social Democratic Party}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Swedish Social Democratic Party| ]]
[[Category:1889 establishments in Sweden]]
[[Category:Labour movement in Sweden]]
[[Category:Members of the Labour and Socialist International]]
[[Category:Party of European Socialists member parties]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1889]]
[[Category:Progressive Alliance]]
[[Category:Second International parties]]
[[Category:Social democratic parties in Europe]]
[[Category:Socialist International]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Stockholm]]