Erlander, Tage (1901 - 1985)

Tage Fritjof Erlander (Swedish: [ˈtɑ̂ːgɛ ɛˈɭǎnːdɛr] ; 13 June 1901 – 21 June 1985) was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Sweden and leader of the Social Democratic Party from 1946 to 1969. Previously, he served as minister of education from 1945 to 1946, and was a member of the Riksdag from 1932 to 1973. During his premiership, Sweden developed into one of the world's most advanced welfare states, with the "Swedish Model" at the peak of its acclaim and notoriety. His uninterrupted tenure of 23 years as head of the government is the longest ever in Sweden and in any modern Western democracy.

Born to a poor family in Ransäter, Erlander later studied at Lund University. He was elected to Lund's municipal council in 1930, and in 1932 he was elected as a member of the Riksdag. Becoming a member of the World War II coalition government in 1944, Erlander rose unexpectedly to the leadership upon the death of Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson in October 1946, maintaining the position of the Social Democrats as the dominant party in the country. Known for his moderation, pragmatism and self-irony, Erlander often sought approval from the liberal-conservative opposition for his policies, de facto dropping all pretences of wide-scale nationalizations whilst introducing reforms such as universal health insurance, pension additions and a growing public sector, although stopping short of raising tax levels above the average OECD levels at the time. Until the 1960s, income taxes were lower in Sweden than in the United States.

For most of his time in power, Erlander ran a minority government of the Social Democrats. From 1951 to 1957, he instead ran a coalition with the Farmers' League. The Social Democrats held a majority of seats in the upper house for most of this time and this allowed Erlander to remain in power after the 1956 general election, when the right-wing parties won a majority. A snap election in 1958 then reversed this result.

In foreign policy, he initially sought an alliance of Nordic countries, but without success, instead maintaining strict neutrality while spending heavily on the military (but ultimately rejecting nuclear capability and signing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in 1968). Erlander's mandate coincided with the post–World War II economic expansion, in Sweden known as the record years, in which Sweden saw its economy grow to one of the ten strongest in the world, and subsequently joined the G10.

In the 1968 general election, he won his seventh and most successful victory, with the Social Democrats winning an absolute majority of the popular vote and seats in the lower chamber. Erlander resigned the following year during a process of major constitutional reform, and was succeeded by his long-time protégé and friend Olof Palme. He continued to serve as a member of the Riksdag until he resigned in 1973. Afterwards, Erlander continued to speak on political matters and published his memoirs. He died in 1985. He was considered one of the most popular leaders in the world by the end of the 1960s, and one of the most popular prime ministers in the history of Sweden.

Tage Fritiof Erlander (13. juuni 1901 Värmlandi lään, Ransäter – 21. juuni 1985 Stockholm) oli Rootsi poliitik, Rootsi peaminister 1946–1969. Ta on kõige kauem ametis olnud Rootsi peaminister.

Tage Fritiof Erlander  kuuntele ääntämys ^(ohje) (13. kesäkuuta 1901 Ransäter, Ruotsi – 21. kesäkuuta 1985 Huddinge, Ruotsi) oli ruotsalainen poliitikko. Hän oli valtiopäiväedustaja 1932–1973, Ruotsin pääministeri ja sosiaalidemokraattisen puolueen puheenjohtaja 1946–1969. Erlander on kauimmin pääministerinä toiminut poliitikko länsimaiden demokratioissa.

Tage Fritiof Erlander (13. juni 1901–21. juni 1985) var ein svensk sosialdemokratisk politikar. Han var svensk statsminister i tida frå 1946 til 1969, det vil seia i heile 23 år. Han er den regjeringssjefen i noko demokratisk land som har sete lengst ved makta. Han vart ofte omtala som «Sveriges lengste statsminister». Omtalen sikta både til kroppslengda og regjeringstida.

Tage Fritjof Erlander, född 13 juni 1901 i Ransäter i Värmlands län, död 21 juni 1985 i Stockholm, var partiledare för Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti och Sveriges statsminister 1946–1969. Med 23 år på posten som svensk statsminister är Tage Erlander den regeringschef bland alla världens parlamentariska demokratier, som i oavbruten följd suttit längst på sin post. Erlander var ledamot av Sveriges riksdag 1932–1973 i andra kammaren.