ABSTRACT
The formative period of Swedish civil society ended by the early 1900s. Different strategies to reform Sweden were initially chosen by social movement activists. A significant number of unionists believed that revolution was necessary and, together with many social democrats, they organized a political strike in 1902 during a parliamentary debate on the suffrage issue. Swedish collective action organizations were involved in the suffrage campaign. The labor movement was the only Swedish social movement with suffrage on its agenda, though it put more emphasis on enfranchisement of men. By 1909, the Swedish electoral system underwent significant change. Adult male citizens were generally granted the right to vote, and elections to the Lower Chamber of Parliament were carried out in multimember constituencies on the basis of proportional representation. By 1907 Sweden was an industrialized nation, and unionization advanced at a rapid pace. The general strike is one of the largest labor market conflicts in Swedish history.
