ABSTRACT
In the literature on Swedish labour market history, it is commonly accepted that the Swedish state in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was unique in its lack of anti-union, anti-strike policies. In this view, the Swedish state was neutral vis-à-vis the conflict between employers and workers, while other European states were more repressive against unions and strikes. The leniency and social liberalism of the Swedish state are variously explained by democratic farmer influence in politics, or the influence of the social liberal intelligentsia. This paper questions the account of Swedish exceptionalism, citing labour market regulation, restrictions of unionists’ speech, protection of strikebreakers, employer attitudes and the politics of labour market regulation. It concludes that (a) the uniqueness of the Swedish labour market regime is exaggerated; (b) the contributions of farmers to any liberalism in this regard were meagre and contradictory; and (c) the urban liberal intelligentsia did play a positive role for workers’ rights.
