Positions held under Palme


Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden
In office 8 October 1982 – 28 February 1986
Prime Minister	Olof Palme
Preceded by	Ola Ullsten
Succeeded by	Svante Lundkvist (Acting)
Minister for Housing
In office 1 January 1974 – 8 October 1976
Prime Minister	Olof Palme
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Elvy Olsson
Minister for Education
In office 14 October 1969 – 2 November 1973
Prime Minister	Olof Palme
Preceded by	Olof Palme
Succeeded by	Bertil Zachrisson

Personal details

Born

Gösta Ingvar Carlsson

9 November 1934 (age 90)
Borås, Sweden

Political party

Social Democratic

Spouse

Ingrid Carlsson

(m. 1957)

Residences

Tyresö, Sweden

Alma mater

Lund University,
Northwestern University

Profession

Business economist

Cabinet

Carlsson I cabinet
Carlsson II cabinet
Carlsson III cabinet

Signature

Military service

Allegiance

Sweden

Branch/service

Swedish Army

Gösta Ingvar Carlsson (born 9 November 1934) is a Swedish politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Sweden two times. His first time was from 1986 to 1991, and his second was from 1994 to 1996. He was also the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1986 to 1996. Carlsson played a key role in Sweden joining the European Union.

Carlsson was a member of the Riksdag (Sweden's parliament) from 1965 to 1996. During his career, he held several important government jobs. He was the Minister of Education from 1969 to 1973. He also served as Minister of Housing and Minister of Environmental affairs. From 1982 to 1986, he was the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden. He became Prime Minister after Olof Palme was assassinated in 1986.

Early Life and Education
Start of Political Career
Becoming Prime Minister
- First Time as Prime Minister (1986–1991)
- Second Time as Prime Minister (1994–1996)
Later Life and Contributions
Personal Life
Awards and Recognitions
Honours
See also

Early Life and Education

Ingvar Carlsson was born in Borås, Sweden, on November 9, 1934. He was the third son of Olof Karlsson, who worked in a warehouse. When Carlsson was 12, his father passed away.

He studied at Lund University and earned a degree in business economics and political science. While at Lund, he met Tage Erlander, who was the Swedish Prime Minister at the time. He also met Olof Palme, who later became Prime Minister. Carlsson received an honorary doctorate from Lund University in 1989.

Start of Political Career

Carlsson (far right) with Olof Palme (left), Tage Erlander (center), and Sten Andersson (right) in 1968.

After finishing his studies, Carlsson began working for Prime Minister Erlander. He was part of a group of young assistants, including Olof Palme, whom Erlander called "the boys." In 1965, Carlsson went to Northwestern University in the United States as a Fulbright scholar to study economics.

When he returned to Sweden, he was elected to the Parliament of Sweden. In the same year, he became the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League. Before becoming Prime Minister, he held several important roles. He was Minister of Education from 1969 to 1973. He also served as Minister of Housing from 1973 to 1976. Later, he became Deputy Prime Minister from 1982 to 1986.

In 1984, Carlsson announced that the government would spend more money on research and development. This was a time when many other government departments had their spending reduced. He was Deputy Prime Minister when Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated in 1986.

Becoming Prime Minister

First Time as Prime Minister (1986–1991)

Carlsson (right) and his wife Ingrid (far left) with U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan (left) and President Ronald Reagan (far right) in 1987.

After the assassination of Olof Palme in 1986, Ingvar Carlsson became the new Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democratic Party. In the weeks after Palme's death, Carlsson became very popular with the public. His first government was formed on March 12, 1986.

Carlsson's government, along with Finance Minister Kjell-Olof Feldt, worked to improve Sweden's economy. They managed to change a large government debt into a surplus. This led to more investments and very low unemployment for a while. However, Sweden's economy started to face difficulties in the early 1990s. In 1990, Carlsson's government resigned because they could not get enough support for their economic plans. But they were quickly put back in power with a slightly changed plan.

In 1987, Carlsson visited U.S. President Ronald Reagan at the White House. This was the first time a Swedish Prime Minister had visited a U.S. president since 1961.

In the 1988 Swedish general election, Carlsson was seen as a leader who could unite people. His party, the Social Democrats, stayed in power, winning 156 out of 349 seats in parliament. The Green Party also entered the Riksdag for the first time in many years.

The 1991 Swedish general election saw losses for Carlsson's party. The Social Democrats lost 18 seats. As a result, Carlsson was replaced as Prime Minister by Carl Bildt, who led a new government made up of several right-wing parties.

Second Time as Prime Minister (1994–1996)

A 1995 meeting of the European Council in Madrid. Carlsson is third from the right in the second row.

After three years out of power, the Social Democrats won the 1994 Swedish general election. Carlsson became Prime Minister again and formed a new government. This government focused on improving Sweden's finances. The new Finance Minister, Göran Persson, was given this important task. This period was challenging, and the government faced criticism for cutting public services and raising taxes.

Carlsson's government worked to stabilize the economy. They reduced some welfare benefits and cut the tax on food. However, they also raised income taxes for the wealthiest people, which helped increase tax money for the government.

Carlsson strongly supported Sweden joining the European Union. He believed it was important for Sweden's economy. After four years of talks and a big campaign to gain support, a national vote was held on October 13, 1994. A high number of people voted, and 52.3% voted to join. Sweden officially joined the EU in January 1995, along with Austria and Finland. After joining, Carlsson pointed out that there were not enough women in EU leadership roles.

In September 1995, Sweden held an election for the European Parliament. Carlsson's party, which supported the EU, received only 28% of the votes. Parties that were against the EU, like the Left Party and Green Party, together won 30%. This was seen as a big setback for Carlsson.

In August 1995, Ingvar Carlsson announced that he would step down as party leader and Prime Minister. Mona Sahlin, who was Deputy Prime Minister, was expected to take his place. However, due to a scandal, she withdrew her name. On March 15, 1996, Göran Persson was chosen as the new party leader. He then became Prime Minister on March 22, 1996.

Later Life and Contributions

Carlsson (left) in 2016 with Mona Sahlin (center) and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.

After leaving office, Ingvar Carlsson continued to be involved in important work. He led an investigation into the Gothenburg Riots of 2001. He also chaired an independent inquiry into the United Nations' actions during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

In 1995, he co-chaired the Commission on Global Governance. This group looked at important global issues like international development and security. In 2024, he became the first honorary member of Lund University.

Carlsson's career was influenced by Olof Palme, with whom he worked closely. However, his policies are often seen as continuing the work started by Tage Erlander.

Personal Life

Ingvar Carlsson married Ingrid Melander in 1957. They have two daughters and three grandchildren. Ingrid was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease some years ago. As of 2024, Carlsson visits her in a nursing home in Tyresö three times a week. He lives in an apartment in the same area.

Ingvar Carlsson is a big fan of the football teams IF Elfsborg and Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C..

Awards and Recognitions

H. M. The King's Medal, a special gold medal (1996)
Commander of the Legion of Honour (2017)

Honours

Honorary doctor of philosophy, Lund University (1989)
Honorary degree, Northwestern University (1991)
Honorary doctor of technology, Luleå University of Technology (1996)

Ingvar Carlsson facts for kids

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