Per Albin Hansson Facts for Kids

"Per Hansson" redirects here. For the journalist, see Per Hansson (journalist). For the sports shooter, see Per Hansson (sport shooter).

Quick facts for kids Per Albin Hansson
Hansson in 1937

Prime Minister of Sweden
In office 24 September 1932 – 19 June 1936
Monarch	Gustaf V
Preceded by	Felix Hamrin
Succeeded by	Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp
In office 28 September 1936 – 6 October 1946
Monarch	Gustaf V
Preceded by	Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp
Succeeded by	Tage Erlander
Minister for Defence
In office 10 March 1920 – 27 October 1920
Prime Minister	Hjalmar Branting
Preceded by	Erik Nilsson
Succeeded by	Carl Gustaf Hammarskjöld
In office 13 October 1921 – 19 April 1923
Prime Minister	Hjalmar Branting
Preceded by	Otto Lybeck
Succeeded by	Carl Malmroth
In office 18 October 1924 – 7 June 1926
Prime Minister	Hjalmar Branting Rickard Sandler
Preceded by	Carl Malmroth
Succeeded by	Gustav Rosén

Personal details
Born	(1885-10-28)28 October 1885 Malmö, Sweden
Died	6 October 1946(1946-10-06) (aged 60) Stockholm, Sweden
Resting place	Norra begravningsplatsen
Political party	Social Democrats
Spouse	Elisabeth Fryckberg

Per Albin Hansson (born October 28, 1885 – died October 6, 1946) was a very important Swedish politician. He led the Social Democrats from 1925. He was also the Prime Minister for a long time, from 1932 to 1946. During his time, he helped shape modern Sweden.

Building the People's Home
- Important Social Reforms
Early Life and Political Journey
- Starting in Politics
- Leading the Social Democrats
Sweden During World War II
- A Government of Unity
- Challenges of Neutrality
Later Years and Legacy
Images for kids
See also

Building the People's Home

Per Albin Hansson is famous for his idea of "Folkhemmet", which means "The People's Home". This idea was about making Sweden a fair and equal society for everyone. It focused on creating a strong welfare state. This meant the government would help people with things like healthcare, education, and housing.

Important Social Reforms

During Hansson's time as Prime Minister, many changes happened. These changes helped improve life for ordinary people in Sweden.

Better Healthcare: Dental care became more affordable for everyone.
Help for Families: Families with children received financial support. Widows and people with disabilities also got help.
Housing Support: The government helped build affordable homes for large families. They also gave money to families for housing.
Unemployment Insurance: A system was set up to help people who lost their jobs. This provided them with some money.
Paid Holidays: A law was passed in 1938 that gave workers 12 days of paid holiday each year. This meant people could rest without losing money.
Worker Protection: Laws were updated to make workplaces safer. This included health checks for workers in certain jobs.

These reforms aimed to make sure everyone had a good standard of living. They laid the foundation for Sweden's modern welfare system.

Early Life and Political Journey

Per Albin Hansson was born in Kulladal, a part of Malmö, Sweden, on October 28, 1885. He became one of Sweden's first full-time politicians.

Starting in Politics

Hansson joined the Swedish Social Democratic Youth in 1903. He became its chairman from 1908 to 1909. During this time, Sweden was slowly giving all men the right to vote.

He later became the editor of a newspaper called Social-Demokraten. In 1920, he became the Minister of Defence in Sweden's first Social Democratic government. He held this job in several governments until 1925. He often reduced the money spent on the military.

Leading the Social Democrats

After the death of the party leader, Hjalmar Branting, in 1925, Hansson became the chairman of the Social Democratic Party. He worked hard to make the party strong. He believed in building a welfare state rather than taking over all industries. He called this vision "The People's Home."

In 1932, his party gained many seats in the election. He formed a government with support from the Farmers' League. This allowed him to become Prime Minister.

Sweden During World War II

When World War II started in 1939, Hansson declared that Sweden would remain neutral. This meant Sweden would not take sides in the war.

A Government of Unity

To keep Sweden safe, Hansson formed a special government. This government included almost all major political parties. The only party not included was the Communist Party. Sweden was one of the few countries in Europe that stayed neutral throughout the entire war.

Challenges of Neutrality

Staying neutral was not always easy. For example, Germany needed iron ore from Sweden for its factories. Sweden continued to trade with both sides during the war.

In 1941, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Germany asked Sweden for military help. This caused a big discussion in the Swedish government. King Gustaf V even threatened to resign if Sweden did not agree to some of Germany's demands. In the end, Sweden allowed German troops to use its railways to help Finland, which was allied with Germany.

As the war turned against Germany around 1942–1943, Sweden no longer felt threatened. It then stopped most of its concessions to Germany. The main goal was always to keep Sweden out of the war.

Later Years and Legacy

After Germany surrendered in 1945, Hansson wanted to keep a government that included all non-Communist parties. However, his own party wanted to make big changes after the war. So, he agreed to lead a government made up only of Social Democrats.

Per Albin Hansson died from a heart attack in Stockholm on October 6, 1946. He was stepping off a tram on his way home from work. He was replaced by Tage Erlander, who continued many of Hansson's ideas. Many people see Per Albin Hansson as one of Sweden's most successful Prime Ministers. He is buried in Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm.