Why did the Swedish model fail

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1、WHYDIDTHESWEDISHMODELFAIL?RudolfMeidner'FromMarxtoMarket'isnotonlythetitleofawell-knownbook'oraplayonwords:theslogancanalsobeusedasatelegraphedhistoryoftheSwedishlabourmovement.Thelate19thcenturypioneersofthemovementwerestronglyinflu-encedbyGermanmarxistsandhadasac

2、oncretegoalthetransferofthemeansofproductionintocollectiveownership.Theirmodernfollowershaveabandoned-ashavemostsocialistsinWesterndemocracies-theissueofownershipastheessenceofsocialism.Themarketeconomyisnowgenerallyacceptedasthearenafortheexchangeofprivatelyproduc

3、edgoodsandservices-albeitwithrestrictionsandmodificationsintheinterestofafairdistributionofwealth.ABriefHistoryofSwedishSocialDemocracy'Ofcourse,suchaslogancannotdojusticetotheSwedishlabourmove-ment's'longmarch'throughhistoryanditsmanyintermediarywaystations.True,t

4、hefirstSwedishsocialdemocratsweremarxistsandtheirsuccessorsonehundredyearslaterhaveanoticeableweaknessforthemarket.Butthemarxistelementsofthesocialdemocraticideologywereeliminatedatanearlystageand'nationalization'wasforsakenbythefirstsocialdemocraticgovernmentinthe

5、1920s.Itdisappearedfromtheagendawhenthegovernmentappointedacommissiontoinvestigatethetopicofnationalization-aninfalliblemethodforburyingideasonceandforall.Instead,theSwedishsocialdemocratsstartedtobuildupawelfaresocietywithintheframeworkofcapitalism,leavingtheowner

6、sofcapitaltotakecareofproducinggoodsbutassigningtothestatetheresponsibilityforafairdistributionoftheproductionresults.Nationalizationwasreplacedby'functionalsocialism'whichmeansthatsocializingsomeofthefunc-tionsofownershipispreferredtoundertakingwholesalesocializat

7、ion.Classhegemonygavewaytotheclasslesssociety.labelledas'thepeople'shome',afamousexpressioncoinedbythepopularSwedishPrimeMinister212THESOCIALISTREGISTER1993P.A.Hanssonin1928,accordingtowhichallSwedesshouldfeelandbetreatedasmembersofafamily:Inthegoodhomeequality,con

8、sideration,co-operationandhelpfulnessprevail.Appliedtothegreatpeople'sandcitizen'shomethiswouldmeanthebreakingdownofallthesocialandeconomicbarrie