Erlander, Tage Fritiof

Erlander, Tage Fritiof (1901-1985), Prime Minister of Sweden (1946-1969), who dominated Swedish welfare-state politics after World War II. As a young man he became an active Social Democrat and in 1932 was elected to the Riksdag, of which he remained a member until 1969. Having joined the Cabinet in 1944, he succeeded Per Albin Hansson as Prime Minister two years later and held office without interruption until 1969. His Cabinets consisted solely of Social Democrats except for a few years when he governed in a coalition with the Centre party. He furthered Nordic cooperation but kept a strict neutrality in the cold war.