Not since 1914 has Sweden had a political crisis sharp enough to force the King to dissolve Parliament. But last week the Socialist government of Premier Tage Erlander, whose party has held power alone or as masters of a coalition almost uninterruptedly since 1932, fell by an adverse vote in the Swedish lower chamber. At issue was expansion of Sweden's welfare state, which already provides more cradle-to-grave benefits than any other European nation. Following his defeat, Erlander asked King Gustaf VI Adolf to dissolve Parliament.
Though aware he would fall, gangling (6 ft. 3 in.) Premier Erlander rose from a sickbed to cast his ballot in favor of a Socialist proposal to provide uniform, state-administered pensions to all Swedes at the age of 67, giving them a fat two-thirds of the average income of their 15 best earning years. With the Socialists and Communists voting for Erlander's bill and the right-of-center parties against, the vote went 117 to 111 against Erlander.
Inflation and high taxes have somewhat cooled the Swedish enthusiasm for statism. In postwar elections the Socialists have gradually lost strength, the more conservative parties gained. Whether this cooling is decisive enough to topple the Socialists from their long-held power will be seen in the special elections which must now be held, probably on June 1.