‘Middle Way’ Sweden at a Cross-Road: Problems,Actors,and Outcomes *

Abstract

Theoretically the purpose of the paper is defined in terms of class analysis and class struggle: What is the strength of the Swedish working-class in terms of numerical size, unionization, level of social consciousness, and labour party responsiveness? What is the strength of the capitalist class in terms of its systemic metapower, its control of the capital market as reflected in ownership and investment patterns, its subjection to recent labour legislation, and its internal organizational and ideological unity? Does the class opposition indicated above represent a political cross-road, and what is the likelihood of a more socialist development of Sweden from that point of departure?

In spite of a decreasing percentage of industrial workers, the working-class is not diminishing in size, due to ‘proletarization’ of white-collar employees who also are becoming increasingly unionized. A new type of consciousness of the threats inherent in the capitalist order is found to unite various strata of this extended working-class, and to characterize a significant minority in some strata of the middle-class as well. We find circumstantial evidence supporting the assumption of increasing labour party responsiveness to demands for structural and not only incremental changes of capitalism. The strength of the capitalist class in Sweden is unimpaired in many respects, but increasingly appears as a hollow strength, due to contradictions between private and social costs, investment needs and investment patterns, and dependency on monetary rewards. Next general election (1979) is predicted to seat a labour party government taking off on a new road toward ‘economic democracy’.