Ideological orientation: Socialist, feminist, postcommunist, ex-eurocommunist
Adress: Box 12660, S-112 90 Stockholm
Tel.: +46-(0)8-786 40 00
Fax: +46-(0)8-21 33 53
E-mail: vansterpartiet@riksdagen.se
Founded: 1917
Major splits: 1919, 1921, 1924, 1929, 1956, 1967, 1977
Leader: Gudrun Schyman
Publications: Vänsterpress
Representation in parliament: Yes, 43 MPs
Election results: 12%(National election 1998, 631 011 votes), 15,8% (EP-election 1999)
International relations: Member of NELF and GUE-NGL. Upholds bilateral contacts with some parties around the world, such as UP(Poland), HADEP(Turkey/Kurdistan) and PT(Brazil).
Images: Gudrun Schyman

History: Vänsterpartiet (Left Party) was founded as a left-wing split from the Social Democratic Party in May 1917 by the Social Democratic Youth League and the left opposition of the Social Democrats. In the beginning the party was called the Sverges Socialdemokratiska Vänsterparti (SSV, Social Democratic Left Party of Sweden). The party was based on the principles of socialism, radicalism, antimilitarism and internationalism. Among the leading figures of the SSV were Kata Dahlström(pioneer in the struggle for women's rights in Sweden), Zeth Höglund, Carl Lindhagen, Karl Kihlbom and Otto Grimlund.  In 1919 SSV joined the ComIntern, and as a consecuence the name of the party was changed to Sveriges Kommunistiska Parti (SKP, Communist Party of Sweden) in 1921. The name changed provocated a split when a fraction, headed by Karl Vennerström, that maintained the name SSV formed their own party. That SSV existed 1921-23. In 1923 the SSV of Vennerström joined up with the Social Democrats.

The 20's was a turbulent time for SKP. SKP suffered a major splits in 1921 and 1924, but especially in 1929 when the majority of the party membership were expelled by the ComIntern and formed an independent communist party with Karl Kihlbom and Nils Flyg as the leaders of their party. Incially it was called SKP as well, but in 1934 the "renegades" (or "kihlbommare" as they often were called) took the name Socialistiska Partiet. The communists that stayed with the ComIntern elected Sven Linderot as their leader and iniciated the process of reconstructing the party.

During WW2 SKP suffered harsh police repression, being the only major antifascist force in "neutral" Sweden. The communist press was practically illegalized and communist militants were sent to work camps because of their political affliation. After the war SKP gained a historically large support in the elections of 1946.

In 1951 Hilding Hagberg took over the party leadership. Hagberg continued the prosoviet course. During the 50's the influence of the communists shrunk as a result of the Cold War. After the 20th Congress of the CPSU and the initiating of the process of "destalinisation" of the Soviet Union and the world communist movement, a small group of hardline stalinists headed by Set Persson left SKP and formed SKA(Communist Labour League of Sweden).

In the 60's the transformation of the party, from a traditional prosoviet CP to an independent left-wing party, began. In 1964 C.H. Hermansson was elected as party chairman. At the party congres of 1967 the party name was changed to Vänsterpartiet Kommunisterna (VPK, Left Party the Communists). At the same congress, a pro-Beijing fraction broke out and formed Kommunistiska Förbundet Marxist-Leninisterna (KFML, Communist League Marxist-Leninists). VPK started to orientate itself towards the eurocommunist tendencies of the PCI and other CP's and the "Popular Socialism" of the Danish and Norwegian socialist parties. In 1968 VPK strongly condemned the Soviet intervention in Czecho-Slovakia. A internal conflict between the party leadership and the pro-Soviet "Flamman"-group appeared in the aftermath. In 1977 the "Flamman"-fraction broke out and formed Arbetarpartiet Kommunisterna (APK, Workers' Party the Communists).

In 1990 the party changed it's name to Vänsterpartiet ((v), Left Party). In the same process the party renounced the contacts it used to have with other communist parties. Some years later (v) begun to identify itself as a feminst party.

There is also a page about party history from the official party homepage.

Local Party homepages:
Blekinge
Dalarna

Ung Vänster (Young Left):
official homepage

Ung Vänster is the youth organisation of Vänsterpartiet. It was founded in 1903 as the Social Democratic Youth League(SDUF). In the beginning it was the youth of the Social Democratic Party, but in 1917 SDUF broke away and formed the new party SSV. When SSV/SDUF joined the world communist movement SDUF changed it's name to Young Communist League of Sweden, section och the Communist Youth International (SKU). After WW2 there were plans to "broaden" SKU. Demokratisk Ungdom(DU, Democratic Youth) was formed as a parallell organization. In 19? SKU fused with DU. DU changed name to Vänsterns Ungdomsförbund(VUF, Youth Laegue of the Left). VUF became very inspired by the ultraleftist tendencies that grew in Europe and in 1968 it broke away from the party, forming MLK. However, the work of reconstructing the youth of VPK started fast, especially in Göteborg. In 1972 Kommunistisk Ungdom(KU, Communist Youth) was formed at national level and in 1975 it held it's founding congress. In 1991 KU changed it's name to Ung Vänster(Young Left) and the following year, Ung Vänster left the World Federation of Democratic Youth.

Ung Vänster has the same address as that of the party (Box 12660, S-112 90 Stockholm) and it's fax number is +46-(0)8-650 85 87. The league publishes a magazine called Röd Press. The Young Left is divided in 22 districts and each district is compromised of several clubs.
Homepages of Districts and Clubs of the Young Left:
Ung Vänster Blekinge
Ung Vänster Dalarna

Vänsterns Studentförbund (Student League of the Left):
VSF is the university student organization of the Left Party. It was founded 1997 as a contiuation of KHF(Communist University League), which was dissolved in 1989. VSF contests elections to students councils.
Local homepages:

Sveriges Socialistiska Pionjärer (Socialist Pioneers of Sweden):
SSP is a socialist childrens organization. It was until 1992 a sister organization of Vänsterpartiet, but is today a financially independent organization. It has a central  homepage.

Other related sites (not party or youth league sites):
Information about (v), Swedish Parliament
MPs of the Left Party, Swedish Parliament
De röda sidorna (The Red Pages)
Från SSV till Vänsterpartiet, Marxistiskt Perspektiv 1/1996
Installation at "Louisianaudstillingen", at Louisiana, Museum of Contemporary Art, Denmark. 1997-98
Left Party the Feminists, article from the Antifeminist Society
Vänsterpartiet, en partifördjupning - article by Anders Wahl, Skolarkivet
Vänster högerom marsch? - article from Socialisten
Pages from the Royal Library about de press of SSV/SKP/VPK: