Lantmanna Party

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Lantmanna Party (Swedish: Lantmannapartiet, lit.'Party of the Rural People') was a political party in Sweden during the late 19th century, essentially a faction in the parliament which existed from 1867 to 1912 (though split in two 1888–1895).[1] The Lantmanna Party was founded in 1867, following the representation reform of 1866 which had replaced the old Riksdag of the Estates with the modern Riksdag, assembled for the first time in early 1867. It was represented in the second chamber (Andra kammaren) of the parliament, which was directly elected.

Party of the Rural People
Lantmannapartiet
LeaderArvid Posse
Erik Gustaf Boström
Founded1867 (1867)
Dissolved1912 (1912)
Succeeded byFarmer and Bourgeoisie Party
HeadquartersStockholm
IdeologyBig tent
Liberal conservatism
Conservative liberalism
Agrarianism
Political positionCentre-right to right-wing
Colors  Blue

The party originally did not have any clear political ideology but claimed to represent farmers and ordinary people, although it was never a real agrarian party. Many of its first members had been members of the last Estate of Peasants in the old Riksdag of the Estates while one of the informal leaders at the start was Count Arvid Posse. The party was also supported by the main Swedish newspaper at the time, Dagens Nyheter. Posse went on to become Prime Minister of Sweden from 1880 to 1883.[2]

In 1888 the party was split in two parties over the issue on free trade contra protectionism; the free trade advocates founded the Old Lantmanna Party and the protectionists founded the New Lantmanna Party. In 1895 the two parties reunited under its old name. Erik Gustaf Boström of the Lantmanna Party (New Lantmanna Party during the split) was able to form a cabinet twice, as prime minister in 1891–1900 and again in 1902–1905.

By the turn of the century 1900, the party had evolved in an ideologically conservative way, much due to opposition against the liberals and the emerging social democrats. While the party had its base in the parliament and was formed solely by elected members of it, there was no organisation for election campaigns until 1904, when the Lantmanna Party formed the Allmänna valmansförbundet (General Elector Coalition) together with other right-wing fractions in the parliament. In 1912 the Lantmanna Party merged with another of the right-wing fractions of the parliament, the National Progress Party, to form the new Farmer and Bourgeoisie Party [sv] (Lantmanna- och borgarepartiet), which came to be known as the andrakammarshögern ('right-wing faction of the second chamber'). This and the Allmänna valmansförbundet eventually evolved into the present Moderate Party.

Election results

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Riksdag
Date Votes Seats Position Size
No. % ± pp No. ±
1866
81 / 190
New Opposition 1st
1869
86 / 192
  5 Opposition 1st
1872 8,111
90 / 194
  4 Opposition 1st
1875 10,021
92 / 198
  2 Opposition 1st
1878 10,453
92 / 204
  0 Opposition 1st
1881 14,780
101 / 206
  9 Opposition 1st
1884 16,404 ???
104 / 214
  3 Opposition 1st
March–April 1887 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown
August–September 1887 31,812 34.6   ???
115 / 222
  11 Opposition 1st
1890 20,099 53.16   18.56
88 / 228
  27 Opposition 1st
1893 20,887 29.48   23.68
75 / 228
  13 Opposition 1st
1896 42,947 32.12   2.64
128 / 230
  53 Opposition 1st
1899 72,800 53.16   21.04
137 / 230
  9 Opposition 1st
1902 81,703 45.26   7.90
119 / 230
  18 Opposition 2nd
1905 30,300 31.35   13.91
57 / 230
  62 Opposition 2nd
1908 37,512 12.2   19.15
52 / 230
  5 Opposition 2nd

Notes

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  1. ^ Franklin Daniel Scott (1988). Sweden, the Nation's History. SIU Press. p. 397. ISBN 9780809314898.
  2. ^ Øyvind Østerud, "The transformation of Scandinavian agrarianism: A comparative study of political change around 1870," Scandinavian Journal of History 1.1-4 (1976): 201-213.

Further reading

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  • Østerud, Øyvind. "The transformation of Scandinavian agrarianism: A comparative study of political change around 1870," Scandinavian Journal of History 1.1-4 (1976): 201-213.