Det parlamentariska tomrummet i Sverige. En studie i den statsvetenskapliga begreppsdebatten 1920-1939

Abstract

The parliamentary vacuum in Sweden. A study in conceptual change 1920-1939. This article outlines how parliamentarism was justified in the Swedish debate in 1920s and 30s. The special interest is focused on the argumentation carried out in the Swedish political science journal Statsvetenskaplig Tidskrift. The Swedish system landed on minority parliamentarism at the 1920s despite the ideals of majority rule. In this article I pay attention to three questions the actors had to deal with. First, Statsvetenskaplig Tidskrift 2000, årg 103 nr 3 288 Abstracts how did they consider the question of the relation between king, government and parliament. Secondly, what role did the explanations of the transition from dualism to parliamentarism play. The third question lies in that the Swedish political tradition was built up as if it had no other references than Swedish history and, thus, the justification had to be presented as a Swedish product in the process of history. With the emphasis of parliamentarism as a kind of politics of compromise the justification of (minority) parliamentarism could be accepted as a part of the Swedish system. The emphasis of compromise was a very cleaver political move, because the Swedish historiography hade since the 19t h century brought out compromise as the sublime motive in Swedish politics. Thus, the conservative interpretation of Swedish politics as based on consensus was reinforced in an anachronistic way.