History of the Riksdag

Of ancient origin in the Viking Things, the 1435 meeting in the city of Arboga is considered the first Riksdag, however only three of the estates were probably present the nobility, the clergy and the burghers.

[1][2] This informal representation was formalized in 1527 by King Gustav I of Sweden to include representatives of all the four estates, which historically reflected the lines of division in Swedish society: the nobility, the clergy, the burghers and the peasantry.

[2] The Riksdag convened more frequently which consolidates and strengthened the political power of the representatives of the estates.

[2] After the death of Karl XII in 1718, the Riksdag regained its influence, this was also aided by the fact that the council of the realm (composed of the nobility and kings) was viewed as responsible for the poor economic situation and "devastation" in Sweden.

[2] From 1718 onwards, important decisions were taken by the Riksdag and the body began to convene for lengthy periods of time to discuss matters at hand.

[2] When the Riksdag was not in session, the council of the realm, which functioned as the "government" at the time, controlled Sweden.

[2] in 1766, the Riksdag passed a law to guarantee freedom of press, this abolished censureship and allowed the general public to access information.

[2] King Gustav III performed a coup d'état in 1772, ending the "age of freedom" and severely weakening the Riksdag while increasing his own power.

[2] The new Riksdag was a political assembly with two chambers (bicameral) where the members were chosen in national elections.

[2] The major change in the reform was that citizens could participate and vote in the elections without regard to which Estate they had hitherto belonged; instead, there were new requirements on income or wealth, i.e. census suffrage.

All Swedish men above 24 could vote for the Second chamber without any of the prior qualifications involving them having to possess wealth or income.

[5] Though the outbreak of World War I kept the King's conservative government, headed by Hjalmar Hammarskjöld in office,[6] in the face of popular unrest (also resulting from food shortages) and a clear majority for the opposition Social Democrats and Liberals at the 1917 general election, the King reluctantly resolved to appoint a cabinet from the reform-minded majority in the Riksdag.

[5] The franchise had been extended to all adult men in 1907; women's suffrage first came in the 1921 general election to the second chamber of the Riksdag.

Even though a de facto parliamentary system was firmly established, somewhat similar to the situation in the United Kingdom, there were demands for a more democratic constitution.

[11] However, the second general election to the unicameral Riksdag only gave the government support from 175 members, while the opposition could mobilize an equal force of 175 members, resulting in what became known as the "lottery Riksdag", in which the Speaker had to draw lots to resolve deadlocked votes.

The new instrument of government adopted in 1974 left the monarch as a ceremonial head of state without political power.

The monarchy was retained, whereas the monarch lost all formal political influence and became only a symbolic head of state.