Olof Palme (January 30, 1927 – February 28, 1986) was a
Swedish politician.
Palme was the l
eader of the Social Democratic Party from
1969 to 1986 and was the
Prime Minister of Sweden with a
Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet government from 1982 until his
assassination in 1986.
Palme's murder was the first of its kind in modern Swedish history and had a big
impact across Scandinavia and thrueout the world.
Olof Palme became the leader of a new generation of Swedish Social Democrats perceived to have stood further to the left of their predecessors. He has sometimes been described as a "revolutionary reformist".
Palme was a controversial political figure on the international scene: his outspoken criticism of the United States for the Vietnam War, his vocal opposition to the Soviets crushing the Prague Spring, campaigning against nuclear weapons proliferation, criticism of the Franco Regime in Spain, opposition to apartheid and support for economic sanctions against South Africa, his support—both political and financial—for the African National Congress (ANC) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), meeting with Fidel Castro of Cuba, all ensured that Palme had much opposition abroad, as well as friends in many countries.