Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Gunnar Georg Emanuel Strang
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Quick Facts
Born:
Dec. 23, 1906, Jarfall, near Stockholm, Swed.
Died:
March 6, 1992, Stockholm (aged 85)
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Gunnar Georg Emanuel Strang

Swedish politician
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Gunnar Georg Emanuel Strang (born Dec. 23, 1906, Jarfall, near Stockholm, Swed.—died March 6, 1992, Stockholm) was a Swedish politician who was finance minister (1955–76) in a succession of Social Democratic cabinets and one of the architects of Sweden’s national social-welfare system.

Strang was a self-educated agricultural labourer and trade-union organizer who rose to become president of the Swedish Agricultural Workers’ Union in 1938. After World War II he was elected to the Riksdag (parliament), joined the government as a consulting minister (1945–47), and later served as minister of supply (1947–48), agriculture (1948–51), and social affairs (1951–55).

As minister of finance, Strang sought the redistribution of wealth through a highly progressive system of taxes on personal income, capital, and private employers. He supported the extensive welfare system that included generous health-care benefits, pensions, and unemployment coverage. He also stressed the importance of creating jobs and balancing the budget. In 1969 he introduced Sweden’s first value-added tax, which took on even greater significance in the late 1980s when the government trimmed other forms of taxation. He left office after the Social Democrats lost the 1976 elections, but he remained in the Riksdag until 1985.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.