August Konrad Ferdinand Spångberg (29 March 1893 – 19 June 1987) was a Swedish politician who served in the Riksdag for 46 years (1922–1964). Initially elected as the youngest member with the Communists, he later joined the Swedish Social Democratic Party. Spångberg is best known for his resistance work during World War II, helping Jews, Norwegian resistance fighters and political refugees escape Nazi-occupied Norway from his position in Charlottenberg on the Swedish border. Among those he aided was future German Chancellor Willy Brandt. This humanitarian work earned him the Order of St. Olav. He also gained prominence for his advocacy for Swedish republicanism—authoring multiple parliamentary motions to abolish the monarchy and establish a democratic republic—and his investigation of the 1931 Ådalen shootings.

August Konrad Ferdinand Spångberg was born in Lämtjärnsfallet near Skärhyttan, Nora, Örebro län, Sweden. His father was August Carlsson, a miller's son, who left for America before August was born.^[3] His mother was Anna Lovisa Spångberg (born 1870). Spångberg spent his early years living with his maternal grandfather, Karl Fredrik Spångberg, a crofter and coal burner.^[4] For a short time he lived in a foster home at Smällfallet and then moved back to live with his mother and stepfather Anders Gustaf Olsson.^[5][6] August's two half-siblings were Sten (born 1900) and Linnéa (born 1904), who later became a Swedish movie actress.^[7] As a young boy, Spångberg had to help with ore washing and work in the coal forest from an early age. When his grandfather emigrated to relatives in Michigan in 1906, he was briefly sent to live elsewhere before reuniting with his mother and stepfather.^[8]

Spångberg's formal education consisted of basic schooling in Skärhyttan's rural school. In 1919, he attended Brunnsvik Folk High School on a scholarship from the Railwaymen's Union, which proved to be a formative educational experience.^[9] At Brunnsvik, he studied under headmaster Gunnäs and was influenced by teachers Yngve Hugo and Eva and Niklas Bergius. He also encountered important cultural figures like the poets Dan Andersson and Harry Blomberg during his time there.^[10] Beyond formal education, Spångberg was largely self-taught through extensive reading and participation in study circles within the labor and temperance movements, which he first encountered at the age of 15.^[11]

August Spångberg married Sofia Elisabet Nilsdotter on July 9, 1921 in a civil ceremony.^[12] Sofia shared his political convictions and was active in the same organizations—the Good Templar Lodge, the Youth Club, and the Socialist Party. Together they led the Children's Guild in Charlottenberg, educating local youth on political matters. Their son Arne was born on November 6, 1922, during Spångberg's recovery from a serious heart inflammation.^[13] In his memoir, Spångberg noted that becoming a father gave him "a double responsibility" and strengthened his resolve to build a better world for future generations.

When August was elected to parliament in 1922 as a representative of the Swedish Communist Party, the family periodically lived in Stockholm while maintaining their home in Värmland.^[14]

As a young man, Spångberg worked as a railway worker in Charlottenberg, where he was active in both the temperance movement and socialist youth movement.^[15] His first organizational affiliation was with the Verdandilogen Nytt Hopp in Korsnäs, followed three years later by joining the social democratic youth club in Granbergsdal outside Karlskoga.^[16] In 1912, he was arrested by police along with other youth club members for distributing anti-militarist leaflets at Nora market.^[17]

After moving to Charlottenberg in Värmland in 1913, Spångberg became involved in rebuilding the local social democratic youth club and IOGT lodge, and was one of the founders of the local workers' commune. He later gained employment as a coachman and stableman at SJ (Swedish Railways) and joined the branch of the Swedish Railway Workers' Union in Charlottenberg, where he was appointed as a congress delegate in 1918 and elected chairman of the branch in 1920.^[18]

In the 1917 split of the Social Democratic Party, Spångberg joined the Communist group. His strong anti-militarist and internationalist commitment was one of the factors that brought him to the left wing of the movement.^[19]

In 1922, at age 29, he became the youngest member ever elected to the Swedish parliament.^[20] Spångberg was notable for his radical positions in parliament. He refused to attend the king's speech from the throne and in his maiden speech demanded the rejection of appropriations for the royal house.^[21] He was also active in raising issues about the conditions of crofters and tenants, agricultural workers in Värmland, and protested against the treatment of Finland's Red side after the 1918 civil war.^[22]

Throughout his parliamentary career, Spångberg was a prominent advocate for republicanism in Sweden. In 1924, he authored a major motion arguing for the establishment of a republic, marking one of the first serious parliamentary challenges to the Swedish monarchy.^[23] The motion provided a detailed historical critique of the Swedish monarchy, arguing that it was incompatible with democratic principles. During the debate, Spångberg was interrupted by the President of the Parliament when he suggested that "Gustav V would go willingly after the Riksdag had decided" to abolish the monarchy.^[24] Though the Constitutional Committee rejected the motion, Spångberg continued to raise the issue throughout his time in parliament.

He played a crucial role in exposing the Carlbom affair, a major financial scandal involving the Swedish Railwaymen's Union's treasurer P.E. Carlbom, who had embezzled approximately 1.5 million kronor. Spångberg had warned about irregularities as early as 1921 and helped bring the scandal to light.^[25] He was particularly energetic in criticizing suspected irregularities in connection with this affair in 1924.^[26]

In 1929, Spångberg, along with the majority of Swedish Communists, was expelled from the Party. He then joined Karl Kilbom in the independent communist party (later renamed as the Socialist Party).^[27] Spångberg's strong position in Värmland's radical workers' circles was evidenced by the fact that practically the entire party district followed him when he left the Comintern.^[28]

A significant part of his parliamentary work during this period focused on the Ådalen shootings of 1931, where five people were killed by military forces during a labor demonstration. Spångberg was one of the most vocal critics of the government's handling of the incident and helped lead the parliamentary investigation.^[29] Following the events, he was charged with "glorifying a criminal act" during his speaking tours and was sentenced to a fine.^[30]

In 1937, August Spångberg traveled with Ture Nerman to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. They witnessed the May Days fighting in Barcelona while staying at the Hotel Victoria, which resulted in significant casualties.^[31] They found themselves in the middle of a conflict between syndicalists and left-wing socialists on one side and the Communist Party and government on the other.^[32]

That same year, Spångberg had interpellated the government to protest against the Moscow trials with the execution of several prominent Bolshevik leaders.^[33]

Upon returning to Sweden from Spain, Spångberg found his party divided in a struggle between Karl Kilbom and Nils Flyg. When the Socialist Party split in early summer 1937, Spångberg urged party leader Nils Flyg to initiate discussions about a merger with the Social Democrats. When this call went unheeded, in January 1938, he applied for entry into his hometown's social democratic workers' commune.^[34]

During World War II, Spångberg played a significant role in the Norwegian resistance movement against the Nazi occupation of Norway. Operating from his position near the border at Charlottenberg, he helped many refugees escape Nazi-occupied Norway, including Willy Brandt, who would later become Chancellor of West Germany.^[35][36][37]

Spångberg's position at the Charlottenberg railway station on the Swedish-Norwegian border made him a key figure in the resistance network.^[38] Together with trusted colleagues at the railway, he established safe routes for refugees and organized an extensive intelligence network.^[39] He facilitated the transportation of illegal newspapers, letters, propaganda materials, and even a printing press into occupied Norway.^[40] Brandt, who was working as a Norwegian journalist after escaping from a Nazi detention camp, was among those Spångberg helped reach safety in Stockholm, where Brandt continued his work for the Norwegian press and news agency.^[41][42] Spångberg also organized humanitarian aid for Norwegians, working with the National Committee for Norwegian Aid to provide food for Norwegian railway workers, postal employees, and others who crossed the border for work.^[43] His home became a safe house for refugees and couriers,^[44] and he maintained contacts with both the Norwegian government-in-exile and the Swedish authorities, often navigating the complex political situation where Sweden's official neutrality sometimes conflicted with humanitarian needs.^[45][46]

For his efforts aiding the Norwegian resistance, Spångberg was appointed to the Order of St. Olav by the Norwegian king.^[47][48] His wife Sofia received the King Haakon VII Freedom Cross, and the couple maintained long-standing friendships with Norwegian resistance fighters through the "Border Club" (Gränseklubben) during the peace years.^[49]

In the 1950s and 1960s, Spångberg was instrumental in investigating and exposing what became known as the Unman affair (or Lundquist affair), a complex legal case involving guardianship abuse and judicial misconduct. His work on this case helped highlight issues in the Swedish legal system.^[50] This issue, in his own opinion, took up more of his parliamentary time than any other, and prompted him at the age of 82 to publish the novel "Rådmannen: en historia om ett brott" (The Councilman: A Story of a Crime) in 1975.^[51]

He was also deeply involved in the cause of conscientious objectors, particularly advocating for Jehovah's Witnesses and others who refused military service on ethical or religious grounds. His persistent work on this issue contributed to legislative changes in 1964 that provided humanitarian solutions for conscientious objectors.^[52] Among his last efforts in the Riksdag were a proposal for impunity for total conscientious objectors, whom he called "prisoners of peace," and an interpellation on the real costs of military defense.^[53]

Spångberg served 46 sessions in parliament until 1964 when he retired at the age of 71.

Beyond his parliamentary duties, Spångberg was active in international peace work. He participated in several peace congresses in various European cities including Stockholm, Oslo, Vienna, Warsaw, and Helsinki. He was also part of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and attended its congress in Brussels in 1961.^[54]

During the Cold War, peace initiatives against nuclear weapons and armaments were a main theme for Spångberg, much as the peace issue had triggered his political involvement before World War I. In 1940, he had been among the Social Democrats who voted against the proposal to ban the Communist Party.^[55]

After World War II, he made several diplomatic visits to Eastern European countries, including Hungary and Romania, working to build relationships between Sweden and the Eastern Bloc nations. He also attended the World Peace Congress in Moscow in 1962 as a delegate for the Swedish Peace Committee, accompanied by his wife.^[56][57] Vacation trips and study visits took the couple east on several occasions, to Yalta, Romania, and East Germany. While social democratic critics at home suggested he was doing communist propaganda, Spångberg saw himself as a politician of détente and peace.^[58]

When he received the Eldh-Ekblad Peace Prize at the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association's congress in 1967, it was for his "unwavering work for the cause of peace."^[59]

In 1963-64, he was involved in the parliamentary investigation of the Wennerström spy case, one of the most significant espionage cases in Swedish history, serving on the Constitutional Committee that examined the government's handling of the affair.^[60][61]

For almost a quarter of a century as a pensioner, Spångberg continued to follow political life, led study circles within the Charlottenberg pensioners' association and the peace association, and attended the annual conferences of the workers' municipality and the district. At the age of 90, he was appointed congress delegate for the local branch of the Hearing Aid Promotion in Charlottenberg, which he had once helped to establish, even though he was hearing impaired.^[62]

The Eda Municipality Library in Charlottenberg, Sweden holds a special collection of Augustus Spångberg's parliamentary documents, letters, and literature.^[63] There is a memorial park in Charlottenberg, next to the public library, named after August Spångberg.

MILITANT FRIEND OF PEACE^[64]

Idealist and parliament member August Spångberg, of Charlottenberg, has died at the age of 94.

He was born in Nora parish, Örebro. During the years 1922-1964, he was a member of the lower chamber of parliament, first for the Socialist party and later for the Social Democrats. During that period, he participated in 46 sessions of parliament. He was known as a fighting member and several times introduced legislation leading to a more democratic form of government. At one time, his efforts were opposed by then Prime Minister Tage Erlander as being impractical.

For his role in Norway's resistance effort during World War II, he was awarded the Norwegian Order of St. Olav. In 1967, he was presented with the Eldhs peace award for his "unfaltering efforts in the cause of peace and disarmament." He labored many years in the Swedish peace and neutrality societies.

At the age of 82, he authored a novel, Radmannen, the Tale of a Crime [Rådmannen: En historia om ett brott] which dealt with the Unman affair, of the 1950s, in which he had been involved and against which he fought.

The nearest survivors include his wife, Sofia, nee Nilsson, a son Arne, his wife Anne-Marie, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

• 1923: Nationernas förbund, reaktionens och våldspolitikens säkraste fäste (The League of Nations, The Surest Fortress of Reaction and Violence Politics)^[65]
• 1924: Fascistiska tendenser i Sverige - stack dem i deras linda! (Fascist Tendencies in Sweden - Nip Them in the Bud!)^[66]
• 1924: Vart de olika partierna sträva (Where the Different Parties Are Striving)^[67]
• 1926: Socialdemokratisk arbetarpolitik vid "vänstersamverkans" riksdag (Social Democratic Labor Politics in the "Left Cooperation" Parliament)^[68]
• 1931: Bröd eller svältdöd? (Bread or Starvation?)
• 1932: Program och gärningar. Socialdemokratisk riksdagspolitik valperioden 1929-1932 (Programs and Deeds: Social Democratic Parliamentary Politics 1929-1932)
• 1933: Arbetslöshetsförsäkringen. Vad innebär förslaget? (Unemployment Insurance. What Does the Proposal Entail?)^[69]
• 1934: Luftförsäkringen mot arbetslösheten. En kritisk granskning (The Air Insurance Against Unemployment. A Critical Review)^[70]
• 1937: Spanien i revolution (Spain in Revolution)
• 1966: I tidens ström (In Time's Stream)
• 1975: Rådmannen: En historia om ett brott (The Councilman: The Tale of a Crime)

More books available at: LIBRIS

• Björklund, C.J. "Den svenska arbetarrörelsens historia" (History of the Swedish Labor Movement), 1956
• Kennerström, Bernt. "Mellan två internationaler" (Between Two Internationals), 1974
• Lindholm, Stig. "Värmlands politiska historia 1865-1946" (Political History of Värmland 1865-1946), 1946

• August Spångbergs Park
• I tidens ström (full text in Swedish)
• Linnéa Spångberg at IMDb
• Audio clip: Partierna otydliga i monarkifrågan
• Audio clip: Riksdagsdebatt om femtiotalets rättsröteaffärer
• Article: The battle for peace
• My Road to Berlin
• Texter av August Spångberg
• Dictionary of Swedish National Biography