21 Facts About Rickard Sandler

Rickard Johannes Sandler was a Swedish Social Democratic politician.

Rickard Sandler served as minister without portfolio in the Swedish government from 10 March 1920 to 30 June 1920, minister for finance from 1 July 1920 to 27 October 1920, minister without portfolio from 13 October 1921 to 19 April 1923, minister of commerce and industry from 14 October 1924 to 24 January 1925, Prime Minister from 24 January 1925 to 7 June 1926, and as minister for foreign affairs from 24 September 1932 to 19 June 1936 and again from 28 September 1936 to 13 December 1939.

Rickard Sandler is the second-youngest prime minister of Sweden, aged 41 when he took office.

Rickard Sandler was born in Torsaker parish, Vasternorrland County.

Rickard Sandler's father Johan Sandler was a headmaster at a folk high school and later a Member of Parliament.

Rickard Sandler received a Licentiate of Arts degree in 1911 at the age of 26, after which he became a member of the board of the Social Democratic Party, and would remain a member until 1952.

In 1918, in the government of Prime Minister Nils Eden, Rickard Sandler became secretary of state to the minister for finance, Fredrik Thorsson.

Rickard Sandler continued in the same capacity when Hjalmar Branting became prime minister in 1920.

In 1921 when Thorsson went on to start the new Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Rickard Sandler took his place as the minister of finance, a capacity he held until 1923.

Rickard Sandler took the latter position after some persuasion, as he was intent to take up a job as the headmaster of the folk high school in Brunnsvik.

When Hjalmar Branting became ill and left office before his death in February 1925, and Fredrik Thorsson who was a likely candidate to replace Branting as prime minister fell sick and died, Rickard Sandler was appointed to the post at the age of 41.

Rickard Sandler was supported by the Freeminded People's Party in what became the largest disarmament in Sweden.

Rickard Sandler returned to the government in 1932 as minister of foreign affairs, a post he held until 1939.

Rickard Sandler left the government over a disagreement with the prime minister about the Winter War.

Rickard Sandler wanted Sweden to actively help Finland after the Soviet Union had attacked it on 30 November 1939, a stance the prime minister did not hold.

Now a deputy, Rickard Sandler continued to be influential in Swedish foreign policy.

Rickard Sandler was chairman of several governmental inquiries, including the Socialization Committee, a commission appointed to audit the Swedish refugee policy during World War II, known as the Sandler Commission, and the Commission on the Constitution.

Rickard Sandler was one of the founders of The Workers' Enlightenment League in 1912.

Rickard Sandler was the main writer of the Marxist-oriented party program of the Social Democratic Party in 1920.

Rickard Sandler published the widely circulated statistical outline of social classes "The society as it is".

Rickard Sandler translated Das Kapital by Karl Marx into Swedish, and in 1943 he authored a book on literary and historic secret writings called Cipher.