August Palm


Palm, August

 

Born Feb. 5, 1849, in Skabersjö; died Mar. 14, 1922, in Stockholm. Figure in the Swedish labor movement. First propagandist for socialism in Sweden; also carried on propaganda work in Denmark, Germany, and the USA. Son of a teacher. Tailor by trade.

Palm founded and edited the first Swedish social democratic newspaper, Fólkvíljan, from 1882 to 1885 and Social-Demo-kraten in 1885–86. He was imprisoned during 1887 and 1888. In 1889 he worked on convening the constituent congress of the Social Democratic Party of Sweden (SDPS). As a member of the party leadership, he helped prepare for the mass political strike of 1902. In 1907 and from 1912 he published the antimilitarist newspaper Appell. A member of the left wing of the SDPS, he welcomed the victory of the Great October Socialist Revolution in Russia.