Two Socialisms: The Soviet Perception of the Scandinavian Model in the Second Half of the 1960s and 1970s

In the 20th century, the Nordic countries implemented the concept of a social state. The article analyzes the attitude to the theory and practice of the “Scandinavian model” (ideology, political situation, economic and foreign policy of the Scandinavian Social Democrats, as well as their implementation of the concept of the “welfare state”) of representatives of state authorities and management, as well as the scientific community of the USSR in the second half of the 1960s – 1970s. The “socialist” basis of the model and the similarity of some of its aspects with Soviet socialism formed a special interest of specialists. Despite the recognition of the clear success of the Nordic countries in the socio-economic sphere, its final assessment was negative. The “Scandinavian model” was not even considered a progressive version of “ordinary” capitalism. Although in the 1970s in the Soviet Union there were quite balanced judgments about the Scandinavian social democrats, the possibility of using the experience of the “Scandinavian model” in the USSR was not considered. At the same time, the Soviet Union and other socialist countries saw this model as a threat (as well as in general in the Western model of the “welfare state”). The Soviet estimates were not entirely objective, although the bias characteristic of the previous period decreased. Soviet diplomats and experts often emphasized the negative aspects of the “Scandinavian Model” and often made contradictory conclusions about it. An important point is that the crisis of the “Scandinavian model” and the collapse of the Soviet system coincided in time, and the processes of partial dismantling of this model are similar to the events in post-Soviet Russia.

Keywords

Scandinavian Model, Socialism, Sweden, Northern Countries, USSR, Welfare State

Received

09.06.2021

Publication date

01.05.2021

Number of characters

43671

Cite

GOST	Sinitsyn F. “Two Socialisms”: The Soviet Perception of the “Scandinavian Model” in the Second Half of the 1960s and 1970s // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2021. – Issue 3 C. 172-184 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640010021-1-1 (circulation date: 16.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640010021-1
MLA	Sinitsyn, Fedor "“Two Socialisms”: The Soviet Perception of the “Scandinavian Model” in the Second Half of the 1960s and 1970s." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 3 (2021):172-184. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640010021-1
APA	Sinitsyn F. (2021). “Two Socialisms”: The Soviet Perception of the “Scandinavian Model” in the Second Half of the 1960s and 1970s. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (3), pp.172-184 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640010021-1

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