Playbook for Defeating the 1% - the Swedish and Norwegian Model

This playbook is inspired by the insights of George Lakey and the transformative movements of Norway and Sweden in the early 20th century. These nations, once marked by extreme poverty and inequality, achieved remarkable economic justice and democracy through collective, nonviolent struggle. 

By challenging the dominance of the 1% and implementing bold, systemic reforms, they built societies where equality, opportunity, and shared prosperity became the foundation. Their history serves as a guide for how determined, organized movements can achieve meaningful change even in the face of entrenched power. Let their example inspire our efforts today.

1. Recognize the Context:

   Economic inequality and systemic control by the 1% are not insurmountable. Historical examples from Norway and Sweden show that transformation is possible through nonviolent struggle and collective action.

2. Build a Broad Coalition:

   Unite workers, farmers, the unemployed, and middle-class allies. Expand membership and participation across diverse social groups, focusing on shared grievances and goals.

3. Use Nonviolent Direct Action:

   Recognize the limitations of electoral politics under 1% control. Engage in strikes, boycotts, demonstrations, and collective action to disrupt the power of the elite and demonstrate public resolve.

4. Organize at All Levels:

   Form local councils, unions, and cooperative movements. Build networks that can coordinate action across urban and rural areas.

5. Mobilize in Times of Crisis:

   Leverage economic downturns to highlight systemic injustices, organize mass protests, and protect vulnerable populations from evictions and exploitation.

6. Maintain Solidarity and Resilience:

   Include unemployed workers in unions and provide mutual aid to sustain morale and collective strength. Prevent fragmentation by emphasizing shared struggles.

7. Undermine the Legitimacy of the 1%:

   Expose their failures and amplify public dissatisfaction. Encourage defections from former allies of the 1%, such as small business owners or rural landholders, to isolate the elite.

8. Push for Bold, Negotiated Reforms:

   Use growing momentum to demand structural change, such as public ownership of key industries, progressive taxation, universal healthcare, and full employment policies.

9. Be Prepared to Compromise Strategically:

   Accept interim agreements if they address urgent needs and shift power away from the 1%. Maintain the broader movement’s momentum to achieve long-term goals.

10. Institutionalize Gains:

    Once in power, enact policies that permanently weaken the 1%’s influence: regulate industries, implement wealth redistribution, and ensure public control of critical sectors.

11. Stay Vigilant Against Backsliding:

    Resist attempts to return to neoliberal policies or corporate dominance. Learn from history: public ownership and regulation create economic resilience and protect against crises.

12. Educate and Inspire:

    Use art, media, and storytelling to keep the vision of justice alive. Share lessons from past movements to inspire future generations and sustain the fight for democracy and equality.

By following these steps, rooted in solidarity, resilience, and strategic action, we can create a society that serves the common good and dismantles the domination of the 1%.
 

Historical Agenda

The overarching goals of these movements were:

1. Economic Equality: Reduce the vast income and wealth gap.
2. Democratic Ownership: Shift control of key industries and resources to public or worker ownership.
3. Social Welfare: Provide universal access to health care, education, and housing.
4. Full Employment: Ensure everyone who wanted work had access to stable, meaningful jobs.
5. Worker Empowerment: Protect the rights and wages of workers while minimizing the exploitation by capital owners.
6. Regulation of Capital: Reign in unregulated capitalism to prioritize the public good over private profit.

Key Policies Passed

1. Universal Healthcare:
   • Both countries established comprehensive public healthcare systems where medical care became a universal right, free or nearly free at the point of use.
2. Free Education:
   • University education was made tuition-free and accessible to all, breaking down class barriers to higher learning.
3. Housing Policies:
   • Public housing initiatives eliminated slums and ensured safe, affordable housing for all. Norway developed cooperatives for shared ownership and community-building.
4. Social Safety Nets:
   • Robust welfare systems, including unemployment benefits, pensions, and paid parental leave, were established to ensure economic security for all citizens.
5. Progressive Taxation:
   • High tax rates were levied on the wealthy and corporations to fund public programs, redistribute wealth, and reduce inequality.
6. Labor Protections:
   • Minimum wage laws, collective bargaining rights, and strong unions ensured fair wages and safe working conditions. Employers were heavily regulated to protect workers’ rights.
7. Nationalization of Industries:
   • Norway and Sweden nationalized key industries, particularly energy, telecommunications, and transportation. In Norway, the government took majority ownership of large firms and the oil sector.
8. Economic Stimulus and Public Works:
   • In response to the Great Depression, public works projects were launched to create jobs, modernize infrastructure, and stimulate the economy.
9. Agrarian Reform:
   • Debt relief programs for farmers prevented evictions, and cooperatives were promoted to help smallholders resist exploitation by larger landowners and banks.
10. Banking Regulation:
    • Following financial crises, Norway nationalized the largest banks, purged corrupt leadership, and restructured the financial sector to focus on public rather than private interests.

Key Regulations Enacted

1. Regulation of Corporations:
   • Strong rules prevented monopolies, ensured environmental protections, and prioritized public well-being over shareholder profits.
2. Ownership Laws:
   • Norway introduced rules ensuring that large-scale industries were at least partially publicly owned or controlled by workers.
3. Price Controls:
   • Essential goods like housing, food, and energy were subject to price regulations to ensure affordability for all.
4. Environmental Protections:
   • Laws were passed to safeguard natural resources and prevent exploitation by private entities, setting the stage for sustainable development.
5. Labor Market Regulation:

   • Strikes and unions were protected, and measures like guaranteed vacation days and sick leave were established.

      

Long-Term Impacts

These policies not only transformed their economies but also reshaped their societies:

• Poverty was nearly eradicated.
• Social mobility improved dramatically.
• The middle class expanded, and income inequality decreased.
• Both countries developed strong, sustainable economies that became models of economic and social stability.

By combining structural reforms with regulations that limited corporate power and empowered workers, the movements in Norway and Sweden successfully dismantled the dominance of the 1% and created thriving, equitable societies. Their historical agenda continues to serve as an inspiration for those seeking systemic change today.

Objections:
 

"You’re talking about two almost completely homogeneous countries. America has too many racial and ethnic fault lines that have been manipulated over the course of centuries by the American 1% and their allies in the media.

While it’s true that Norway and Sweden were more homogeneous during their transformative movements, their success in overcoming deep divisions offers lessons that can be adapted to diverse societies like the United States. Here's why the objection doesn’t hold:

Diversity Isn’t an Obstacle, It’s a Strength:

In the U.S., racial and ethnic diversity has often been the driving force behind some of the most significant movements for justice, such as the Civil Rights Movement, which united people across racial and class lines to challenge entrenched systems of oppression. History shows that solidarity can transcend cultural and racial differences when people focus on shared struggles, such as economic inequality and systemic exploitation.

Norway and Sweden Faced Divisions Too:

While more racially homogeneous, these countries were deeply divided along class, regional, and ideological lines. Norway, for instance, was fragmented geographically by mountains and fjords, with stark divides between rural farmers, urban workers, and a small but powerful elite. These divisions were overcome through sustained organizing and a shared vision for economic justice—lessons that apply universally.

Manipulation of Division Is a Tactic, Not a Rule:

The American 1% has indeed exploited racial and ethnic divisions to maintain power, but this tactic can be countered. Organizing across differences, as seen in the multiracial coalitions of the labor movement and groups like the Poor People’s Campaign, can dismantle the narratives of division and build solidarity around common economic and social interests.

The Core Issue Is Class, Not Identity:

While identity-based oppression is real and must be addressed, economic inequality is a shared burden for most Americans. Framing the struggle as one against the 1%—who exploit all working people regardless of race or ethnicity—can help unite people around a common enemy while addressing systemic racism and other forms of inequality as part of the movement.

Examples of Multiracial Organizing Exist in the U.S.:

From the labor strikes of the 1930s to the Rainbow Coalition of the 1960s and today’s intersectional justice movements, Americans have repeatedly built multiracial alliances to fight for shared goals. These examples show that diverse coalitions are not only possible but powerful.

Global Examples of Diverse Movements:

Movements in countries like South Africa (anti-apartheid struggle) and India (independence movement) also faced deeply entrenched divisions but succeeded in uniting diverse populations against oppressive systems. These cases demonstrate that overcoming division is challenging but achievable.

In short, while racial and ethnic divisions in the U.S. are significant, they are not insurmountable. By emphasizing shared struggles, fostering solidarity, and directly addressing the ways elites exploit these divisions, a diverse and united movement for economic and social justice can succeed. Diversity can become a powerful unifying force, not a barrier.

I agree with this plan however we are steeped in propaganda like never before thanks to mass media. How do we unite with so much propaganda?

1. Start with Shared Struggles:

Focus on issues that resonate across ideological divides, like healthcare, wages, housing, or debt. Many farmers and workers feel the same economic pain, regardless of political affiliation. Build trust by addressing their immediate concerns rather than challenging their worldview head-on.

2. Use Trusted Messengers:

Identify and amplify voices within those communities who already hold credibility—farmers, workers, small business owners, veterans, or religious leaders. People are more open to listening when the message comes from someone they trust and relate to.

3. Rely on Personal Relationships:

Propaganda is less effective in the context of direct, human connections. Engage people through conversations, listening to their concerns, and gently guiding discussions toward common ground.

4. Share Stories, Not Facts Alone:

Facts alone often don’t break through propaganda, but stories do. Share personal narratives that highlight shared humanity and expose the real impact of inequality, focusing on emotional resonance rather than debate.

5. Build Independent Media Alternatives:

Strengthen and support grassroots media efforts—local radio, podcasts, newsletters, and online platforms that provide honest reporting and counteract the corporate narrative. Use these tools to amplify community voices and solutions.

6. Strengthen Media Literacy:
Equip individuals with the tools to critically analyze and dismantle modern propaganda, empowering them to recognize and resist manipulation.

7. Engage in Nonviolent Direct Action:

Large-scale actions like strikes, protests, or community campaigns can cut through propaganda by making inequality visible. Public demonstrations of solidarity draw attention to the real struggles people face, shifting focus away from divisive narratives.

8. Frame Issues Around Values:

Connect policies and goals to widely shared values like fairness, freedom, and dignity. For example, frame healthcare as "freedom from medical bankruptcy" or debt relief as "the right to keep what you've earned."

9. Stay Patient and Persistent:

Overcoming propaganda takes time. Focus on building relationships and gradually shifting perspectives rather than expecting immediate changes. Success comes from consistency and persistence.

10. Find Allies Everywhere:

Not everyone is fully entrenched in the propaganda machine. Seek out those who are already questioning, open-minded, or neutral, and bring them into the movement. Every ally strengthens the cause.

By focusing on shared struggles, trusted relationships, and persistent grassroots efforts, it’s possible to counter propaganda and unite communities around a common vision for justice and equity.