Name Sven Lindholm | Role Political leader | |
 | ||
Died April 26, 1998, Ronninge, Sweden | ||
Sven Olov Knutsson Lindholm (8 February 1903 – 26 April 1998) was a Swedish National Socialist leader, active in different Swedish fascist organizations from the 1920s to the 1950s.
Born in Jönköping Municipality, Lindholm joined the Swedish army at an early age, rising to the rank of Sergeant. Stationed in Stockholm, he was initially drawn to Elof Eriksson, a proto-fascist who emphasised anti-communism and anti-Semitism. He soon joined Konrad Hallgren in setting up the Sveriges Fascistiska Folkparti (Swedish Fascist People's Party) – which became known as Sveriges Fascistiska Kamporganisation (Swedish Fascist Cause Organization) – serving as organizer and then leader of the group.
Lindholm visited Nuremberg in 1929 and as a consequence abandoned Italian fascism in favour of German National Socialism and as a result he played a leading role in both the National Socialist People's Party of Sweden and its successor the Swedish National Socialist Party. The 6% Lindholm captured in Gothenburg in the 1932 election represented a high point for the Swedish National Socialists. However Lindholm had grown tired of the leadership of Birger Furugård as he had grown more attracted to Strasserism than Furugård's straight National Socialism. In 1933 he formed the Nationalsocialistiska Arbetarpartiet to this end.
The new group, which adopted the swastika, took an anti-capitalist line and organized its own youth group, the Nordisk Ungdom (Nordic Youth). By 1938 Lindholm had become more critical of the government of Germany, and attempted to reorganise the group as a more Swedish version of National Socialism, reinventing them as the Svensk Socialistisk Samling (Swedish Socialist Union).
He returned to the army in 1941 as a Fanjunkare in the artillery. He maintained an ambiguous relationship with Germany during war-time, attacking Operation Weserübung, yet also helping to recruit men for Adolf Hitler. Svensk Socialistisk Samling continued to be active until 1950, after which Lindholm went into semi-retirement, with only minor involvement in far right youth groups maintaining his activity.
